to want to know what parents can do about the teaching crisis?!

[BrightRedSharpie]

I'm in Scotland, btw, but I know there is a similar problem in England.

My DD's school is really understaffed. The P1 teachers have both been off all week, which has caused absolute havoc. They have had different teachers for mornings and afternoons because there are also no supply teachers available. P7 had to be split up for a teacher to come and take the little ones.

2 classroom assistants are also off on maternity leave, which either isn't or can't be covered. That's left 3 classroom assistants for around 300 children.

I know the school are doing their best. I've written to my MP and MSP. Is there anything else a concerned parent can actually do?

We had a parent, years ago, who came steaming in to demand an apology from the class teacher about something he was alleged to have said to her son. It was pointed out that this had not happened (and there were numerous witnesses).
"My boy doesn't lie," she stormed. It would have been SO tempting to ask if he had been also telling the truth when he told the class that he had two dads and they both were in mummy's bed last Saturday night.

Of course, we didn't.

'Would add - I'm a qualified teacher myself'

So am I, with 30 years classroom experience in a wide range of different schools to back my qualification up, and two children with additional needs.
One of the things I learnt was that every child I encounter is different, and that it was dangerous to generalise based solely on my knowledge of my children, and assume that others with ASD would be similar.
There are children who are regularly responsible for low-level disruption that have no additional needs. That create a climate of bullying and fear if they aren't monitored and prevented from causing harm.
But I still maintain that for me, it's the paperwork, the constantly changing initiatives and diktats from government and the factory-farming of children that are the major stressers as a teacher.

'"Oh and if you promise not to believe half of what is said to go on in school, we will promise not to believe half of what is said to go on at home'

Head of my children's secondary used it every year in her speech to Y7 parents.

We have a fair number of children in school whose behaviour can be attributed to SN of some kind. They are managed and supported as best we can. There is a significant number of other, often low-level but nonetheless very disruptive, behaviour issues in all classes which cannot, by any stretch of the imagination, be excused by SN. It's the first thing we look for and assess when addressing it.

I don't get it minifingerz, you are the perfect person to answer the OP.
You taught 2 terms in a secondary and quit over behaviour. What could the parents have done to make you stay?

Solitary - I didn't have the skill set or the resilience to ever be happy or successful as a teacher, and I hugely admire those who do. Our schools are tough places right now and I'm very grateful to my children's teachers.

That said, when I hear a teacher saying with confidence that they can tell when difficult and/or unpleasant arises from a child's SN or is the result of malice or just naughtiness I think - how can YOU be so sure when parents of children with ASD in particular often find this incredibly difficult, despite having a much more developed understanding of the child and generally a better grasp of their disability.

My son has had some brilliant teachers but he's also had some who really don't know enough about ASD and its impact on behaviour and learning to manage him. I'm not blaming them - not everyone has the training or the intelligence or the professional capabilities to meet the needs of all the children they are responsible for, especially in schools like my ds's where there are large numbers of children who have complex learning or social needs, and where there is an enthusiasm for employing disproportionate numbers of inexperienced cheap teachers.

Would also add that I've been amazed by how happy schools are to hand over learning support for children like my ds to teaching assistant with absolutely no training in or understanding of SN and who often have such poor basic skills that they can't be trusted to support the learning of the children in top sets in year 6

The TA who spent a lot of time working with my ds in year 2 was like Waynetta Slob's older, more miserable sister, except she smoked more. She spent the entire year being furious with him, and he spent the entire year trying to not be sick from having to breathe in her stale cigarette smells (how fantastic for a child with sensory issues..) He cried every single day at school when he arrived and she never made any effort to comfort him or show him any kindness. His teacher wrote on his report as a summary of his behaviour: "Miniboy needs to learn to understand other children's feelings better" a week after she was handed the report of his diagnosis of HFA which described how almost all of his impairment was focused in the area of social communication.

