Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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

294 replies

BrightRedSharpie · 22/04/2016 17:40

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?

OP posts:
TheSolitaryWanderer · 23/04/2016 18:51

Preaching to the converted capsicum, both of mine have finished 6th form with me advocating like a blue-arsed fly for the last 20 years.

Theimpossiblegirl · 23/04/2016 18:52

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've heard it all now! What a ridiculous suggestion. My children don't have SEN but if they did, why should I be penalised?

There would be much less of an issue if the Government didn't slash budgets so that all children had access to whatever they need to ensure they have an equal shot at a quality education.

TheSolitaryWanderer · 23/04/2016 18:57

Doesn't cut down the planning, assessment and paperwork in general.
Doesn't stop the mudslide of initiatives that schools are drowning in.
Doesn't help with the moving of goalposts for the children and the teachers.
Doesn't stop with the bullying presence of OFSTED, payment by results, capability and insane imbalance between workload and wellbeing.
Managing children with SN is one element, but it's not one of the key stressers for teachers, or why the retention rate is so poor.

capsium · 23/04/2016 19:01

It is not simply about funding a budgets though. As I said earlier, my DC had significant individual funding. There was the resource. It was not used for solely for my child, in practice. Yet on paper my child needed the additional funding and received 100% of the resource purchased. This distorts need and progress.

My experiences happened under the last Labour government, so it is not an issue purely caused by this government either.

Unfortunately schools do not seem to want to use funding and resource put aside for SEN for the purpose it was intended for.

Twicemarried · 23/04/2016 19:02

Capsium. I was in no way intending any upset. My children all had a free education. I was extremely grateful for this.

You will always meet people who feel that giving something to one child effectively takes it from another. I totally get that you felt horrible being on the receiving end of that attitude. I am sorry you experienced that.

I am talking about parents working with schools, in partnership. Showing support for teachers. Giving something back.

Imagine what our education system would be like if teachers threw the towel in and went off to re-train for other jobs.

TheSolitaryWanderer · 23/04/2016 19:04

This was 3 years ago, I doubt the situation is less confused now
www.theguardian.com/education/2013/dec/03/special-educational-needs-funding-rules-inclusive-schools

TheSolitaryWanderer · 23/04/2016 19:11

'Imagine what our education system would be like if teachers threw the towel in and went off to re-train for other jobs.'

Don't need to imagine.
4 in 10 new teacher quit within a year, almost 50% don't make it to 3 years.
I've done supply in schools with no FT staff, everyone is a job share, I've been in schools where I'm 25 years older than the oldest class teacher.

'A survey published in October 2015 by the NUT and YouGov found that over half of teachers were thinking of leaving teaching in the next two years citing ‘volume of workload’ (61%) and ‘seeking better work/life balance’ (57%) as the two top issues causing them to consider this. '
Managing SEN not mentioned.

capsium · 23/04/2016 19:12

I am aware of the funding reform Solitary and was thankful for it, in our situation. It was only through the extra provision mapping, that the funding reform demanded, that clearly brought to light the fact that my DC did not receive or no longer need the individual funding awarded, some years previously. Although my DC had progressed, teachers were very cagey about this and what additional help my DC required or received. This effectively manages progress, distorts achievement and actual need. I knew my DC's achievements would never be recognised in such a climate.

honkinghaddock · 23/04/2016 19:13

I don't need insight into the teacher's role. I spent many years as one myself. I did offer to help out at ds's mainstream school but they didn't want parents of children with sen, in the classroom.

hollieberrie · 23/04/2016 19:21

Doesn't cut down the planning, assessment and paperwork in general.
Doesn't stop the mudslide of initiatives that schools are drowning in.
Doesn't help with the moving of goalposts for the children and the teachers.
Doesn't stop with the bullying presence of OFSTED, payment by results, capability and insane imbalance between workload and wellbeing
Managing children with SN is one element, but it's not one of the key stressers for teachers, or why the retention rate is so poor

This. Great post Solitary.
I have 3 SEN children in my Primary class. I love working with them and dont begrudge any of the time I spend meeting with their parents and other agencies - it all helps me to know and support them better.
The children are the very best part of the job and they are the least of my problems. Its all the other stuff that kills me - s much paperwork, endless initiatives and new things that you ABSOLUTELY MUST DO RIGHT NOW for Ofsted.

almondpudding · 23/04/2016 19:33

Schools are in a terrible state at the moment, and will be for the next few years to come at least, with all the government changes.

