AIBU or is this teacher being very unprofessional?

[UnprofessionalTeacher]

Have name changed for this incase I get flamed for being so inconsiderate, etc. Can't take a pasting atm. Am not a troll, poos in memorable places, mile for Maude, Cod, etc.

DD is in Yr 1. She's in a class which emcompasses reception, and Yrs 1-2. Obviously a small school, but class is fairly big due to different years.

DD's teacher has a daughter who started at reception in a different primary school in Sept. This primary school only did half days for first month. So every afternoon the teacher's DD would be dropped off at school and spend the afternoon in the classroom with her mum while her mum worked.

Now this other primary school isn't far away and finishes 30 minutes earlier. A friend of the teacher's picks this girl up and drops her off with her mum every day. IE; with my daughter's teacher in the classroom for the last 20-25 minutes of the day. Now according to dd and a couple of older kids there is a fair amount of the last 20 minutes of the day spent with the teacher having her attention focused on her DD, listening to what she did in school, etc.

So one of my friends has written to the headmaster asking if he's aware of what's happening and that parents aren't happy. He's written a letter back saying as far as he's concerned it can carry on. The letter is snotty and states that he would rather have this arrangement and have his staff happy than have them pulling sickies all the time. Direct quote.

I can't believe how unprofessional it is. Its maybe not the worst thing in the world but its 20 minutes a day for the next few years where the teacher isn't focused. Not good enough in my book.

My mum taught me, in primary school for a year.

Why does teacher's daughter not attend teacher's school? That would solve the problem, presumably.

Lots of childminders do after school pick ups!

They charge a higher rate, but because their under 5's ratio isn't affected they are happy to do so. Especially if they are collecting their own DC, and are effectively making money while doing a school run they would have done anyway.

It wouldn't bother me at all unless it is true that she is ignoring the rest of the class which I find hard to understand how she can ...especially at the end of the day. My dd's school is very flexible and the .5 music teacher has brought both her babies with her to school since birth. One is now in the school kinder but the 2 1/2 year old is there for all class lessons and also the private lessons.

Her children are lovely, well behaved and my dd has loved these chn being part of her life. Her ds is in the playground at lunch when she is tutoring and there is always a swag of volunteers wanting to look after him. I think having her babies growing up at the school has actually enhanced my dds life. She is so connected to them and delights in their milestones as well.

The teachers all have their children at the school and invariably teach them as there is only one class per year level.

They do after school pick ups but normally they are keeping them until 5/6, not just for half an hour. My friend had a shift in a shop that finished at 3 meaning she could get to CM by 3.30 but could get no-one to take her on. Luckily shop moved her to a different shift (this was in an area where CMs are in v high demand though)

YANBU. Totally not on, I speak as a teacher and a parent. No school I have worked in would allow this. There is some legal reason as well I think, but I can't remember.

The issue of 'no childminder being willing to use up a slot for half an hour' is irrelevant. The OP is annoyed about the child being there for the last 30 mins of the day, but I would assume that's just the cross over with the school day part. Presumably the teacher is there until 5 or even later with meetings etc, so really the child should be picked up by a cm and who would then look after her until 5, 6 or whenever the mother finishes. I still think there must be an element of the childcare situation having broken down. What is the teacher doing with her child in the morning for instance ? I presume she is in school by 8 so her dd must have childcare getting her to school then? And for the previous 4 years before she entered reception? It sounds like this teacher is well established, not new this year, so clearly she has been using childcare and this recent thing is a new development.

Not acceptable , not professional- I am not defending it for one moment. But I just think there is more to this than meets the eye. The teacher is obviously not just trying to save on childcare- she will have been paying far more up to now. Is there a shortage of cms and after school clubs In the area? The thing I would assume is that she has spent years paying nursery fees, and now her dd has started school she is no longer eligible for nursery and the teacher literally cannot find other care. The head may be bending over backwards because he knows this teacher is committed and willing to organise childcare but is literally unable to access any.

Still doesn't make it ok long term, but I could kind of understand the teacher making a stand if she is perfectly willing to pay but her area has an acute shortage of after school care.

