to think that a supply teacher in 3rd week of school is a bit much?

[OhToBeAYummyMummy]

Ok, here goes, am prepared for pfb flaming :)

DS 4.6 started school 2 weeks ago. It's a slow induction process. He's been attending 9-11am every day with groups of 6 children being introduced every 3 days until the full class was put together on Mon. Full time hours don't start until Nov.

He has been nervous going in most days with full on tears and having to be peeled off me last week. We made an agreement that if he managed to go in without tears this week, he would get a treat at the weekend, (swimming which he adores).

He did so well on Mon and Tues going in with a stoical little face but when we got to the classroom this morning the TA explained to him that there was going to be a different teacher today as his teacher is on a course. At this point he broke down and ended up having to be peeled off me again. As I left two other children were in the cloakroom crying as they didn't want to go in either (this hasn't been the case any other morning that I've seen).

Is it a bit ridiculous for a teacher to be sent on a training course at this point in the induction process? I understand that the teacher could have ended up off sick and a supply teacher would have been brought in but she wasn't ill, this was a planned day out of the classroom. If we had been informed of it the day before we could have prepared our children for the fact that there was going to be a different teacher today.

I understand that my DS is going to have to get used to dealing with some situations without preparation or prior warning, but I feel that it was a bit tough on the little ones who are finding starting school a bit nerve wracking!

Go on, tell me I'm a helicopter parent :)

He starts to stay for lunch from 4th October then full time hours from Nov.

The teacher will be missing from the classroom every week anyway when she has her PPA time and there will be another teacher. They are adaptable, I once had a reception class on the second day because their teacher's father died.

amothersplaceisinthewrong Wed 15-Sep-10 21:37:33

Why cant' teachers do courses in the holidays...

Teachers do not get paid for holidays.

I can't see why teachers are special cases! Everyone gets paid for holidays and they don't do work courses in them. Teachers already do a lot of work in their holiday.I get the impression that people would like teachers to sleep at school and always be available!

Just to clarify:
Inset days, are 'in-service training days' and nearly always involve training for the whole staff (+ TAs if relevant). Our recent insets have been whole day courses on (for example) the new phonics scheme, creative learning and drama in the classroom.

Courses in the middle of the week are usually run by external agencies (LEA / children's agencies, etc) and are not held on the school site. Teachers have to book to go on these subject-specific courses. They are often one-off courses, so there is rarely a choice of dates. I am assuming this is the type of course your child's teacher went on.

Teachers are also allowed 10% planning time during the week. This happens every week. A teacher will be missing from class either for a whole morning or a whole afternoon, and a supply teacher will take his/her place.

NQTs also have an extra 10% mentoring and training time, and often have to attend county-organised courses in this time.

At our school, line managers (Key stage and SenCo)get an extra 10% 'management time', in order to sort assessment, problems in their keystages, attend school development meetings, etc.

deputy heads are (usually) either non-teaching or a job-share, to enable them to deal with administrational and strategic matters with the HT.

It might not even have been a course - as has been mentioned. It may have been something like a case conference for a pupil. I've been to case conferences for pupils in my classes that have lasted a whole day.

Hi , just wondered if today went any better for you and DS ?

Hi babbi thanks so much for asking. He actually went in with my friend and her DC today. I got the impression yesterday that I am either unwittingly making it worse or he's attention seeking. Either way I thought removing myself from the equation was a good idea.

I talked it through with him last night, explaining that as a special treat he was going to get to walk in with his friend and he was excited about it.

We'd arranged that my friend would walk her child to their classroom and then DS could see them go in happily. After that he trotted round to his room. His teacher was great and acknowledged him straight away and told him what a good boy he was. He also came home with a sticker for being so good; his teacher does seem great!

So now I'm left wondering what's going to happen on Monday. Hopefully he'll be fine from now on.

Thanks again for asking, it's lovely to think that someone out there was thinking of him today.

Thanks StayFrosty I hadn't considered that. I still just wish we'd had warning...i know i sound like a broken record :) and thanks for your concern, it is horrible. Hopefully today will have sorted it.

One of the reasons for NOT telling children that a supply/new/different teacher is there the following day is that , for some children, they can then stress all night and bcome really upset the following morning. perhaps much better not to know until you arrive when all your friends are around and there are things to do! Unfortunately you can never please everyone

Glad he had a better day today :)

YANBU to be upset about your DS being upset BUT training courses are fundamental to your DS education.

YABU to think its badly timed as as many has said the relevant training is important at the beginning of term not 1/2 way through or towards the end. Sometimes the training will be medical eg epilepsy, epipen allergy which could ultimatly save someones life.

Some children just take a while to settle in but he'll get there and then you'll be upset that he doesn't care when you leave him - I know I did

Thanks very much stayfrosty and backwardspossum, long may it continue :)

I now completely agree that I was BU in having issue with the course timing.

It's been really interesting getting some teachers perspectives, thanks for posting. There were lots of reasons for attending a course at this point which I would never have thought of, or just didn't know about.

montblanche thank you for the information you posted, it is really informative and useful.

Spanieleyes you are absolutely right about not being able to please everyone. At least now he's experienced having an unexpected supply teacher, and it gave us the opportunity to talk about the fact that it's part and parcel of school life.

mumbar you are absolutely right, I'm sure he'll be skipping in happily and I'll be weeping into a hankie at being unnecessary. Thank you. :)

Clumsymum "I'm a school governor, and was utterly livid when we were setting budgets last term, as a couple of teachers were requesting provision to be made to bring in supply teachers to cover for them for 3 days each (6 days in total), so they could plan for a science week project.
Money is tight for this year anyway, but I was trying to explain that I felt it was disruptive to the children to use supply teachers in this way. I thought this sort of thing was why teachers now got PPA time?"

PPA time is planning, preparation and assessment time for the class, and every second is precious. It is never enough, and the rest is done in teachers' own time. Extra activities like a Science week sound lovely, but require lots of time to plan, like it or not! I find it quite funny that you are cross at your teachers for wanting to do something above and beyond their normal duties - our governors are very supportive of this, and we have quite a few of these extra weeks which are very well co-ordinated and which the children (and the parents) love. But they all take time to plan properly!