To find year 11 a difficult year group ?

[Trinity20]

Obviously this will depend on the school and other factors but, the year 11 in my new school are mostly awful, in terms of behaviour and attitude to learning.
I have been told this particular cohort of students are just difficult, and the year 7-10 have honestly shown so much more maturity.
I'm on long-term supply and have 2 year 11 classes. The other year groups have been fab, obviously not perfect but every student with the exception of 1 or 2 completed the work.
We were meant to be going through past papers and 95% of students in a class of 15 were doing nothing, a group of girls were making cones out of their papers, people were getting out of their seat, and acting like they could do whatever they wanted.
I asked one student if she could please stop slouching at the desk and she barked, "You don't need to speak to me like that."
A group of girls were making bitchy comments about the way I look and i heard one say "oh fuck off" when I gave instructions.
I issued a lot of C1s and had 3 students removed with on call.
I ended up giving them a lecture about this being their GCSE year, I was very surprised by their lack of maturity and they really needed to put in the work, that I was there to help them.
I just found it amazing that they have a GCSE in 4 months and thought they could sit and chat for an hour.
I made it clear to them I wasn't just there for the day, that I wouldn't tolerate messing about and would be reporting issues back to their regular teacher.
I even tried to be reasonable saying we would watch something for the last 10 minutes.
Anyone else had year 11 classes like this ? It could be that they were just trying it on but as I say, the other year groups were fantastic compared to them, these just had a terrible attitude.

I was shadowing a cover supervisor who had year 11, and she literally spent half the lesson getting them to show her dance moves. They seemed to like her and that's great, but I don't believe in the approach of acting like youre friends. I don't mind if they chat as long as the work is done, but they need to show a level of respect to the teacher.

I have had classes like this. They’re disengaged. They have given up. They don’t know you or trust you. I don’t excuse that behaviour at all, but given that’s where you are, there are choices available:

• throw your back into winning them and teaching them
• don’t work harder than they do, follow the behaviour policy
• don’t work harder than they do, collude in their laziness and let them fail
• leave

I was shadowing a cover supervisor who had year 11, and she literally spent half the lesson getting them to show her dance moves.

She is stealing from them. Ignore her.

Yeah, that makes sense. Some of them said they are dropping the subject next year, which might explain things, but i was still shocked at how much better the younger students conducted themselves.
I will keep following the behaviour policy and trying to be fair but firm.

Respect, OP.

What do you teach?

I'm a cover supervisor, but a teacher has gone off sick so they have asked me to cover her classes until she's back. Hopefully the next lesson will be better.

What subject, though?

My ds is in year 11 and his year group really are awful. The head has pretty much described them as that too. The behaviour is poor, there is a serious drug issue and they don't seem to care about their exams or results. Unbelievably this is a state grammar school.

I'm really want Ds to move for sixth form but he has autism and is very scared of change. He honestly believes the terrible behaviour, the vandalism the bullying etc is normal.

Good luck with the difficult classes, I hope over time that things improve.

I've had classes like that. As a cover supervisor it is even harder because students (especially year 11) know that you're not a "proper teacher" so they take the piss.
What sort of ability level is the class? I found cover work for lower ability students particularly hard because they dont seem to be able to focus and get on with work independently so short tasks with teacher input in between seem to work better, but that's tricky if its not your subject. Are you planning the lessons yourself or being set cover work?
Could you ask a member of staff from the department to pop in a few times during the lessons to support you or remove troublemakers.

Also to be honest if the teacher is on sick leave long term, it is wrong for the school to give year 11 classes a cover teacher rather than a subject specialist. I know it's not always possible depending on the size of the school etc but it would be better to try and move classes around so that one year 11 class doesnt always take the "hit" of doing cover work for a whole term.

Its amazing how many supposed educators share this type of experience on AIBU rather than in the staff room or on an appropriate forum. Perhaps bring it up in your next training session as I'm not sure what kind of professional advice you're expecting here.

It's Maths and i'm a specialist, apologies if I posted in the wrong place. Its a middle ability set and the cover work seems appropriate so far for their level.
I have expresse my concerns to the dept. Who agree that this is a difficult class and have offered to pop in. Hopefully things will improve.
@Punxsutawney that sounds awful and I hope he manages to have a better cohort in 6th form.

