To ask if a class should be staffed by teaching assistants

[ladybirdsarelovely33]

So DS is year 2 and his teacher has been away for 4 days. I only found this out. The school told me they had a supply teacher in but when pushed, they (secretary) admitted it was only for one of DS's class lessons. The rest of the cover had been by TAs or by a student teacher. DS told me most of the time wasn't doing formal learning but playing. The supply taught them music.
I do not feel this is acceptable but the head who I can't get hold of isn't as easy fish so I am asking here what is allowable and what I could say to her eventually.

To be honest I would much rather my class were taught by a competent LSA/ HLTA ( so long as they have a lesson plan to follow) who knew them well than a supply who has rocked in for the day and doesn't know the class.

Long term yes they would need a teacher but for not for a few days and as others have said a student teacher this late in the year should know what they are doing. It's not right really bit school budgets are so tight that schools try to make cut backs where ever they can. Not really their fault.

I would just keep an eye on it - yes four days with no actual teacher is ok and understandable if the teacher has been called away for an emergency, but the school need to proactively manage this absence in order to support both the children and also the teacher who might be dealing with something really dreadful in her personal life and shouldn't be fretting that her kids aren't being well looked after during her absence. Anything more than a week should really be managed better than just getting TAs in to cover and muddling through. I know it is the end of the year and your son is still very little, but there is a month to go and the syllabus is pretty packed, even for such little ones. There will definitely be things that the Year 1 teacher will need to do with them in preparation for moving into Year 2. It isn't really fair to expect the existing teacher to cram a lot of content in when she does return - the school need to manage this situation properly.

It is fair enough for a TA to step in during a genuine emergency but this shouldn't be the day-to-day experience of a class on a longer term basis (i.e., more than a week).

Are you actually serious?

A Level 3 and above TA is qualified to take a class, and they should also be involved in planning and marking. The school I taught in was inspected on that at last inspection.

Play is learning. The Welsh curriculum is play based until age 7. The English one is far too formal. You should be glad.

In year 4, DS1 had two full terms covered by his existing TAs when the teacher left unexpectedly (but I still remember her fondly for turning his whole learning experience around before the stress of teaching got to her. He cried when she left).

The TAs were both capable (one of them qualified and returned to the school as a teacher a few years later). He still did well in his SATS. Some music and learning through play for a few days at the end of the summer term doesn't sound like a disaster to me.