To ask if you’ve ever complained about a teacher

[Justwondering14]

It seems the view is that this shouldn’t ever be done.

I have complained a few times. Once about a male member of staff telling my fifteen year old she looked like she was enjoying that in a suggestive way when she had a lollipop.

Is it always ‘wrong’, then? I’m not a teacher ...

youarenotkiddingme

Well, I'm glad it worked out for your DS.

It's so hard as a teacher to categorically agree with anyone when talking about other teachers and situations where there is conflict between them/parents/students, only because I have been involved in or witness to so many situations where what the parent thinks is happening is quite far removed from what I think is happening. I don't think people are necessarily lying - I just think the separateness of our experiences works against us.

I have never complained but have written a letter to say how good a teacher was on the basis that if someone was awful I would complain so I must therefore also compliment a teacher who had made a real difference to ds

Never complained and I wouldn't as I know how hard a job it is.

I am a year 6 teacher and did have a complaint against me once because I made a girl wait over 2 hours to go to the toilet.

What the parent complained about "Miss Rogue didn't have time to read with X during the lesson,so she kept X in at lunchtime to do it. It's not fair X had to miss the whole play because Miss Rogue can't manage her time properly ."

What actually happened was that X kept fucking about,refusing to read,eye rolling,asking to go to the toilet,chatting,more eye rolling, pretended to read(didn't even realise book was upside down ) . As a consequence I told X they can read to me after they have their lunch . Which they did ,and in 5 minutes were out to play (had 20 mins play).

Was x kept in to read? Yes. How and why it actually happened is what's different.

I think your thread line should read... Who hasn't complained about a teacher? OP

You can talk to whomever you like in rl or otherwise. No-one has suggested otherwise, But lets not dress it up as anything that it has some sort of official standing that an "inquest" would have

Do you have a problem with me BoneyBackJefferson. You seem determined to misconstrue everything I have put.

I have no idea why you thought a group of mums discussing the fact that our childrens teacher had suddenly disappeared from the class during morning lessons never to return was official anything.

''There are good teachers and totally shit teachers just like in any other profession.''
Trouble with statements like that are that the 'good teachers' I know can often be the ones that do not push the students or appease them and are there to be the student's friend and pamper them. The 'bad' ones can then be the ones who have standards and will make students work and mgmt will dislike as they simply are there to do the job they are paid to do by the government and not entertain the kids like SLT want them to....

Oh and what alot of ppl seem to forget these days are that there are good students and parents and totally shit students and parents.

There are also life changing teachers. Ones who really truly make an enormous difference to a child’s/children’s lives.

DS1s first headteacher was one, she changed everything.

The thing is I find is children go home and lie and parents take their dcs word as gospel.

The thing is I find is children go home and lie and parents take their dcs word as gospel

I can believe that.

In the opposite situation, were a child to tell you they’d been, say, hit at home, or something requiring CP proceedings to be instigated, do you take them at their word? Or speak to the parents first?

Sorry I read that back and it seems a bit combative, it wasn’t meant to!

Just that it works both ways so I was curious.

@Sodding unicorns

I take the child's word for it, all circumstances are different.

The girl I mentioned up thread told her parents I hadn't let her use the loo but let a boy go which was not true.

@SoddingUnicorns something like that I'd just report it to the safeguarding lead. They have more knowledge,training and access to other possible reports that would paint a bigger picture.

In the opposite situation, were a child to tell you they’d been, say, hit at home, or something requiring CP proceedings to be instigated, do you take them at their word? Or speak to the parents first?

I don't take them at their word or not take them at their word. I quite simply report it.

But I would point out the difference here is one of incentive. Why would a child invent violence in their home? The psychological and emotional barriers to going to a teacher and telling them about your family problems are high, as, I would imagine, are those to making up malicious lies about your family. Can we say the same about the barriers to lying about why you are in trouble?

Oliversmumsarmy

I don't have a problem with you at all, I take issue with some of your wording.

And as this thread is about official complaints IMO you are using the term "inquest" in it used in law in an official capacity.

Thanks for all the responses, I was genuinely just curious.

