DC’s teacher left without saying

[beeonmybonnett]

I’m just a nosey cow, nothing else to it, so that’s why I’m posting this 🤣🤣

Anyway, DC went into school on Monday to have another teacher take their form class telling the class that their form teacher secured a new job and finished in DC’s school on Friday and that they would have a new and permanent form teacher in due course. Her ex-teacher never said she was leaving and never said anything last Friday, class just took place as normal.

As I say, I’m just nosey, I don’t have any other reason to question it or fuss about it, but I thought the teacher would have told her class that she was leaving and said goodbye to her students? Or do teachers generally keep these things quiet and just leave silently?

DC got on well with this teacher so she was a bit shocked at her sudden departure and a bit disappointed that she seen her on Friday, not realising it was her last day and therefore never got to say goodbye.

The first sentence is not quite correct for classroom teachers. There are set dates by which you have to resign. They are 31st October to leave at the end of the Autumn Term, 28/29th February to leave at the end of the Spring Term, and 31st May to leave at the end of the Summer Term. However, it is up to the discretion of the Head to work a shorter notice period. I had a colleague who was in the early years of her career who negotiated a month's notice.

In my first school in the mid 90s, I was one of 17 new teachers, 13 of us were NQTs. I stuck it out there for 4 years but the leadership was toxic and I had to get out.

@steppemum I'm not surprised that she couldn't cope with the ridiculous amount of paperwork required if she had been out of UK teaching for a while. This is one of the reasons there is such a teacher shortage. I imagine she was signed off sick with stress.

That’s not true. There are three set days. The final one is 31st of May. It is irrelevant where half term falls.

There are certain time is it in the years when a teacher can resign and notice be given this is not one of them

Something's happened that you'll never know about. Teachers don't leave part way through a term under normal circumstances.

We let one go last term who was struggling to cope and was offered an opportunity in a private special school, although he'd been off sick and there was no realistic prospect of him returning.

Yes, something has happened behind the scenes. This is unusual.

I doubt it was an actual new job because notice would have had to have been given and this would have given the opportunity the teacher to say goodbye, and an email explanation to parents. It might have been a "little white lie" explanation given by the supply teacher, or that is what the supply teacher had been told and they've passed it on. The chances are the supply is actually a new ECT who've just finished university and covering classes for the rest of the academic year until they start officially in September and SLT don't want to scare them off with the real explaination!

I'm surprised you've not been told anything by the school. Normally an email goes to parents with a brief explanation such as health/family issues or even "due to circumstances beyond our control". I've had one worded "Mrs X won't be in class for the foreseeable future however we have secured an experienced supply called Mr Y who has been introduced to the class today" followed up by "Mrs X won't be returning this academic year or ever and Mr Y will be the class teacher for the remainder of the year.

I did this the year I left teaching. I’d been attacked by a student along with another member of staff. We were both told to return to teach immediately!

we both sustained injuries that were photographed by the police. The other teacher sustained a fracture.

It followed a series of similar events, I’d had 3 hospital trips in the 18 months I worked there, weapons in classrooms and absolutely no support. It was an awful place to work.

I was diagnosed with PTSD, all ‘management’ did was tell me to crack on. I quit. I don’t teach anymore.

Good grief that’s awful, sorry you experienced that!

It made me so upset I couldn’t return to say goodbye to the kids I taught. I don’t know what they were told as the school had a pretty strict policy on other teachers not keeping in touch for fear of being pushed to leave.

Not all schools, but some are awful places to work with management who control by fear to achieve quite frankly average results.

The reason your DD’s teacher left may not be as clear cut as you’ve been told by the school unfortunately.

Could well be the teacher was a long term supply and so didn’t have to given the normal notice period (and secured a permanent job)

Same here. My chief regret is that after 27 years at the same school I didn't get a proper leaving do or say goodbye to the children who were 99% lovely.

I don't know what they told the children. I doubt very much they told them I was bullied out (as were at least 3 more after me).

Where do you get that from????

What was being said on the playground didn't come fomr the governors!