Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to be worried this is completely unprofessional?

59 replies

GracieW · 14/04/2012 17:18

Really don't know whether I am so all advice/comments very welcome.

My DC's are at a small primary school (one class per year). My eldest DC is in Year 5 as is the DC of the Year 6 teacher.

I feel very uncomfortable that this teacher could be teaching their own child in such a vital year, especially as they have made it clear that they would actually move house to get into grammar school if necessary. The teacher would be writing the external reports to the secondary schools on her own child (as well as all other Year 6 children).

However, the current Year 6 parents are delighted with this teacher.

AIBU to be concerned that this is an issue or should I trust that the teacher's professionalism will trump their desire for their DC?

OP posts:
greenbananas · 14/04/2012 17:21

I don't think this would make me uncomfortable at all. Trust the teacher's professionalism.

I would imagine that any reports she writes about her own DC will be scrutinised very carefully by other staff and by the headteacher. In any case, this is not your business, and is highly unlikely to affect your own DCs.

FermezLaBouche · 14/04/2012 17:23

Im confused. If this teacher is the year 6 teacher, why would they be teaching your year 5 daughter? Do you mean they could be teaching their own child next year? I don't see how this could affect your child in any way at all...

Alphafemale · 14/04/2012 17:24

YABU, she's a teacher, trust her professionalism, I would. Unless she's given you reason to doubt it, has she?

doormat · 14/04/2012 17:25

hmm as a nursery nurse i cannot look after any of my family, re grandchildren as it would be deemed unprofessional ( have read OFSTED guidance and cant find the actual clause) so i cant understand this ...this wasnt the case in one nursery btw but in 3 where i have worked and spking to other nursery nurses this is the norm

if you feel uncomfortable about this matter you could always speak to the head...

jendot · 14/04/2012 17:26

The headteacher at ds school (who is also a class teacher) will be teaching her daughter next year along with my ds... I personally think that she will get less 'favouritism' this year as her mum will be her teacher than she has this year as 'the daughter of the headteacher' from a regular teacher this year!!
I also look at it as a bonus that the teacher is confident enough in the school to send her own children there.
Don't stress about it!

ANTagony · 14/04/2012 17:26

I'm slightly surprised that yr5 and 6 teachers aren't swapping years for a year next year, so effectively you dc would have two years with same teacher. General guidance is that parents avoid being in direct supervision of their own children in a professional environment. Have seen this twice, when my mum was a teacher at the school I was at and it's come up recently at the small village primary my children are at and we discussed it at the governors.

Original poster
GracieW · 14/04/2012 17:27

Fermez sorry, meant that the teacher would be teaching both her DC and my DC in Year 6 (September this year).

OP posts:
dreamingofsun · 14/04/2012 17:27

if this is the sort of thing that worries you god help you when your child gets to a larger school! i just hope you don't live where we do as this would be the least of your problems. your concern should be your child - not the wider picture and her doing dodgy reports to the grammar school is irrelevant. fingers crossed you get competant teachers for your child - forget the wider picture

5318008 · 14/04/2012 17:28

teacher will be fine teaching her own child and will be taking particular care to neither favour her child nor appear to favour her child

wishiwasonholiday · 14/04/2012 17:28

Most of the staff at ds' school have children there(small rural school) they tend to swap round as their children move through the school but it's their personal choice, the head doesn't make them. It wouldn't worry me as long as my dc is being taught well.

O2BNormal · 14/04/2012 17:28

Just because she's the year 6 teacher this year doesn't mean she will be next year and I imagine in the circumstances there's every possibility that she won't be.

However, if she is and even if she does show bias in her report writing in favour of her own child (unlikely I think we tend to judge our own more harshly) that won't actually disadvantage yours will it?

Dozer · 14/04/2012 17:28

Eh? I don't understand your point about "they" (the teacher) saying they'd move house, or about writing reports for secondary schools.

If it is the state system, why does location of home matter for grammar entry? And thought grammar entry was simply based on test performance, not teacher reports.

More generally, think yabu.

TheOriginalSteamingNit · 14/04/2012 17:29

It happens in small primaries, not always a way round it and I don't see how it would affect anyone else's child really.

Sirzy · 14/04/2012 17:29

It wouldn't bother me at all.

I have never heard about nursery nurses not being allowed to work with their own family either. I would be interested to see anything official saying that!

booge · 14/04/2012 17:31

I would be more worried if my child were to miss out on a good teacher because she swapped to avoid teaching her own child

Neverever · 14/04/2012 17:31

Wouldn't bother me.

DaisySteiner · 14/04/2012 17:33

What, exactly, are you concerned about? Are you saying that you're worried that they will favour their child to the detriment of your dcs? Or that the teacher will somehow give their own child an unjustly positive report for some reason?

dreamingofsun · 14/04/2012 17:35

dozer - if a child hasn't performed as well as expected in the tests the teacher can write a report - grammars sometimes take a child on this basis even if they don't pass the entrance exam

ImperialBlether · 14/04/2012 17:36

Dozer, people do move within the catchment of the school, because if there are more children passing than places, then those nearer the school get first dibs.

I don't know why it's relevant to this thread, though.

OP, I wouldn't worry about it - I'm sure the teacher's professional enough not to favour her own child in class.

dreamingofsun · 14/04/2012 17:39

maybe they are talking about moving to the catchment area and therefore getting priority

roundtable · 14/04/2012 17:39

The teacher can't write a report to a grammar school to get in. Or move house to be in the area. There's the 11 + to pass.

Must be strange writing a report about your own child though! :)

LoopyLoeufdePaques · 14/04/2012 17:39

This is very normal and nothing to be worried about.

dreamingofsun · 14/04/2012 17:41

roundtable - yes they can - or here at least. if a child is expected to do better than they did in the exam they can still get in if head writes a report arguing for them. if they live in the catchment area, and even better are near to the school they are also more likely to get in...assuming of course they pass the 11+ - i guess we are talking about oversubscription in this case.

Original poster
GracieW · 14/04/2012 17:42

We live just outside grammar school area and lots of kids here take the 11+ so yes, they would be writing reports and supporting statements for all who appealed - including, potentially, their DC.

OP posts:
ragged · 14/04/2012 17:43

yeah, but grammar school will see the report was written by the child's own parent, won't they? I don't see how the teacher could do anything underhand, assuming they even wanted to. I wouldn't want my DC in a grammar if they were borderline, I'd want them to qualify by a decent safety margin.