All your responses do make sense though, thanks.

boilerhouse yes, of course you're right. But there's a difference between a good teacher who earns respect and trust and an abusive tyrant. When you've been on the receiving end of a teacher who is the one who lies at any cost to save their own skin and blatently abuses their position, you become a cynic. I've had to be witness at an official disciplinary and LADO investigation because of a teacher who abused the trust of other their colleagues and the children she was meant to protect. I know it's not the norm but it happens. If she wasn't reported who knows where it may have ended. Whatever you say there ARE shit teachers still in the profession . (And shit kids and shit parents)

I get that pen. Hence why I asked here originally. I think the turning point was the day my mum (a teacher of 43 years and still going) wanted to go to school and pick ds up and deal with it.
She's my buffer - if she in not on the teachers side it's serious 😂

lanbury
Yes there will be some teachers not up to it, all the more reason for complaints to be raised properly and through the correct channels.

The vast majority of complaints that come in though are not to do with serious issues and more to do with 'reasons rules don't apply to my child' / 'reasons I want special treatment'.

E.g. Complaining about their child being moved down a set... in a school that didn't set. Not liking what the class teacher has said so going all guns blazing to Head of Team and ccing the head in.
E.g. Child misbehaves and is sanctioned. Parent decides 'they were just... / they were only...' so fights to back their child.
E.g. Teacher has to have words with a child repeatedly because of poor behaviour and attitude. Parent calls thr head demanding a meeting because the teacher is bullying their child.

I can recall being a student and the head came in withour out teacher. Our whole class had to write the events of yesterday's lesson out and if anything significant happened (nothing had happened) The child in question and their parent were on a mission to get the teacher sacked and haf made an allegation. After that, lots of us didn't really want to hand around with a liar.

I remember a complaint about a member for staff I was managing that really stuck with me, because the parents were so adamant their child was telling the truth, and I was absolutely convinced he wasn't.

The student was getting into trouble with his teacher for not having equipment, disruptive behaviour and not doing enough work.

When this was challenged with his parents they insisted he was moved up a set because the higher set was more reflective of his ability. They were very insistent about this move, because they also believed the teacher was picking on him.

My view was, well, why should a student who isn't putting in any effort replace a hardworking student with higher attainment in a higher set? Where is his equipment? Why, when challenged or sanctioned about not having equipment is he being rude to his teacher? Why is her putting him in detention for that "bullying"?

What complicated it was that the student had ASD. The parents - fairly - pointed out that he found it hard to remember his pen.

I understood that, but pointed out that, in turn, the teacher is doing her job by telling him he needs to have a pen and following the policy of the school.

Anyway, I asked them what they we're doing to support their son. Were they checking he had a pen before he left for school and when he got home? Were they reminding him that, even if he was getting into trouble for not having his pen, that isn't the teacher "bullying" him? Were they validating his belief (that he expressed, rudely, to the teacher) that giving him a pen was "her job"?

It turned out they were doing the square root of fuck all. They wanted me to displace another student from a higher set in order to solve a problem they hadn't attempted to solve themselves.

Erm, no chance. I told them I would consider changing his set when he was equipped, polite and doing his best, because that was when I would expect his grades to reflect his ability.

You can imagine how popular I was.

SoddingUnicorns
In the opposite circumstances there are guidelines to follow. No teacher should ever make a judgement call in CP situation. You report straight to the CP member of Management Team. In primary school this is usually the HT , not sure if it is the same in Secondary. It is then that person's job to involve the relevant people and follow their instructions/advice. Unless the child already has a named social worker it is usually a call to the duty worker and follow their advice. It is never down to a member of a school staff (no matter their position, how long they have worked at the school, or how well they know the child or their family) to make a judgement call. I.I.R.C. CP guidelines were changed a number of years ago to ensure this was the procedure as some awful cases of familial abuse had been missed due to teachers being unable to believe it of e.g. the local, upstanding pillar of the community and had presumed the often infant stage child had been rambling/confused/over imaginative rather than seeing it as a disclosure.

periperimenopause

Plus, there should be no judgement calls by teachers in CP matters. It isn't our role, specifically.

Yep, felt quite bad as she was a lovely woman, but my DS was found outside by himself one day in reception class. Apparently she thought he was hiding and hadn't bothered looking for him.

periperi thanks, I was curious about procedure. DS1 disclosed at school (about his Dad's gf) and CP proceedings kicked in, but I wasn’t really informed about the process. It all ended well though, for DS1 at least.

What complicated it was that the student had ASD. The parents - fairly - pointed out that he found it hard to remember his pen

Why on earth didn’t they help him though? That’s the bit I find confusing. My kids are autistic, and we have several visual reminders round the house for things they struggle to remember (and me and their dad too).

Because I recognise there are things they struggle with because they’re autistic, but equally if we as parents don’t give them ways to help with that, who should?

I’m staggered that parents would expect a teacher to do that, when it’s their job!