There used to be a lot of 'twilight courses' for training, the lists would go up, you'd select a batch according to your interests and they cost very little. No supply, they ran from 4-6ish.
Now the curriculum demands are insane, along with assessment and constant changes, the marking is unbelievably heavy especially in primary. Courses cost a lot and they are usually during the day, requiring supply to be paid for.
So many teachers have only a few years experience, loads of enthusiasm but not the knowledge built up over years of practical application.
You are lucky if a class teacher has a couple of hours training a year on one aspect of additional needs.

To get a PGCE you have to study for a degree for 3 years (4 years for languages incl. year abroad) and then do 9 months training - supporting yourself unless you're doing a shortage subject (only secondary Maths, Science & languages) -i.e. Primary trainees must support themselves through training. Oh, plus you owe the usual Uni debt at the end. Outside London the pay is circa £21K pa for a 50+ hour week - with enormous admin, prep. (planning), huge responsibilities (for 30+ pupils' progress; to senior management; for classroom assistants; to parents). Ofsted can drop into a school (is this even normal?) at a moments notice, to "checkup" - on what, precisely? Then there is the constant meddling to the curriculum and examinations. We were told we had to teach "British values" - but nobody told us what exactly "British" values are! We have to spy on the kids and report any children suspected of being at risk of "radicalisation" - hence we get confusion such as when the pupil wrote "terrorist" when they meant "terraced". All this instead of the Govt. putting in a proper anti-radicalisation education programme. Any wonder why there are is a shortage of lambs to the slaughter teacher training recruits?

You are lucky if a class teacher has a couple of hours training a year on one aspect of additional needs.

Yet, teachers, on this thread, claim they are the 'experts'. This is what frustrates parents. The possibility of the presence of additional needs is a realistic one and one which can have a huge impact on a child's education. Parents may be quite a way down the diagnostic process before a class teacher ever meets their child. It goes without saying they have known their child in more of a variety of situations and for much longer than the class teacher.

Parents of children with additional needs not only have a lot to communicate regarding their individual child but also about inclusion generally. They have lived with their child's developing additional needs for some time, 24/7, and very likely will have read and researched much about how to help their child. They may well know other families with children who have additional needs. They experience day to day difficulties and other people's ignorance and prejudice regularly.

What needs to happen is parents and teachers need to realise that they are on the same side. We need to stand together against what is happening to our schools. Teachers are leaving in droves, school funding is dire, kids are no longer individuals they are just data fodder. There is no time for sport, art or creativity. Amazing teachers are ground down from paperwork, evidencing, tracking and the fear of Ofsted and our kids are missing out on being inspired by teachers who no longer have the freedom to teach.

My DDs school has lost some really good experienced teachers. One left half way through the school year, she just couldn't take it anymore and had to put her health and family first. Another teacher just walked out one day and never came back.

I agree that parents are often the best experts in their child's additional needs capsicum, but that still means the child is one of 30+ in a mainstream classroom.
Divide an hour's lesson between the number of children and you are down to 2 minutes of attention per child.
Payment by results is being mooted. That's going to lead to more focus on the children that could make the grade and more farming off of the children who won't get good SATS and year-on-year progress in many schools.
I'm not saying it's right, but factory farming requires efficiency and best product with lowest cost. If that's the education system we have, that will be the model.
Look at what's happening to children with additional needs in academies, especially if they are disruptive or expensive to provide for. Suspension, expulsion or 'Oh, we can't meet their needs, you'll have to go elsewhere'

Yes!! FarAwayHills

TheSolitary I gained significant additional individual funding for my child, which bought time. There was enough funds for a full time 1 to 1 TA. Meetings were timetabled. Yet this individual was not used entirely for my child, distorting my child's level of need and progress. It took years to establish what was happening and put everything right. There was absolutely no transparency.

So coming from this perspective, where my child was effectively treated as a 'cash cow', a teacher's time management difficulties is not my priority. The whole ordeal cost me a great deal of time, especially when the school would only agree to take my child on a part time basis for a whole school year and then only if I agreed to go in and be there for certain lessons.