I asked if I could have my DS in my class for one afternoon in an emergency and was told no by the Headteacher because "We are not a childminding service". I never asked again.
If the child isn't on roll I would have thought there were all sorts of implications re insurance etc. I am really surpised this Head allows it on a regular basis.

Well I am secondary so I know it is different but after my husband died in January my 15 year old daughter turned up frequently needing a hug/support. My HT preferred it to me being off and after the first 5 mins she would settle down and work. What does the OP know of this teacher's circumstances? It would have been easier for me to take the time out to sort this out but I felt a loyalty to my pupils to be there. And despite this my GCSE results were fabulous

We are assuming the teacher wants this arrangement! She may have wanted to go part-time but the HT didn't want a job share for the class so came up with this solution.
I can't see that it's more than 15 minutes if that. Our infants take 5 minutes at least to all get handed over to their parents, it must be a 10/15 minute walk or the same if driving and having to park etc. It would be unusual to have two schools only 5 mins walk apart wouldn't it? Does the child have to go through reception every day and get brought to the teacher? Another couple of minutes. Do you know that it's 20 minutes for definite?

I'm another one who used to spend occasional days sitting quietly in the corner of a staffroom reading, while my mum taught. For me, the smell of holidays is the smell of a school science department - I love it :)

I agree with babybythesea - one off completely acceptable but not as a long term child care option.

I teach in one school, my child attends another, because we are both better off in different schools. My school finishes at 3.20 and unless there are after school meetings, I leave in time to collect from CM at 4 and then work from home. My CM does that happily - as someone says it doesn't affect her under 5s ratio, so it's extra (easy) money.

I accept this may not be the case for all CMs though.

As for the OP - well, I don't mix my child and my school in any way except perhaps attending C'mas fairs and the like, because this is why it's a problem. It's fine to have flexible arrangements like this in place, until they either go wrong genuinely or people decide there is a legal/moral/educational/insurance issue - and then it's hardly relevant whether there really is an issue, the fact is the gossip and muttering makes you feel guilty for daring to try and have your own child as well as teach and you end up making other arrangements for your own sanity and well-being. Or quitting.

I am not the teacher mentioned in the OP, but have been in a situation with some similarities. It went pear shaped. Can you tell?

Ignore all advice to "write to the Board of Governors and copy to the relevant person in the LEA". Get a copy of the school's complaints policy and follow it. No point in doing anything else, whoever you write to will direct you back to that. The LA will have no involvement in a complaint because they are no longer involved in school complaints.
The complaints policy will tell you what to do if you are not happy when you have gone through the process and are still not happy.

THe bottom line is - would she do this when OFSTED are in??

Does it take the large, mixed age class above the ICS of 30? Because if it does - it can be argued on that point, as the dc is also covered by the ICS. I would put in a written complaint to the school's board of Governors if it does take the class size above 30.

sounds a bit odd to me!

no learning happens in the last half hour of the day in reception/yr 1 and it's all the tidy up stuff, getting your bags ready, having a story...

but the focus should still be the class and not the teacher's child. I wouldn't want my child dropped into my class like this regularly because i'd be aware there's a conflict of interest (30 chn's teacher vs 1 child's mum).

NonnoMum - no, I very much doubt she would!

Urk, I hate saying this, but I'm leaning towards yanbu. Not because it's a problem now, I'd be fine about it all thru reception (last half hour of a play-based day), but will the situation continue for many years to come? That's the part I find unacceptable.

Besides... done to prevent sickies? Don't see how that comes into it, nobody would pull a sicky daily for the last hour of their shift, would they?

Hmmm, I'm really on the fence on this one.

Initially I would agree with others that is is very unprofessional and I wouldn't be happy in the same situation.

But hold on a minute. We all complain about how child-unfriendly the UK is when it comes to childcare and you can't do this and can't do that etc. It's tough for working women compared to many other countries. Maybe this headmaster is being quite forward-thinking and allow it to go on to keep a valued staff member happy. And in the scheme of things, does having an extra child in the class for the last 20 minutes of the day (when it's mostly tidying up etc anyway) really have any impact of the education of the other childen in the long term?

