What would you think about this email from school? Sudden change of class teacher.

Happened at ours, she had enough and walked out. Tbh I support this as something needed to change. It’s improving now, think the wake up call the head needed.

True!

Because the school said he's left and isn't coming back. If it was a suspension, they'd make up an excuse that he was ill and temporarily unable to teach – any investigation ahead of a disciplinary hearing has to be conducted within a two-week timeframe.

A friend has just had to leave her job suddenly she got taken into hospital and diagnosed with leukaemia on the same day, she's now going to be in hospital for at least the next few months. She wont be going back to say goodbye, sometimes it's not due to wrong doing but something personal

If Mr Smith was asking prying questions about why you left your last job, you wouldn't like it, would you? It doesn't matter why he's abruptly gone, that's his business not yours.

Your task here is to show your child that things don't always go smoothly in life but that's okay, we will manage. Something that seems enormous to the adults (goodness knows why) is a pothole in the road of life to the kids. They've got a new teacher; Mrs Jones is nice too; life goes on. Great. Another blip hurdled and more resilience gained. Next time when something bigger happens, they'll know they'll manage it.

If it was suspnsion due to a hearing, annoucing that the teacher had left could be contrude as constructive dismissal by the school, so its unlikely,

There has to be a hearing, that adheres to legal requirements, it doesn't have to be fair.

The teacher is an employee and protected by the employment rights we all are. Don’t really understand why anyone would expect details of an absence or exit.

@Passingthrough123 How does op know it’s not a suspension pending a hearing?

I’m a supply teacher and I have covered for teachers who are not in school for all sorts of reasons. Including the death of a child.

No, she didn’t come back in to say goodbye to the children when her own child had been killed.

Well, if you don't think he'd just leave without telling the children, he obviously had a very good reason. Respect that and use it to teach your child about changes and resilience.

With a GM accusation that means instant dismissal, legally the school has to give the teacher a fair hearing before the dismissal is rubber-stamped, so they would be suspended first. The fact that he was working right up until leaving suggests it wasn't that.

This has made me laugh but there could be some truth in your comment 😅

What a good opportunity to teach your child resilience. Demanding answers is not ok. Honestly can’t understand why anyone would want to go into teaching, when it appears most parents today are completely insufferable.

Credit and thanks to all teachers who have to put up with this.

Given how short staffed schools are even teachers who walk out would likely get another job nowadays. In some places schools are desperate for staff.

Most who just walk out don’t want to teach again though so it wouldn’t really matter

You can be signed off sick though.

Oh, they do.

Or they’ve complained about the school and the school agreed to them going to save further issues.

or the relationship between teacher and SLT has completely broken down and they’ve mutually agreed it’s better to go.

Or the teacher has just had enough and decided not to come back regardless of notice periods (more and more common atm with conditions in schools) as they’re quitting teaching.

There’s also the chance they wanted to go at Christmas and agreed to stay on until Mrs Jones was available to take over full time (less likely).

Mr Smith has resigned because he couldn’t stand the gossipy parents.

I disagree. A lot of schools do not tell parents if a teacher is planning on leaving because it causes too much panic (a bit like this post) and far too many questions being asked. We have two members of staff leaving at Easter. Parents have not been told and won't be until the last week, if not then day before they leave. The only time it becomes obvious if a teacher is going is pregnancy and parents being able to guess that a teacher looks full term.

Some people are suggesting the school should have sent out a message to say what was happening....which is exactly what they have done.

I think people should consider how they would feel if it was a reverse and their child was leaving the school - would you want all parents of the class to know 1. Fred won't be back because he is seriously ill (which he isn't aware of himself) 2. Fred has been permanently excluded and they are waiting for a new school.

Yes that’s right. Don’t give up till you know EVERYTHING. It’s hugely disruptive to your child. Very very strange that another teacher would take over the VERY NEXT day. OMG. How dare they???? Very unreasonable of the teacher not to have called a meeting to tell you all everything.

You should know that teachers, just like police officers and firefighters and doctors and the people who assist you at the market, ad nauseam, have private lives. They are entitled to keep their private lives private - just as you are.

And for whatever reason your son’s teacher left school suddenly for private reasons. You could lie awake for months and never guess for what reason your son’s teacher left, but shame on those of you for thinking the worst. Perhaps you’re projecting - I don’t know, because I don’t know you any more than you know this lad’s teacher.

If your son’s former teacher wanted everybody to know the reason he abruptly left, he would’ve said.
But he didn’t, so it’s up to you to explain private lives and privacy and boundaries to your children.

Perhaps in the future this gentleman will share. Perhaps not.
Currently, it’s none of your never mind why.

Try really hard to put yourself in his place.

Well you can walk out but you won’t get paid. Probably won’t get another job either in the state system but could go private or supply. It could be gross misconduct and instant dismissal.

you have no right to know and rightly so! It could be a safeguarding issue or he could have been diagnosed with a terminal illness! if it is safeguarding the school will have to put strategies in place to minimise it happening again, so at that point parents may be told! However, do t expect to be.

No, teachers are only allowed to resign at the end of a term. Their notice period is the term. They cannot leave whenever they like. So yes, they are held hostage in a way! It's one of the downsides of working as a teacher, that you can't just up and leave.

My DP is a teacher.