Weird board to post this on.

Maybe you're all just teaching in shit schools.

Or, maybe, the kids feel like they aren't important enough to be given anything other than a supply teacher long term in the most important year of their school career and have given up.

I work as a Cover Supervisor but i'm also a qualified teacher in that subject.

The kids normally have the head of department as their teacher but he went on Friday.

Or, maybe, the kids feel like they aren't important enough to be given anything other than a supply teacher long term in the most important year of their school career and have given up.

Which is... not to sound mean but... tough shit. The school is giving them what they have available, in this case a qualified teacher of Maths. These are their GCSEs, so if they want to roll over it’s up to them.

I appreciate you are a teacher in that subject, apologies, I am not doubting your ability or credentials.

I'm just saying that wherever possible in this situation in a GCSE year, priority should be given to ensuring the kids at least have a familiar face. My daughter was in year 11 last year and her maths teacher left. While there was a couple of weeks where I was concerned about what might happen, they were quick to make sure they brought in another maths teacher from the school, hat they all knew, so there was as little upheaval as possible. I can imagine that if a stranger comes in to a class at this stage of the year (apologies again if you are familiar to them) then they will just feel that they aren't important.

Or they're just really not arsed and you got unlucky.

Have you pointed out the obvious that if they don't pass they'll have no choice but to carry on doing maths for the next two years?

And as for "tough shit", thank goodness someone with that attitude wasn't teaching my daughter last year.

You're assuming that's all there was available. If it is, fair enough. But I find it unlikely that in a school that is big enough for at least two year 11 classes they wouldn't be able to find a teacher from another year group that was more familiar.

If you're a trained teacher then you'll know your job is to find the good in these young people and tap into that. This behaviour sounds like low level disruption- nothing out of the ordinary unless you've been used to teaching in private schools or something. They're not bad kids, they're just pushing boundaries with a new staff member. Surely you have positive behaviour management strategies up your sleeve? Did you do a PGCE?

Or, maybe, the kids feel like they aren't important enough to be given anything other than a supply teacher long term in the most important year of their school career and have given up.

And what sort of parenting has led such children to believe that, even if what you say here is true, they can treat another adult in this repulsive fashion? I hope you haven't brought up your children in such a manner!

Not unreasonable to post on this board- there are several teachers on here after all and it gets more traffic than the other boards.

The school are taking the utter piss out of you really (paying you as a cover supervisor but using your teaching skills).

I don’t blame the kids. At that point in year 11 they have probably seen many teachers come and go. What TheJollyRoger said is spot on I think- they don’t know you and they don’t trust you. That’s actually a big deal.

If you want to help them you have to have exceptionally clear boundaries, follow up EVERYTHING, ring parents, get parents in, get SLT involved, keep them back to finish work etc. Over and over and over. Let them see you mean it and you CARE and you’ll get there with some of them at least.

Oh- and there are only 15 school weeks til the exams

This behaviour sounds like low level disruption

Telling a teacher to "fuck off" is low level disruption?

God almighty, bring back the days when they'd have been expelled for saying that.

*And as for "tough shit", thank goodness someone with that attitude wasn't teaching my daughter last year.

You're assuming that's all there was available. If it is, fair enough. But I find it unlikely that in a school that is big enough for at least two year 11 classes they wouldn't be able to find a teacher from another year group that was more familiar.*

What do you mean, “attitude”? Would a better attitude be to excuse laziness and poor behaviour because it’s not their fault they don’t have a full-time teacher? Do you not feel that lets them down a tad, specifically, with expectations so low, if they were a bar, Harvey Weinstein couldn’t limbo under them?

My year 11 class last year where like this. They were completely disengaged, had given up and just didn't want to know.

Try to plan activities which avoid you having to try to speak use videos with a set of questions, independent tasks etc. That way you can spend time with those who genuinely want to work.

It's hard and I sympathise.

Luckily, my year 11 group this year are absolutely lovely. They are not strong academically but at least they work hard and try and they are nice people.