How do head teachers decide which teacher gets which class?

[GiraffesBaby]

Is it all quite complicated?

Timetabling in high school is a shit of a job, if it's done properly, and it takes weeks. You fill your a level, then your ks4, then your ks3. Then you look to minimise split classes or how classes are affected by part time etc. Who's ended up with too many difficult classes?The tweaks and changes take forever.

One year, school brought in outside agencies to do it. It was a disaster. Teachers taken from our dept to teach other subjects they'd never taught- which then left gaps in our dept filled by non specialists.

Our school was:

Weakest class needed strongest teachers

Sat's classes stronger teacher

Eyfs usually same member to ensure established experience brought out best in pupils starting school

So years 1,3,4 and 5 were often most likely to see change unless there were issues with a particular cohort that needed a strong lead, eg one year a class had gone through 8 temp teachers and the head having to teach in one year. They were a tricky class so they were needing a confident no nonsense teacher.

@TheMoth

Yea ours starts a draft timetable dram Jan for the sept!!

Secondaries must be insanely complicated!

The fun has just started. I predict many, many revisions and a final on the 16th July. Think latest we ever got one was September.

No wonder secondary schools ask for GCSE options so early.

In my DD school, whoever is having a baby with another staff member can't teach in the same year group as them.

In my previous school we were always asked to give a first and second choice and SLT would try their best to accommodate. It was a big school (five form entry) so it was quite easy to move people around.

In the school I’m in now, teachers stay in the same year group every single year and don’t move, even when they ask for change. For that reason I’m leaving this year!

As others have said, those in EYFS and Year 6 often stay there.

@drspouse

In my DD school, whoever is having a baby with another staff member can't teach in the same year group as them.

?? Is that primary or secondary?

Primary seems reasonable as otherwise they'd both be off at the same time.
Secondary I can see that makes sense if same subject, but otherwise?

In a secondary, it isn't up to the head, it is up to the head of department. Year 11,12 and 13 are matched first, that comes down to experience and best fit. Then year 10, then KS3 which is largely down to where the gaps in the timetable are.

@Laiste

Wrestling matches in the staff room

Lol 😂 I work in a school (TA) and there’s a bit of a reshuffle this year due to 3 teachers leaving and a couple on maternity. The staff have all been asked their preferences but there’s no guarantee they’ll get them. The current year 2 for example is being moved to year 1 as it’s a high needs class coming up and the year 2 teacher will be a new employee with a slightly easier class.

In my kids school most of the teachers seem to shuffle around each year except the reception class. They are the same teachers each year and my dd who is 4 years younger than her brother had the same teacher in reception as he did which is nice continuity.

@clopper

Wish of a teacher? I wish. My head has never asked me, but I agree on the rest of pp suggestions. I do think they take account of them in my school.

I'm a TA in SEN school and I had to laugh when you said we get assigned classes at our wish. If only! Our class lists are being released for September this coming week and we all have bated breath waiting to see our classes. I have no idea what SLT base it on because sometimes their is some unfathomable pairings. Not a teacher or ta gets any say in things like that.

Some heads ask for preferences, others just make the choices themselves. EYFS teachers and Y2/Y6 tend not to move so much-especially if they are phase leaders.

I wouldn't want the job in primary for all the money in the world! At least in secondary there is a bit of flexibility if there's a disaster.
I help to timetable our science dept, no A level to worry about and everyone teaches all three sciences to their class. In the past we haven't done it like that but our team at the moment prefer to build the relationship with a class and are experienced at teaching all three. Love them!

We do KS4 first, tricky classes first (after we've carefully set them as a team). I get a lot of these as I enjoy making progress with them and as the person in charge of KS4 I feel I ought to... The top sets might have an experienced teacher or they might have a new-ish in career teacher that has shown they are reliable and ready for that bit of pressure. NQTs and staff new to the school tend to get the middle groups, although we don't get many vacancies tbh, but we are also mindful of the 4/5 borderline classes. We do ask the staff for any preferences as well. If a group has had a hard time the previous year for whatever reason, long term sick being the usual reason, we try to give them priority the following year. And we do have split classes too but we try to minimise this at KS4.

We use the same principals at KS3 but we tend to let the NQTs and new staff loose on the trickier elements (high ability, and difficult) as this can pay dividends when those staff are established by the time these classes are KS4. Because I have a lot of the 'harder' classes at KS4 I tend to get some tops sets in KS3 which I moan about but secretly quite enjoy. I also tend to be the one that shares classes as I don't mind and gave been here forever so know most of them anyway or have taught their cousin/aunty/mum so there is a little bit less difficulty in building the working relationship.

It's complicated but we generally get it right and only have the odd personality clash or bad luck sickness absence to contend with and we do our best to swap staff round to ensure they all get at least some consistent staffing if that does happen.

Some (not all) secondary heads of departments pick all the best classes for themselves (A level, GCSE sets on course for good exam results) and always let others do the less desirable options (year 9 on a Friday afternoon anyone?).

Yea that is also very true @EndoplasmicReticulum in my first job I had (on paper) horrendous groups Friday last every year. One of them actually turned out to be quite good fun but I don't know why HoDs do that as you just end up with more work dealing with the fall-out.

I find marking class work came be quite repetitive so for me I'd much rather have tough lessons and 10 less books to mark, plus they usually mostly come round to my way of thinking by about Feb half term so I have nice lessons and still less marking too...but don't tell everyone 😂

@TeenMinusTests it was a slight joke as it's only happened once, this year. My DS was in Reception 4 years ago and then, Ms A and Mr B were both Y1 teachers, as they were before lockdown.
They then started dating. Towards the end of the first lockdown, observant parents noted their home learning videos had the same background. They announced the baby towards the end of last school year and school gave out the teacher allocations - Ms A in Y1 and Mr B in Y2.

Staff get asked for their preferences at our primary but won't necessarily get the year group or even phase that they would like.

It's a 2-form entry, so the more experienced teachers are paired in their year group with someone with less experience.

EYFS teachers tend to stay where they are until they leave for a new school.

Year 6 teachers also tend to find it difficult to escape their year group, although some have done so.

There's a lot more flexibility with the remaining year groups. Most teachers at the school have taught in both KS1 and KS2 at some point. It depends on the needs of each cohort.

Generally in infants the record on teachers remain reception as early years specialists. Year 2 tend to remain as have has experience of SATS but year 1/2 so change sometimes and obviously occasionally theirs a shuffle round.

Juniors generally teachers do year 3/4 or years 5/6 and switch between the 2 - but again they may make a bigger move for CPD or operational reasons.

Secondary generally the experienced teachers get the exam years but as they teach subjects it's different.

I’ve never been asked. Just ... “this is your class”.

At our primary (2 form entry) they make sure to move staff around to a new year group every 2-3 years. But not everyone moves every year so usually someone has more experience.

Dh is a primary deputy. The classes are assigned based on teacher skill set and teacher preference. Eg if an infant teacher said they didn’t want to move to year 5/6 this would definitely be taken into account. However there have been times when individuals have had to teach year groups they would rather not due to various staffing issues - they were the most skilled/suitable teacher for the job at the time. Teachers also get stuck in a year group. Eg year 6 seems to be a big sticking point if you’re good - once you’re in you don’t get to leave.

We were always loosely told 4 years was ideal (primary)..1st year you have no clue what you're doing, 2nd year you've found your feet, 3rd year you're really smooth and slick and 4th year it can start to get stale.
That said, it's pointless taking someone who is eg excellent in upper primary and moving them to reception just for the sake of a move.

Sorry I mean moving stages every 4 years or so