I don't blame the teachers at all for wanting to leave in droves, and feel sorry for them.

But at least a. they are adults so have some resilience and b. they can leave.

DD can't leave. She has mental health problems from all the stress of school, and is dealt with by CAMHS (and she's lucky she gets that, many kids can't get anything from CAMHS). If she were an adult, many people would be telling her to leave her working environment as it is making her ill, but she can't. She has to go to school.

The kids are the ones who ultimately have to deal with all these assessments, judgements, curriculum changes and bizarre policies. They're not the enemy here, and neither are the parents.

Fizzielove · 23/04/2016 20:40

What I find strange is that NI has an over abundance of teachers. Graduates coming out with either a PGCE for primary or secondary school are finding it difficult to get a job as all the posts are so competitive and taken really quickly. The sub teaching frequently goes to past retired teachers as they are known to the school! I have several friends who have moved to England to teach because they couldn't get work at home.

What is the difference? Why does NI have too many qualified teachers and Scotland and England are crying out for them??

Mistigri · 23/04/2016 20:46

Fizzie it will be partly a question of cost of living. There are parts of England where there is not (yet) a teacher shortage, but it is hard to recruit in areas where the cost of living is high. Teaching is badly paid compared to other graduate jobs, and working conditions are also poor in comparison to many private sector jobs.

TheSolitaryWanderer · 23/04/2016 21:13

You could also ask your friends what the differences are between teaching in NI and in England.
Round here, average price for a 1930s 3 bed semi is £350-400,000.

FarAwayHills · 23/04/2016 22:10

The current regime in schools and now the push to change towards academies will only mean resources will be stretched even further.

Tanith · 24/04/2016 10:42

I attended a parents meeting at the beginning of the year to "Meet the Teacher" of my DD's new Y2 class.

I was shocked at how aggressive, demanding and downright rude some of those parents were.
This was a class teacher they hadn't yet had experience of, in an oustanding village infant school dominated by middle class parents and they were full of demands about what they thought the school should be doing - one had even scrutinised the time table and was questioning it.

lurked101 · 24/04/2016 11:11

Thats the kind of thing we deal with Tanith, as I said previously I've taken a step back and am no longer in the class room full time. Even being a teacher for decades doesn't allow you the benefit of the doubt. I had a father questioning an A level markscheme last year, and as much as I said, "that's what it is" he would then criticise me for it.

His son was a very capable boy, but lazy with a bit of an ego, when we worked he did will, when he didn't he just about scraped a pass. He got an E and his father hit the roof about "poor teaching" but when I asked why we'd achieved 78% A-B (which quite frankly is amazing) with such poor teaching he shut up.

IThinkIMadeYouUpInsideMyHead · 24/04/2016 11:43

The direction this thread has taken illustrates my point perfectly. It has been largely derailed by a few posters whose children are more important than anyone or anything else. The OP's question was not "what is your current axe to grind about your child's teacher?", it was "how can parents support teachers?"

Look, education in it's current state is not the best way for children to learn. It is the cheapest way to make the largest number of people literate and numerate and so on. Teachers are professional educators whose job it is to try to instil that literacy and numeracy into your child. We are experts in that sense (and I don't think at any point did I claim to be an expert in any child's particular special need: that would be a bit of a highly specialised and mainly useless qualification).

In any of my teaching groups (and I currently have up to 7 different groups in a day) there will be up to 6 kids with a specific learning difficulty, at least 2 with a neurological condition like ADHD, possibly 1 with ASD, the occasional child with dyspraxia and perhaps one with a physical disability or mobility problem. This is not including the child who has recently endured a trauma, or is preoccupied with their emerging sexuality or the impending divorce of their parents, or whatever.

I will have access to each of those children for 40 minutes per day, in a group of up to 30. I am under pressure from school management and parents to get all of these children to a certain level of attainment. I must keep all of those children safe, my classroom clean, my resources relevant and entertaining. I will do this with minimal expense (I am, eg, limited to 5000 photocopies per school year as budgets are so tight) and often pay for my own resources out of my own salary.

