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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think this is too many teachers for a primary school child?

37 replies

Howmanyteachersistoomany · 27/07/2012 14:08

First off, let me say I support the right in principle for teachers to have flexible working but we are in the situation with DD where she has 4 different teachers every week. Is this too many? (small rural school, composite classes, so this situation will carry on into next year too)

Teacher 1 - Monday
Teacher 2 - Tuesday and Wednesday morning
Teacher 3 - wednesday afternoon
Teacher 4 - Thursday and Friday

OP posts:
Original poster
Howmanyteachersistoomany · 27/07/2012 14:10

Sorry - AIBU to think this is too many ?

OP posts:
Mrsjay · 27/07/2012 14:10

one of my dds had 2 teachers I do think 4 is a bit much but I guess as they get used to them all it will work out fine ,

alphabite · 27/07/2012 14:12

Madness. Are some of them teaching assistants taking the class? I was a teacher and I've never heard of this as a long term solution (only during short periods of illness). How can they provide continuity with so many people. Do all 4 talk to each other every week? I doubt it.

kim147 · 27/07/2012 14:13

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
Howmanyteachersistoomany · 27/07/2012 14:14

No - 4 teachers.

And so as not to drip feed. Northern Ireland. As good as compulsory 11 plus. Dd will be p7 in September.

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FartyMcTarty · 27/07/2012 14:17

I work a job share and there is no time on my contract for collaboration with my colleague.

Original poster
Howmanyteachersistoomany · 27/07/2012 14:19

Farty - I'm not for one second having a go at teachers - DDs had 2 before and it worked great. But she's struggled a bit this year and I can't help wondering if the number of teachers doesn't help ?

I can't believe you don't have collaboration/handover time

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stealthsquiggle · 27/07/2012 14:20

[sits on fence]

It depends how they handle it. DS (Y5) has more teachers than that, because he has subject teachers (independent schools) and no teacher for more than one subject.

But they still have a form teacher that they see every day for pastoral stuff, and they see maths and english teachers most (if not all) days, so it's not as fragmented as that sounds.

If (for example) teacher 3 takes only a specific, once-a-week subject, then that would reduce the complexity a bit.... but I would worry that they are all going to spend as much time handing over to each other as they do teaching.

Alibabaandthe40nappies · 27/07/2012 14:20

I would not be happy at all.

Original poster
Howmanyteachersistoomany · 27/07/2012 14:20

They all teach all of the curriculum except for mrs Wednesday afternoon

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Original poster
Howmanyteachersistoomany · 27/07/2012 14:23

My mother has hit the roof. And ripped me a new one. she's a retired teacher and it wasn't like that in her day and they should rote learn and what's all this learning through discovery nonsense and and and

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Original poster
Howmanyteachersistoomany · 27/07/2012 14:26

Sorry farty that sounded wrong. I mean I am astounded and flabbergasted that you don't have collaboration time. Surely that's an essential? Not that I don't believe believe you iykwim

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stealthsquiggle · 27/07/2012 14:27

Stupid question, but why is your mother cross with you, about something w

quoteunquote · 27/07/2012 14:28

they keep doing this sort of thing at DC's school, it's not a great idea and the children suffer,

DD has two teachers , that works OK, but every time we go up above that all the children react.

stealthsquiggle · 27/07/2012 14:28

.... Which is presumably entirely beyond your control?

A: because she's your mother, I guess.

FartyMcTarty · 27/07/2012 14:30

No, I know you weren't having a go. You'd think it would make sense to have one of our PPAs as a handover but no ... Clearly that would be impossible with a 4-way job share anyway.

holyfishnets · 27/07/2012 14:30

I think it depends on how well they communicate to be honest. If they communicate well it could be great. They will all have their own specialisms and if DD is an older junior girl, it could be a good lead into the secondary set up. I'd be less then keen with an infant aged child though.

Original poster
Howmanyteachersistoomany · 27/07/2012 14:31

I don't think she's cross with me but ... She went off on one and made me feel about 12 Although she's great with dd and has sat with her and found the gaps in her learning and is working to fill them. But she made me feel like it was my fault. Thing is, she comes out of school on her own, so I don't see the teacher so I didn't realise how many there were. Well, some days I knew mrs x was in, but I didn't put 2 and 2 together and we've been in a 2 teacher situation for a couple of years and I just assumed it was like that. And the kids write in their own homework books and homework is generally just ticked - ie not signed as having been marked by mrs whoever, and a lot of the time the kids swap and mark each others. Sigh. I feel I've let her down.

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Original poster
Howmanyteachersistoomany · 27/07/2012 14:34

Top end of primary in northern Ireland, ESP p6 and start of p7' curriculum specialisms go out the window to teach to the 11 plus.

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Silibilimili · 27/07/2012 14:34

Why is everyone on here apologising (to teachers) and saying they are not trying to haves go at teachers. Why does one feel the need to say that?
op I would complain to the school governors. The number of teachers your dd has is not acceptable. There is nothing offensive about stating that.

Original poster
Howmanyteachersistoomany · 27/07/2012 14:36

The teachers on their own are brilliant. It's the 4 and dd falling through the cracks Thats the issue.

What nutter woudhavecome up with that as a plan? The head?

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bignutbrownhair · 27/07/2012 14:48

I think 4 is a lot, although one of my teacher friends is jobsharing next year and there will be 2 teachers in the class, plus a PPA teacher. They also have a music teacher separately so I guess that could be 4! Oh and she wont have any collaboration time timetabled in as PPA, it will be before/after school.

I think that this is the way that teaching is going to go actually because of the need for flexible working. Years ago, part time teaching wasnt as much of an option. Women had their babies and either went back full time or not at all until their kids were school age themselves (mostly). Now there are loads more part time teachers and this is going to continue. It is a profession dominated by women, many of them at childbearing age so I think that in the current climate, this sort of situation is going to become much more common.

If the teachers work well together then it doesnt have to be an issue. Kids are very adaptable and will soon get into a routine of who they have on which part of which day! However, with 4 teachers it does make it more difficult for them all to get on and work well together!

stealthsquiggle · 27/07/2012 14:52

I would imagine it must be the head, who seems to have got a bit carried away with the whole idea of flexible working.

There must be better ways it could be done - for example, 1 teacher every morning and another every afternoon I could see working as they could split the curriculum. Even if there was a third teacher taking one afternoon, that could still work, but the setup you describe means the DC are constantly having to adapt to the same subject being taught by different people.

I know what you mean about your mother, BTW. Mine (also ex-teacher) holds me responsible for any shortcomings in my DC's education too.

Silibilimili · 27/07/2012 14:56

This would not be allowed in a normal workplace for loss of continuity, customer service. Why is it allowed in a school?! Silly head teacher!

emmieging · 27/07/2012 15:41

I would be very concerned about the lack of collaboration time. On the other hand, I can see that for the school, it might work out more expensive if they had to pay staff to be in school at the same time as each other, yet off timetable to be able to collaborate. And higher costs are a perfectly legitimate reason to not allow flexible working, so if this is the situation then it sounds like the school have got themselves in an unsatisfactory situation which was avoidable.

All you can do is monitor closely, and complain if you have reason to think the education is being compromised by the number of different teachers. Flexible working is all very well- but it has to work for the employer and clients not just the worker.

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