Teacher Reply Over Summer

[hairnightmare17]

Son is in secondary school.

We received school reports on Monday. One grade on there is different to what my son said he achieved. It was a terrible mark for an important subject and he would need work on it over the summer if it is correct, since he is going into year 11.

I tend to believe my son didn't get that mark but without a reply from the teachers I won't know for sure. I have queried it by email twice this week, no reply. Attempted to call, to no avail. School broke up yesterday.

Is it worth emailing again? Is it likely I would receive a response over the summer break.

@echt actually I gave my OP for context. I don't require a detailed response. If he got a 4 that's all I need to know.

You seem oddly agitated, in response to a stranger's query on the internet.

You seem oddly agitated, in response to a stranger's query on the internet

I'm not the one who excused my OP in respect of a body pump, after so many posters tried to help.

Sounds fine to me in that case, OP! Not that I'm a teacher but it would be nice if more of the parents from our school could be like you. Personally I would have no problem with answering an email like that during my holiday (assuming I saw it), but unfortunately years of experience with unreasonable parents and SLT expecting teachers to be in 100% work mode at all hours means some won't check their emails at all outside of school time. I hope you do get an answer.

lljkk

The site is bollocks, it seems to fail at knowing what a classroom teachers is.

It was rubbish information when it include state a private school, its now even less accurate as it also includes academies, TLRs, HoDs and assistant heads.

@echt, I think OP was saying there was no need for the teacher to provide a long-winded analysis, not me Although if I'm wrong I take back my previous nice post

hairnightmare17

Your DS seems to have explained what the grade means.

Its based on an old exam where he got a 4, In a more resent exam that couldn't be included in the report he got a 7.

What more do you need to know?

Personally I would hire a tutor for one session to assess your son's ability in that subject. Job done.

lljkk

I’m on UPS 2 and have been teaching 11 years and don’t earn £40 k. In fact, for level of education (masters and postgrad cert) and experience, I am on considerably less than my peers. Which is fine because the extra UNPAID free time in the holidays is helpful. Not saying it isn’t.

But the generally sucky over all attitude of parents and the general public that teachers are entitled, work-shy, moaning dossers is pretty offensive considering the hours most teachers put in, also money from our own pockets, time that we could be spending with our families etc.

I do it because I love it and I like the kids. But people need to jog on with this attitude that I am at their beck and call because I teach their child. If they want that then they can pay for private school.

Its attitudes like Clairetree's that are contributing to the explosion in mental health issues among young people

rubbish, its the namby pambying, spoon feeding, nurturing of a sense of entitltlement, TELLING KIDS THAT THEY DESERVE 6 WEEKS DOING NOTHING!!!!! over protectivness, lack of development of work ethic and resilience, zero expectations from parents,

all of this is settng kids up for the most massive shock of their entire lives, when crunch times come, and they find themselves being held accountable for their efforts and progress...

No y10 child that doesn't work during their summer holidays is going to acheive their potential, and this will impact on the rest of their lives, so fine, as long as you feel you are provididng your children with an excuse to enjoy 6 weeks of pure leisure, its a small price to pay

we are just reaching the point where this years A level students are completing their first months of real work in the real world, and looking at their first real pay checks- a MASSIVE earthshattering culture shock to many of them - an 18 year old seriously told me yesterday that I didn't know what it was like to work 14 hours a day and not get enough sleep! and how depressed he was that he was working for so little. He is a good hardworking student too, not many of the more spoon fed, 6-weeks-off brigade have found work yet, or even stuck to it is they have.

You can sort them quite easily, those with a work ethic, those who's parents encouraged reviewing and independent learning throughout the summers, those with some resilience, those who will be setting off to university with money in the bank and their adult working CV well and truly started

and the others, who won't get into the courses they want, who will be filling up the useless course through clearing if they get anything at all, , dropping out, failing exams, not finding jobs, failing to generally take responsibility or act like adults, because they haven't been supported and encouraged to do this, these will be the ones whos parents most likely had the attitude- goodness, you have worked so hard all term, you need 6 weeks holiday doing no studying at all....

