AIBU or am I overreacting to this?

[SeaGshore]

Children move from my class into the next key stage (and to the Deputy head) where they are obsessed with levels (fair enough as we are on performance related pay).

She has levelled all the children sent up to them and then talked about how poor they are - apparently they are not at the level they were when they left me. said behind my back but it got back to me.

They've had 8 weeks off for summer and all the 'tests' were carried out without any revision etc after the summer holidays so it doesn't surprise me they've slipped back somewhat. Plus the way they were carried out wasn't great but that's another story.

The head will be seeing us next week for our performance management meetings and I'm worried he is going to say something about last year (do I bring it up?)

Their new teacher is the deputy head so I'm sure it's been discussed with him already (or will be next week).

The whole thing has really upset me and made me consider leaving. Even now there are still comments made in the staffroom e.g. X is supposed to be really good at maths but couldn't do any if it today etc .

AIBU to be upset? WWYD?

That sounds like a tough situation and you're not really on a level playing field as the complainer is the deputy head and their behaviour is very unprofessional in my view. It's a crap system to have performance related pay and such an emphasis on levels as there is bound to be pressure/incentives to underplay ability at start of your watch and to big it up by the end. All I can recommend is react calmly if the head brings it up and be prepared to argue your case with examples of work. I'm not a teacher but I thought levels had gone now anyway?

I didn't think schools were working with levels now?

They have gone officially but we are a private school and are still using them!

Parents get a report every half term on what level their children are at

Were the levels you gave not moderated last year? If not, that's something that should surely be happening across the school.

Do you still have the old books? If you've kept them then you will have evidence to back up your judgements should the need arise.

Either way, I see this as being more embarrassing for the SMT (including the DHT) than for you- they should be ensuring that your levels are accurate, so if they doubt them it reflects poorly on them too.

Yes I was moderated both internally and externally!

If you were moderate, then the children really were at that level. They have just had a lovely lazy summer! You have that as a defense should it be needed!

moderated*

Then put it out of your mind. The DHT will look utterly ridiculous if she claims that you and both moderators all got it wrong.

Thank you for making me feel better. I still have their books too (we only keep a selection of 12 though for Inspection purposes).

Still don't feel like it's enough to fight my corner though as apparently in the testing the children didn't know stuff they were secure in for months. (When I told my at she was shocked as she knew how good they were too).

Main issue seems to be reading (the poorer end of the class seem to have forgotten how to read totally). Although if I was learning a language and did no practise for 8 weeks I would probably forget too!

Get your facts and your evidence of where they were at and fight your corner. Plus they are being unprofessional effectively slagging off the last teacher (you) because they've slipped over the summer. Seems like they either want to put you down or use you as an excuse if they don't improve things by implying they are starting on the wrong foot. Very unprofessional for a deputy head. Fell for you, think teaching in privat schols is a bit cut-throat tbh

Thank you for your kind words