to think that teachers' meetings shouldn't be held in school hours?

[lemmingcurd]

Not in UK first of all, but would love to know how many interruptions your teachers cause during the school year.

We have on average 1 strike a year and then a dozen little leaflets threatening strike action handed out throughout the school year. And once a term they have a teachers' meeting, which means school starts at 10.15 and they only do half-day school anyway.

If you have a problem or want to speak to a teacher you have to wait 6 weeks (!) for an appointment because they are "too busy".

AIBU to think it's not the same in England?

I think this is an issue with an individual school...not a national or international issue.

Yawn...another "teacher bashing" opportunity.

Where's the thread that says "Aren't our teachers doing a wonderful job?"

We have inset days WHOLE days of meetings and training ...which means a whole day off school/ work ..

I don't mind though as teachers need to be up to date with current practice

What's the difference if it's the same in England or the UK? You said you don't live here.

So if you don't like the way it is there, use whatever process is in place to complain.

What a non-thread.

ilovecolinfirth why don't you start that thread?

When else would they take place? Meetings/training etc tends to take place in working hours no matter what the job.

Ok didn't know about inset days, thanks for the info. What a massive PITA for working parents. But if they do keep up to date with current practice then that's great. Ours - at my specific school and the other one in my vicinity - are still stuck in the dark ages.

No it's not a teacher bashing thread. One of my DCs teachers does a good job. Of the others, there is the main class teacher, who breaks pens in front of children in temper and shouts at them, and the other one who still uses a stick to bang on the desk to call order and has them recite words like parrots. So forgive me if I'm less than satisfied with DCs education at the moment.

Do you attend meetings about work out of work hours? I certainly don't and don't see why teachers should!!

Inset days are only a PITA because they can be scheduled at any time (though there should be plenty of notice). They did not come out of term time days - children spend the same number of days in school annually as they did before they were introduced. They are additional working days for teachers.

My children's primary school puts inset days usually at the end of holidays. It was midterm last week, the pupils had 4 days off, the teachers had 2 and then two training days.

No I just have to work till midnight when they have these days off. Better crack on.

Thank you scaevola, that was very helpful. That is my real problem - here the DCs ALREADY spend less time in school per year than in any other European country, then there are the strikes and teachers' meetings on top of that. And the generally unhelpful attitude and negativity.

I bet not every school is like that where you live. You should move them to another one. My sister lives in the ME and she moved her children twice before finding a good school with a good ethos.

I also believe that sometimes reciting like parrots really does help children remember things. I was taught my times tables like that in school, and that was in the UK.

I'm a teacher, currently on maternity leave. Inset days are taken from school holidays not term time. Also, if a parent wanted to talk to me about something I would try and see them that day, before or after school, or if this was not possible we would arrange a meeting for that week. Also, sometimes I might ring them during lunchtime.
6 weeks wait is ridiculous.
The children I teach are 6/7.