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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To feel misled and short changed by DD's school?

45 replies

ciscocisco · 16/10/2015 23:41

DD is 4 and started school in September.

My partner and I went to the parents induction thingy and were given information about starting school and told there would be 2 teachers doing a job share. Each was to be working 3 days a week (1 doing Mon, Tues Weds and the other doing Weds, Thurs, Fri to keep some continuity on a Wednesday). I had no problem with that, I actually work 3 days a week myself due to childcare commitments.

Upon starting school, one of the teachers seemed different to the one I remembered from the induction. Perhaps I was mistaken... I didn't give it much thought tbh.

There was a "Reception News" newsletter that went out the week after DD started school. In it there is a "Meet the staff" section. It mentions "Mrs A - Class Teacher" and "Mrs B - Class Leader". Now I just assumed that Mrs B was a lot older and more experienced and so was referred to as "Class Leader" as she was to take overall leadership of the class etc. It never occurred to me that she may not actually be a qualified teacher.

I've discovered from other parents today that Mrs B is actually a Teaching Assistant. It turns out the original teacher to be employed on the Mon, Tues, Weds did not start at the school in September (I'm unsure why). So instead they seem to have promoted a Teaching Assistant to take classes on her own on a Monday and Tuesday.

What makes it a little worse is that we had a parents evening on Tuesday this week. Nobody mentioned that Mrs B wasn't a qualified teacher. She had made an assessment of DD's progress which she had written down and went through it with us... She got confused about what she had written down and what she was trying to tell us at one point and Mrs A even had a "wtf is she talking about?" look on her face.

My initial thoughts are that this is not acceptable. Although Mrs B may have all the enthusiasm in the world, if she is not a qualified teacher (trained in teaching methods and passed assessments to show she can teach etc) then she should not be doing the job of a teacher for 2 days a week! I am planning on calling on Monday to arrange a meeting with the headteacher to ask:

  1. Why we were not informed that there was no teacher 40% of the time (sneaking in the title "Class Leader" to a newsletter isn't enough IMO)
  2. To ask why no temporary qualified teacher has been arranged.
  3. How long they plan this arrangement to go on for?

For what it's worth the school is well regarded in the area and has an excellent Ofsted report. Also DD says she likes Mrs A but looks quite shady when asked about Mrs B.

I feel I should demand an actual teacher to be taking classes on a Monday and Tuesday! AIBU?!

OP posts:
neolara · 16/10/2015 23:47

Yes, that's crap. If you dc is at an academy, they don't need to appoint qualified teachers but it's pretty rubbish if they don't.

In your shoes, I would be kicking up an absolute stink. If the school was let down at the last minute they may not yet have had time to appoint a new teacher. However, I would expect them to be organised using long term supply.

MrsToddsShortcut · 16/10/2015 23:49

I'm not doubting what you're saying and I'd be annoyed too. However, before you go steaming in, I'd make sure you get your facts straight. How sure are you that what the parents told you is true?

I'd phone/speak to someone in the office and double check. If they confirm that she is, indeed, a TA, then you can go in and speak to someone about your concerns. But I'm wondering if there is a slight chance that she might actually be qualified?

MrsToddsShortcut · 16/10/2015 23:50

And I also second the crapness of Academies and free schools not having to appoint qualified teachers. It's appalling.

TigerFeat · 16/10/2015 23:50

The school should have been more open about this and told parents exactly what was going on.

ilovesooty · 16/10/2015 23:51

Welcome to the brave new world of academies where there's no requirement for the person leading classes to be a qualified teacher. Angry

I'd be very upset in your position. Perhaps they've been left in the lurch, but I'd want to know that they're looking for longer term supply until they can appoint.

Verypissedoffwife · 16/10/2015 23:55

That's pretty poor. My daughters school had a fully qualified teacher AND a TA every day on reception.

Verypissedoffwife · 16/10/2015 23:57

So who's writing all the lesson plans then? Is the poor part time teacher having to write her own AND the TA's?

Original poster
ciscocisco · 17/10/2015 00:00

I will confirm with the school whether or not she is a teacher before booking any meetings. Thanks for the advice.

The school is not an academy (didn't think it was... but I have also checked the Ofsted database to confirm).

