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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think you can't expect children to do well at school when they have constant supply teachers?

52 replies

Sallystyle · 15/12/2015 16:56

Child- GCSE stage, so year 10.

A big drop in grades for the school. Got a new head teacher, she sacked teachers with the idea that hiring new staff would improve grades, not sure where all these new staff are, they are mostly supply teachers. It's an academy.

I am not too sure what happened really but I know that my children have three permanent teachers now and the rest are supply teachers which change all the time. Parents meeting today about my year 10 son was done by a supply teacher who has taught my son for one lesson. I felt very sorry for him, he seemed like he is a great teacher but not the right person to meet with me to discuss my son who he doesn't know. He was completely out of his depth.

Seems like many children's grades are dropping by talk going around, including my son's. AIBU to wonder WTF they expect with all the upheaval of sacking teachers then them having different supply teachers all the time, so there is little continuity?

My other child who is the year below has also failed to reach his targets. Of course I can't blame that all on the staff problems but it hardly helps does it? He has had 8 supply teachers in one subject since Sept. Of course I have told my children they still need to work hard etc, but my SN child really does need to build up a relationship with his teachers and have some stability with staff.

OP posts:
Pipestheghost · 15/12/2015 20:00

I despair at the mess in state education. I'm seriously considering home schooling my dc's when they get to high school age.

mineofuselessinformation · 15/12/2015 20:01

There were redundancies, and also staff that didn't get their contracts renewed.
I suspect overall it was a money-saving exercise, but I don't think it's helped the situation at all, and it was certainly not helpful that the head went to the press with the story....
I hope you get some reassurance, U2, but do bear in mind what I said about approaching governors if you're not satisfied.

TeaFathers · 15/12/2015 20:04

no money for schools, people.
tories need that money for weapons and warfare.

IonaNE · 15/12/2015 20:04

As a former teacher:

  1. There is no teacher shortage. The UK is full of (fully qualified, QTS-holder) teachers who are unemployed and cannot find a job.
2.What Mistigri said: academies save money by getting rid of older, more experienced teachers because chances are when the school became an academy, these teachers were paid MP6+, or on the upper pay scale. The new teachers don't materialise because either the area is too expensive to live in for a young new teacher; or the T&Cs the academy offers are so impossible. It is also customary to have supply teachers in to "try" them for a longer period before giving them a job. In your DC's school, OP, they probably don't want to stay.
Geraniumred · 15/12/2015 20:06

Get a good tutor to help if necessary or else find out which exam boards they use, get the relevant revision/course books and do it yourself. Classes can dive when they have a string of supply teachers. A course textbook might at least give the reassurance of knowing what needs to be covered.

TeaFathers · 15/12/2015 20:06

Iona
there is a teacher shortage.
haven't you seen the adverts on TV?
teachers are being recruited from abroad, particularly ireland, to fill the short fall.

pieceofpurplesky · 15/12/2015 20:10

Iona there is a teacher shortage where I work

noblegiraffe · 15/12/2015 20:12

Nick Gibb says there isn't a teacher shortage yet schools are paying ever increasing amounts on supply teachers. £1.3 billion per year.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-35092066

There might be teachers who can't find a job in certain places, but in other areas, and in certain subjects, the situation is dire.
No good having a surplus of drama teachers in Northumberland when they desperately need maths teachers in Norfolk.

Supermanspants · 15/12/2015 20:13

Iona Perhaps I imagined listening to a discussion on the radio about chronic teacher shortages in the UK where heads were struggling to fill vacancies, only receiving one to two applicants for vacancies, rarely if ever having to short list candidates, having to recruit from overseas, having to start advertising much earlier in the year to fill vacancies, the sheer volume of vacancies in TES as well as other sources etc etc etc

TheFallenMadonna · 15/12/2015 20:13

I am certainly not tripping over qualified Physics teachers looking for a job. Or computing teachers. Or Maths teachers. Or languages teachers. PE teachers I will grant you...