And sadly SolitaryWanderer is correct in this:

'more focus on the children that could make the grade and more farming off of the children who won't get good SATS and year-on-year progress in many schools"

I got told not to do interventions with one little boy because he's not going to hit age related expectations anyway'. One of the reasons I left. It's not about individual children anymore, it's about hitting targets.

There would be much less of an issue if it was made conditional that parents whose child received a diagnosis of SEN must spend a number of hours helping/volunteering in the school. I am sure that the child with SEN would feel a lot more supported if they felt their parent was only a few moments away and ready to come in and support them, calm them or whatever was needed to reduce their stress levels. It would also give parents and teachers insight into the role of each.

Yes, the parents are the experts on their particular child. But the teacher is the expert on teaching (and this does include a LOT of knowledge of SEN per se and probably of the particular child).

One poster early in the thread said that parents did this and even funded a part time music teacher and it all worked very well.

' it was made conditional that parents whose child received a diagnosis of SEN must spend a number of hours helping/volunteering in the school'

How would they provide for their family if it was an unpaid role?
You are saying I should've quit teaching to help in school? You think that'd pay the mortgage?
What you are suggesting is ridiculous.

Well there may need to be exceptions for those who work full time or who are already working in keyworker services. I am not heartless, just trying to think of answers to the OP question!
I worked. I am retired now xx But I also volunteered at my children's school and sat on the PFA.
We did fund raising, Summer Fairs, open evenings etc.
It gave me great insight into how hard the teachers worked. I felt very privileged to be able to give something back for the exceptional teaching my children received free.

Twicemarried

There would be much less of an issue if it was made conditional that parents whose child received a diagnosis of SEN must spend a number of hours helping/volunteering in the school.

I dearly hope you have only posted this because you have not thought this through. How does this achieve educational equality? How would this not be disability discrimination?

Parents who have children with additional needs also have careers, other children and extended families who also need their support. They might have more than one child with additional needs.

Sadly, I have been at the receiving end of the attitude the parent of a child with additional needs should be grateful their child is allowed to receive their education. It is not nice.

Would also add that I've been amazed by how happy schools are to hand over learning support for children like my ds to teaching assistant with absolutely no training in or understanding of SN

Yes. Have spent last month trying to work with school, who are struggling with staffing, to ensure the TA my ds has in ms class can understand him and make sure his health needs are met.

You want to sanction people for a throw of the dice that meant they had a child with a disability?
Capsicum is right that her only concern was her son and his entitlements
As a teacher, I don't have the luxury of prioritising one child over another in my class, as a parent my children are my concern above other children.
And IMO a 1:1 is exactly that and have argued that point and won against the SLT as a teacher.

That's not what the OP is asking.

Twice And I do have an insight into the teacher's role / classroom dynamics. I said up thread I was pressurised into coming in to school regularly to certain lessons. My child was coping absolutely fine. Basically my help ended up consisting of supervising groups of other children.

There would be much less of an issue if it was made conditional that parents whose child received a diagnosis of SEN must spend a number of hours helping/volunteering in the school.

Whhhhaaaaaaattttt!!!

I work, I have other children, I take ds to endless appointments, meet therapists, chase up specialist seating etc, I programmes ds's talker and download information he needs for school, I offer to go in and show them the main signs he uses.....but I should volunteer to help in the school? For a start it took ds months of preparation to get him there - if I was in school he would want to spend half the day sat on my lap!

Passing the buck, hazeyjane, and once it becomes someone else's responsibility to meet the child's needs, that child is often marginalised.
Some spend inordinate amounts of time on a class computer, silent, plugged in and Not A Problem whilst everyone else gets on with the curriculum.

TheSolitary the reason I posted about my experiences was in response to posts highlighting the difficulties of teacher's time management - parents cannot prioritise these issues when doing this conflicts with securing an adequate education for their own child. Parents are often their child's only advocates. This must be their priority.