OP posts:
icclemunchy · 17/10/2015 00:01

Both reception classes at DDs school have a teacher and a full time TA, I'm not sure I'd be happy with less tbh especially over the first term when they're all a little unsure.

It could be that the school were let down and someone's starting after half term or something like that, but it's not really on not to tell the parents about it

slicedfinger · 17/10/2015 00:04

At DD s school every one of the TAs was actually a qualified teacher who wanted the shorter hours / less responsibility that being a ta meant.

Minionkeeper · 17/10/2015 00:12

When dd was in reception they hd a 4:1 job share. The friday teacher was a ta. Actually she was an experienced qualified teacher working as a TA. I pulled my horns in at that point.

blaeberry · 17/10/2015 00:12

slicedfinger if she was a qualified teacher taking on a TA role then she should be paid as a teacher and acknowledged as a teacher when she took on a teaching role.

ChilliAndMint · 17/10/2015 00:22

I'd be up in arms and I'm not a pushy mommy type.

My DC went to a really incompetent school ( posh (ish) middle class demographic) after not been allocated a place at the school they attended nursery .

18 months later I got dc back to original school. No looking back.

Get on to the council and put DD on a waiting list for a better school

BTW don't pay too much heed to Ofsted , go and see for yourself. A good report and a nice neighbourhood doesn't guarantee a decent school

Good luck.

thebeezneez · 17/10/2015 00:23

My DCs school isn't an academy, but when a teacher left at the end of the spring term this year a TA took over teaching the class full time for the summer term.

Brioche201 · 17/10/2015 00:25

Dies she hold a preschool qualification?

GruntledOne · 17/10/2015 00:27

If it's not an academy, this is illegal.

MidniteScribbler · 17/10/2015 01:05

Just check your facts first. We had one of our TAs complete their teaching degree and they were appointed to a classroom teacher position. We eventually heard that the rumour going around was that she was unqualified and all the shock, horror that goes with it. If the first person who started the gossip had checked their facts, it would never needed to have happened.

Atenco · 17/10/2015 01:07

I certainly would want a trained teacher, particular for such a young age.

Sighing · 17/10/2015 04:19

A lot of 'TA's' in the early years section will have qualifications to lead a class. If they are recently qualified they may need to complete a year under a mentor/ guidance (NQT). If they worked in the school as a TA whilst training parents may well view them as 'just' a TA.

MagicalMrsMistoffelees · 17/10/2015 06:06

I'm a Reception teacher. In our school there's a teacher and TA in each class all day. And two adults per class is a bare minimum at this young age!

What is happening is very poor for three reasons:

-the (common) disregard of the importance of the Reception year just because the children are young. Why shouldn't the children have as much right to a fully qualified teacher as any other year group?! If it's such an 'easy' year to teach, why do most teachers steer well clear of it?

-the cheap solution for a school to get a TA to do the role of a teacher. TAs do an amazing job but they shouldn't be planning, assessing or teaching inputs as a matter of course. You can be sure she isn't getting paid a teacher's rate for it!

-the lack of communication between school and parents about who the teachers are and what the hell is going on. It's not difficult. Very disappointing indeed.

monkeysox · 17/10/2015 07:51

Afaik in a non academy /private school unqualified teachers can be used to cover short term absences. Hope you get some answers.

Brioche201 · 17/10/2015 07:53

A private school can use unqualified teachers all the time

fastdaytears · 17/10/2015 07:58

I hope you get an answer soon. Apart from anything else, if this Mrs B is a TA and being asked to do a teacher's job then she's being exploited.

I have a friend who is a part time teacher and part time LSA in the same school and the teachers and parents are totally aware of which job she's doing when. She is qualified of course but she's not being a teacher when she's being paid as a LSA. She's a teacher when she's being paid as a teacher.

Runningupthathill82 · 17/10/2015 08:05

I was going to add that, Brioche - lots of my friends have taught in private schools without a teaching qualification, with "just" a degree in the relevant subject.
My DS isn't school age yet so I'm certainly no expert, but I didn't think it was viewed as being that unacceptable.

CarlaJones · 17/10/2015 08:10

We had this. The TA was actually a qualified teacher but she'd swapped to being a TA at some point. The school then used her as a jobshare class teacher for a bit when another teacher left at short notice. Calling her a class leader instead of class teacher does make it look a bit suspect though.