Babyroobs · 15/12/2015 20:15

Same problem at my kids school. All the good teachers left when 2 schools merged and now my kids have a lot of supply teachers. Last year my son had no science teacher available to do parents evening all year and we never got a progress report.

JessicasRabbit · 15/12/2015 20:16

iona, so there is a shortage of people willing and able to work in teaching under the current working conditions. A shortage of teachers then.

Supermanspants · 15/12/2015 20:16

here you go Iona

IonaNE · 15/12/2015 20:17

haven't you seen the adverts on TV?
The advertisements are for people to train as teachers. Because HE is a business in the UK.
There are also advertisements because a great proportion of new teachers (don't remember the percentage and don't want to make it up) leave the profession within the first 5 years - you need new cannon fodder.
There is a teacher shortage only in places where property is so expensive that a new teacher on 23K can't afford to rent or buy.

IonaNE · 15/12/2015 20:17

haven't you seen the adverts on TV?
The advertisements are for people to train as teachers. Because HE is a business in the UK.
There are also advertisements because a great proportion of new teachers (don't remember the percentage and don't want to make it up) leave the profession within the first 5 years - you need new cannon fodder.
There is a teacher shortage only in places where property is so expensive that a new teacher on 23K can't afford to rent or buy.

itsmeohlord · 15/12/2015 20:17

My daughter failed her design and tech GCSE (grade D) whislt getting A*-B in the other 10 - supply teachers for the whole of year 11 in that subject.

IonaNE · 15/12/2015 20:21

TES jobseekers' board: community.tes.com/forums/jobseekers.77/
(the old forum used to have a specific "Unemployed" board, but this will give a picture of the situation, too).
Also TES supply teachers' board:
community.tes.com/forums/supply-teaching.62/

JessicasRabbit · 15/12/2015 20:23

I've been teaching for three years and rent a house in a nice area by myself. I work in a good school - good results, excellent pupil behaviour. We still had trouble recruiting a decent physics teacher. Two round of applications cos the first set were too poor at teaching. Finally hired someone without ever seeing her teach. Thank the stars she's good.

Keeptrudging · 15/12/2015 20:25

Iona, I think it depends where you are - we've got major shortages up here (Scotland). Sadly there are many qualified teachers who have left the profession, if we could persuade them to come back it would help a lot.

Supermanspants · 15/12/2015 20:28

Not true Iona
There are teacher shortages nationally. Research undertaken by Liverpool uni has found shortages across the board and that includes areas where cost of living is lower compared to regions such as London and the SE

Supermanspants · 15/12/2015 20:31

You can't lump supply and permanent teachers together Iona. Two completely different jobs roles. I know a fair few supply who would never even consider going back to work as a permanent member of staff.

TeaFathers · 15/12/2015 20:36

IonaNE - haven't you seen the adverts on TV?
The advertisements are for people to train as teachers.

no iona. you're wrong
the govt is forking out millions to advertise on tv for teachers because there are not enough teachers all round.
look at the newspaper education sections, TES, teacher recruitment agencies.
i know two teacher agency recruiters. they can't get teachers. no-one wants to teach any more because the govt has run education into the ground.

ZedWoman · 15/12/2015 20:54

Iona I'd suggest you watch this. There is a recruitment crisis in teaching.

www.parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/d4cbc273-0b52-4101-9949-04105bac1e75

DangerousBeanz · 15/12/2015 21:00

I used to be a teacher. I left. People are leaving in droves, the government recruitment programme is a smokescreen. it's not recruitment that is the problem.it's retention. The powers that be need to focus on why people who are keen and enthusiastic at the start decide to jump ship so quickly.

Mistigri · 15/12/2015 21:00

It's clear that there are shortage subjects (maths, science) and areas where it's difficult to recruit because of the cost of living.

There are plenty of qualified teachers though - it's just that many who might, given better working conditions, be willing and able to take permanent f/t teaching posts, have left the profession or opted to do part-time or supply work.