to think that having a child at the same school as their parents teach at is not fair

[receiverofopiniongiver]

on the child, other children or other teachers?

Disadvantages for the child:-
To demonstrate no favourtism the child is not chosen for anything
If the teacher is unpopular then the child gets it
If the child is chosen for anything then they've either got to be tons better than their classmates or it's only due to them 'being teacher's child'.

Disadvantages for other children:-
If any problems with other child can't go to teacher, as going to their parent so not neutral
If do anything (even minor) to upset the child, will feel the wrath of the teacher more

Disadvantages for other teachers:-
If don't pick child - work colleageue gets upset
If do pick child - accused of favortism
If any problems with child - more difficult as accusing colleague

What are the advantages to the school community in having a teacher's child at the same school as they teach?

I once read somewhere that when looking round and choosing a school for your child one of the questions you should ask the teacher showing you around is "would you be happy to send your own child to this school"! I think yabu loads of tas at my childs school have children at the school infact they often decide to do the job by starting off as parent volunteers and then progressing from there.

Not sure if this has been said, and apologise for not having read the whole thread, but there was a thread a couple of weeks ago, lambasting teachers who do not send their children to the school they teach in as a sign of faith. What is a teacher to do?

As another thread says, teaching is incompatible with having a family.
Therefore teachers should not breed.

Actually I think if you have a thick skiined - teaching is very compatible with having a family. More so than any other profession. Regardless of what teachers say about the hardship of being a teacher.

You get the school holidays - even if this means you have to work in the evenings at home, the fact you don't have to pay for holiday care is a fantastic saving. My childcare costs are currently £75 a day during holidays - so teachers would save = 513 = 6575 = £4875.

You don't have to pay for before/after school care as there is no commute to work away from your child (currently £20 a day) so that is a saving of = 539 = 19520 = £3900.

You can always be there for the school events, as you are attending them anyway as you are at the school. Price = immeasurable.

You don't have to pay additional bus costs currently for me £400 per term = £1200.

If you are reasonable at your job, you are pretty much guaranteed a job for life lets say average salary £25,000. Although I understand it to be a lot more for perks, if you specialise in particular subjects. So you get your £25000 less deductions of 25% (including your pension contributions): £18750 without the additional costs above (£9975). Non teacher on £25000 gets £8775 in their pocket compared to the teacher getting £18750.

If I didn't detest children so much I could easily see the advantages of being a teacher!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My daughters are at the school where I work and I don't foresee any problems. Thye're too young for me to teach yet (except the elder one twice a week for games) but I'm not worried about doing so. There's at least 2-3 staff children in each year group and there's rarely, if ever, any problems. If a staff child needs to be discussed at a staff meeting the member of staff is given the option to leave the room.

90% fee reduction helps! There's nop way I could send them to another school that would fit in with my hours (other preps too expensive, state primaries finish too early)

receiver, I agree with you in principle, but I think you've overestimated your childcare costs - I bet you don't send them to holiday club on Christmas day for a start! (In fact round here all the holiday clubs close for 2 weeks over Christmas, so that's down to 11 weeks for a start).

My parents (teachers) used to mark work, do planning etc. in the holidays and evenings, but it certainly didn't take all day every day, and they didn't need additional childcare while they were doing it like I do while I'm at work.

we have this in our school, teacher actually teaches her own child for half the week.
Child was interviewed in the decision process to find their views, teacher (when she has her teacher hat on is impartial) minor discipline issues she deals with the same as other children, she steps back if another teacher is involved and leaves them to deal - it has been a very successful experiment.
However she says herself that if it were a different child she wouldn't do it.
It all depends on how the situation is managed.

It was an in principle example - but my holiday costs are how much it costs for the 13 weeks, that is how much I pay out annually. The actual per day cost varies, and is sometimes more sometimes less, dependent on where the children are, and how many I've got to pay for on a given day, whether others have gone to friends etc.

This is a daft calculation. What happens when your kids are too young/old for your school, or the wrong gender, or don't get places in the admissions process? Or you are made redundant and you have to look for a job elsewhere and you have to leave your children behind? It's only the very small minority of teachers who benefit from this, and only then for a maximum of 7 years out of a 40 year career. Get real.

But why is it a daft calculation??? The calculation was in relation to teaching being incompatible with having a family. Actually it appears to me that teaching is one of the most compatable industries to be in with regards to having a family.

Both financially and logistically.

I used to teach at a secondary school where a number of students had parents who worked there. One in particular was under my pastoral care and could be quite difficult and uncooperative. His mother was quite a formidable women and a more senior member of staff - it was a nightmare to have to speak to her about anything.

Also taught other students whos parents where on the SMT - I hated this also.

A number of other staff who started at the same time as me also commented on the amount of students who had parents at the school and thought it was weird, never come across it before.

There were also a number of married couples working in the school - it was very tightnit and clichey - I feckin hated it! Yuk so glad to be away!