If all you require is a check for a typo ('X got a 4 n his report for science, is that right according to the data you have?') themn pretty much anyone could check that for you (they obviously wouldn't be able to check WHY, but from your latest posts, you aren't looking for and have never requested a why, simply a typo check.

Does the school have a general 'admin' e-mail? Sending a 'could someone with access to the school's data system just check that there isn't a typo in DS's report' to that address might work, as IME admin staff often work a couple of days into the school holidays as a normal part of their contract.

However, in your shoes, if you have sent an e-mail to the teacher and not had a reply, i would assume that the report is absolutely correct.

f i had an e-mail asking 'Did X get a 4?' and the answer was 'No', i'd hasten to reply and put the record straight.

However, if the answer was 'Yes, he got a 4' I might regard that as not needing such urgent / particular action, art a time of year which is manic for all teachers.

So I would take silence as 'yes, the data on the report is correct'.

@BoneyBackJefferson that he's telling me the truth, I hate saying that but that's essentially it. I think he is telling the truth but there's a small element of doubt.

£40K???

no classroom teacher is on anything like that, none in the country - that's a managers pay

@Clairetree1 not true. I'm on UPS 3 no TLR abd on £47k with inner London weighting

well, thats what I mean, you are not a normal classroom teacher if you are on UPS, that comes with extra responsibilities etc, that a lot of us don't want. Due to having a life.

@cantkeepawayforever I did ask that but did explain why, I.e. that my son said one thing and the report says another and would wish to look at Summer support for him, if it is a 7. I explicitly said i didn't need a detailed reply just a number.

Maybe the emails didn't get through. I had this idea that they would go through to mobiles. Everyone I know has their work emails go through to mobiles. I just assumed it was standard. Judging from responses below perhaps they need to be on laptops logged into the server.

Sorry summer support if it is a 4. 7 I would be delighted with.

Also for the avoidance of doubt, not school summer support. Private! The email was more clearly written than my posts on here!

Tbf, inner London payscales aren’t really reflective of the rest of the country. I’m UPS3 no tlr and not on that.

@Rainfallrainbow the PP said nowhere in the country but London is in the country !!

And @Clairetree1 I don't have any additional responsibility! Only with a TLR/SLT do teaching staff have additional responsibility in my school

My DP is a Maths teacher and at his school they do the grades cumulatively because if someone cheats, has a bad day, etc plus there are 3 papers. If he got a 4 at one point i'd make him work anyway - I think it's good you care. He can have his long break when he's done his GCSEs. Parents are too lenient these days and it only harms their kids future prospects.

calling it "unpaid time off" would be better. Saying "no holiday" makes it sound like you are chained to the building 52 weeks a year!

Someone at work with my type of role (& pay) has quit to become a geography teacher :) I guess she thinks it's a better deal than our "six weeks paid" holiday.

Also DP is non-London Maths teacher, 4 years of teaching on more than 40k - easy to get payrises in education when you're in a demanding subject of short supply and you're talented.

I had this idea that they would go through to mobiles. Everyone I know has their work emails go through to mobiles. I just assumed it was standard.
Good for them. Not everyone wants their work pinging through to their personal life.
Judging from responses below perhaps they need to be on laptops logged into the server.
No.
We just don't have to check our emails when we are on holiday!

What part of 'we do not have to check emails or reply to emails when we are on holiday' possibly translates to 'oh maybe they need to be on site'?! Now it's starting to seem like you're being obtuse and rallying up to "but other jobs...".

When people are on holiday, they are not expected to check their work emails or reply to work emails because they are on HOLIDAY.
This really is not a difficult concept to grasp.

People forget teachers are not paid for their holidays! They don't get 13 weeks paid holiday- they bloody wish they did!

Retired teacher here. The statement above is incorrect, though I've heard it many times, often from teachers.

Yes, they ARE paid for their holidays. Teachers are salaried and paid monthly - they get a pay cheque every single month, when on holiday or not. They can only be directed by the headteacher to be in school for 195 days, though the rest of their work can take as long as it takes.

They cannot be required to be available to work in school outside those 195 days, however - and that includes answering emails of phone calls.

@MaisyPops I really think you might need to avoid this thread, for the sake of your own sanity.