I feel it is important to point out here that I love my job, feel privileged to work with the children I do, and can't imagine doing anything else. However, when a parent has the unmitigated gall to sit in front of me with their child and tell me my class is boring their child because it is too easy, when the parent demanded access to my class precisely because it was easy (aimed at kids with low ability), then that is fucking stressful. When a parent insists on moving their child into my class because of the results my students get, but then refuses to support me when I try to enforce the rules that ensure those results, that is fucking stressful. When I get - and this is a true story - a parent I had never met phoning the head to complain that I hadn't greeted her when doing my grocery shopping, outside of school hours, that is massively fucking stressful.

So I stand by my original remarks.

DanyellasDonkey · 24/04/2016 11:58

I'm in a large primary school in Scotland. We have 2 teachers who have, on average, one day off per week for various illnesses, taking family members to hospital appointments etc etc. Our depute head is class committed 3 days per week, so the Learning Support teachers have to teach those classes. So it means that SEN pupils are not getting their allocations of time and is really worrying if it repeatedly happens on a day which may be the one session that child receives their help.

All very unsatisfactory, but there literally are NO supply teachers around. We have had a couple in earlier in the year, but due to pupils with challenging behaviour in some classes, they have refused to come back.

I really don't know what can be done - we don't have teachers leaving in droves as in some areas, are there aren't a lot of other jobs people can do in this area, but I can't see the situation improving any time soon.

capsium · 24/04/2016 12:38

Ithink

The direction this thread has taken illustrates my point perfectly. It has been largely derailed by a few posters whose children are more important than anyone or anything else. The OP's question was not "what is your current axe to grind about your child's teacher?", it was "how can parents support teachers?"

This thread was 'derailed' right from the first page, when posters were posting about 'How are parents unsupportive of teachers?' when the Op's question was 'How can parents support teachers?'

If you post a series of complaints about parents, then posters will, quite rightfully post to explain why parents act the way they do in response to teachers' and schools' actions.

capsium · 24/04/2016 12:47

We have 2 teachers who have, on average, one day off per week for various illnesses, taking family members to hospital appointments etc etc. Our depute head is class committed 3 days per week, so the Learning Support teachers have to teach those classes. So it means that SEN pupils are not getting their allocations of time and is really worrying if it repeatedly happens on a day which may be the one session that child receives their help.

You see, with decisions being made like this, as a parent whose child has had some additional needs, with significant individual funding paid to their school, to cater for those needs, we would be pitted against each other from the start. I would be forced to take a somewhat adversarial position, if the teacher was colluding in, what essentially would be illegal actions (misappropriation of my schools individual funding), by the school.

Don't misunderstand, I understand and value the merit in remaining polite and professional, however I would be taking any opportunity I could to protect my child's interests.

capsium · 24/04/2016 12:49

^That should read, 'child's individual funding' not 'schools'. Typo.

TheSolitaryWanderer · 24/04/2016 12:58

' I would be taking any opportunity I could to protect my child's interests.'

That's understandable.
Teachers are also being forced into protecting their interests if they are to keep their jobs, and that is now directly linked to % of cohort achieving certain levels, backed by data collection and analysis and being able to jump through the OFSTED hoops.
The SLT monitor classes, books and planning constantly. Lesson observations and learning walks are regular pressures. How are the more able pupils being stretched? How many in the class are age-appropriate and above in their learning?
Back to focusing on the individuals that can be part of that % first.
Not right, not ethical but it's in the teacher's interest to make those % when you come to pupil progress meetings and avoiding competency proceedings.

rollonthesummer · 24/04/2016 12:59

What is the difference? Why does NI have too many qualified teachers and Scotland and England are crying out for them??

I have been wondering this. Our two local secondaries have (at a rough guess) nearly 50% young Irish teachers at the moment. They arrive all fresh faced and enthusiastic and last a year or two before moving on, to be replaced by another!

I can only presume teaching is nicer in Ireland (for lots of them to be training) but there are not enough jobs there (why, though?!) so they come here, but the pressure is horrendous so they leave!

Can any Irish teachers on here give us an insight into the situation?

Swipe left for the next trending thread