I think students should have complete independence away from parents and experience school as that, equally the parent/teacher scenarios I think are fecked up as you never be sure whether you had parent/teacher 'hat' on

Did I say I fecking hated it?

receiverofopiniongiver - you'd think that, but once a week there is the staff meeting, outside agency meetings fairly frequently, clubs to run etc. Once a term, Parent's evenings. Residential trips. INSET days are a right bugger.

Teachers still use childcare.

Yes but all those things that are inconvenient to the teacher, parent's evenings, inset days, etc are just as inconvenient for ALL working parents, but don't have the other advantages already listed, plus probably highly likely, that they'll have their own meetings, outside clients etc that need meeting.

delicatequestion....that sounds just like my workplace...where in uk are you???!!!!

My mother started teaching at my primary school when I was 7. Luckily she never taught me.

It was hideously embarassing in assembly as she had a very loud opera-stylie voice.
She was very keen to not look like she was favouring me, but as our paths didn't cross that much, it wasn't too much of a problem.
I had to pretend I wasn't there when standing outside the Head's office in trouble. (Very difficult when you are big TillyMint)
I had to wait for her at the end of the day (though this was in the days of very little preparation, so maybe an hour at the most)

I don't remember any pluses, but it wasn't all that bad.
Apart from the assemblies.
Every day.

I would not consider teaching in DS's primary school (DD now at sec) as he's no angel - for my sake, rather than his!

What I was trying to say, receiver, was that a lot of people rely on childminders, out of school clubs etc, and that includes teachers

I see what you're saying re: holidays, but when we used a childminder, we still had to pay her during to keep the place open for the children. So although we technically didn't need childcare, we still had to pay for it

Fortunately spaces became available in after school club, and for £4 an hour less, plus no charge if you cancel in advance, (plus, not having to drive anywhere) I am very happy.

There are many many benefits to be gained from working in your child's school, I'm not really denying that (honest!!), but I still say the OP is BU. And has a teeny chip on their shoulder.

I have no chip on my shoulder - I honestly had not encountered anything like it before, and cannot see it being advantageous. But must admit the experience I'm having is along the lines of delicatequestion - rather than the experiences of other posters.

Hence why I posted in AIBU to see if this was a common problem, or a badly handled problem.

Still don't think it is the most ideal situation if there is any alternative available for the child, as I also agree with the sentiment that the children need the opportunity to experience school life without parents being in close proximity.

But do accept the damage can be minimised if handled well.

Ooh, didn't notice you were the OP, receiver, this thread has been running a few days now

I concur that if badly managed, then not a good thing, but in the main people are pretty sensible, and there often isn't another viable option. So, YAstillBU, unless you are not

I'll let you off

allgone i am in north birmingham

receiver yes it amazed me that the staff who had been there for so long just accpeted it as normal, but I could go on and on, it wasnt a very good school for me for a number of reasons a very old fashoined style of management and time served faces were what got you noticed/stuff done.

I hated it so much, my last school was like teaching in disney land by comparison and I had tough times there too but the way in which they were dealth with was very different.

I don't think it's a No-no but it needs to be well-handled.

My best friend was badly bullied at primary by a teacher's child and her mother.

You are describing a shit school not a shit situation. I was taught by my mother and my husband is also a teacher in the same school as his child. Just pick better schools.

There are a few advantages to having a parent working at school... Mostly along the lines of when you forget to get a permission slip signed, or forget to bring in money for a charity event/tuck shop/book sale/etc!

I never experienced any problems with favouritism. The main issue I had was that everything I did got back to my Mum and she came down on me like a ton of bricks! Stuff that probably would never have reached non-teaching parents, like being cheeky in class or messing about during assembly.

DD1 attends the school I teach at and I see nothing unfair about the situation - she didn't get a place for Reception so went elsewhere initially but transferred when a place became available and she'd reached the top of the LA waiting list.

I teach KS2, she's 6. A number of the teaching & support staff have/have had their children at the school. The school is 800m from our home. It's a 2-form entry school so, even if at some point we ended up in the same year group, I would never teach her except in an emergency situation i.e. snow made it impossible for all teachers who travel on the tube to get to school but those of us who lived nearby managed to make it.

Why does DD1 attend 'my' school? It's not the closest but it is the one DH and I hoped she would go to for a long time, way before I worked there. It's the ethos of the school that we chose, the fact I now work there does have occasional advantages..... I can see her putting her hand up in the weekly whole school assembly, know when to check her bookbag for letters and sometimes get to see any award stickers before they've lost all their stick and fallen off. I missed her class assembly because I was out with my class on a school trip and I pay £100 per day for childcare (DD2 is much younger). Just because teachers don't 'need' holiday childcare doesn't mean we don't have to pay for it - very few nurseries charge term-time only fees!

At the moment DD1 loves that I teach at her school and wants me to be her teacher - I won't be so it's a fairly pointless hope. She plans to go to Daddy's school (he's a secondary school teacher) when she's 11 but his school is further away and is a grammar so she'd need to get an incredibly high score on the 11+ to achieve that! Being at the same school works for us because it's the local school we'd have chosen for her anyway, if it becomes a problem then I'll move on.