Yes the Head has responsibility for the children in his school but he is also responsible for his staff. Maybe he's just doing a nice thing for this teacher to make her life a bit easier. It could be she is a fantastic teacher who might otherwise leave the school. He shouldn't have been rude though.

I think it's excellent!

It's refreshing to see a working parent being allowed to accomodate their child in that way...sounds like good old fashioned common sense!

I don't believe for a second that this teacher spends the last 20 minutes of every school day talking to her daughter only.

It's far more likely that the children are getting on with their work and she's having a quick chat while they do so.

I'm sure if a child needed her attention they'd get it in the same way they'd get her attention if she was speaking to another class member.

Lucyinthepie is quite correct - ask the school office for a copy of their complaints procedure - this is nothing to do with either Ofsted or the LA. You will find that by writing a letter your friend has taken the first step in trying to resolve this, so the next step will be to write to the Chair of Governors. They will then ask to meet her to discuss the problem to see if it can be resolved informally, if this is not the case then the complaint becomes formal and is investigated...

I am wondering how the child gets from another primary school to yours?

As a Chair of Governors, I would not be happy for this to be happening on a daily basis.

i wouldn't have a problem with this. I've known HTs and teachers who have had children in their school/class and it didn't affect their performance, so I don't see why having your own child in the class additionally for 20 mins would affect your performance either. It could be an asset, where children compare school experiences. I think child-friendly and flexible work practices are to be commended, rather than this rather stuffy work/life divide we have at present.

latte the teacher's friend brings her
Personally I would not attempt such as arrangement for reason caughtaflea mentions
gossip and muttering

Wow! I think it sounds great! What a way to start changing society for the better IMO. Far better to be taking everyone's needs seriously and ignoring silly blanket rules that make no sense in this situation.

Heaps of time is wasted in school anyway - do you really, genuinely think your child's education is going to be damaged by an extra child in the class for 20 minutes the end of the day?

Honestly, that is a very skewed view of how education works if you think that, and a very narrow-minded view of how society could look if more children were more welcome in their parents' place of work.

We'd have far less of a gender pay and employment gap if this happened more often, for a start!

And actually I'm not surprised the Head was snotty about the parent's petty letters.

"Now according to dd and a couple of older kids there is a fair amount of the last 20 minutes of the day spent with the teacher having her attention focused on her DD, listening to what she did in school, etc"

Ask a group of 7 year olds what a 'fair amount' of 20 minutes is and I'm sure you'll get wildly differing opinions.

Personally, I'd be more concerned about reception, year 1 and year 2 being lumped in together...not a teacher daring to exchange a few words with her daughter just before the class packs up for the day.

Child- friendly practices don't mean actually having your child in work though!

I wish the OP would come back and enlighten us a little more.

I keep returning to my original point: the child clearly hasn't spent all her pre-school years sat in the classroom, so up until this point, the mother has obviously arranged proper childcare. It would be very odd, having done that, to assume that now her child is school age, she doesn't need to do that. IME, parents who have organised and paid for childcare all through the very early years are the LAST people to take the piss once their children reach school age. They are simply relieved to not be paying all day every day.

I would bet on the situation being that childcare has broken down, or has not been available at the last minute. I am confused about why the situation is going on so long - but who knows, maybe the teacher has a childminder lined up who doesn;t have space until january.

If I were the Head teacher and I had an excellent committed member of staff who has organised her childcare right through the really expensive and heavy going pre-school years, and then when the child eventually starts school, childcare breaks down, then I would definitely cut a bit of slack and support that staff member. I would put a time limit on it, but I would certainly try to support them in the interim. The OP does not mention that this is an entirely new member of staff who has waltzed in expecting to not use childcare, so unless she dripfeeds this info now, we must assume the teacher was there last year and using childcare. I cannot think of a single case where a parent uses childcare during the early years and then when the child starts school thinks 'oh I don't need it any more, I'll just get the child dropped at work with me!'. That just doesnt ring true. I suspect the teacher isn't entirely happy with the situation either, and this is a stop-gap