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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To raise this with headteacher?

164 replies

primaryworries · 14/09/2020 09:18

DS(4) has started in reception and seems happy. Part of me thinks that’s the main thing.

His teacher is an NQT. Her literacy levels are to be blunt here probably the poorest I’ve come across in an adult. We’ve had “defanately” “alot” “were/where” “redding” and “lissening skills”.

I don’t want to be that parent but I can’t pretend I’m not concerned.

OP posts:

KrakowDawn · 14/09/2020 10:06

I imagine that someone with dyslexia would always get another person to check a letter they were sending out before it went- that's what my DH does.
Day-to-day emails probably not, but whole class letters yes.

ElizabethMainwaring · 14/09/2020 10:12

The HT will most likely to be very concerned about this too.
Home/ school correspondence is a reflection of the school's standards.
It isn't a good look.

clareykb · 14/09/2020 10:18

Hi, I'm a teacher and I have a hypermobility issue that impacts my handwriting. It is fine now but when I was an nqt I had to make a huge effort with it and practiced at home loads so I could teach the handwriting scheme properly. It was also a target on my nqt check list. I'd mention it in a nice way to the head of eyfs and maybe not mention teacher by name of you aren't 100 percent sure as of it is reading diary, tapestry etc esp of not signed it could be the ta. Anyway, that way, whoever it is can have it as a target or training focus. If it is the nqt she will have to have targets anyway so it might as well be one.

Original poster

primaryworries · 14/09/2020 10:21

It is the teacher. Not the TA, or dinner lady, or anyone else!

OP posts:

ElizabethMainwaring · 14/09/2020 10:41

@primaryworries

It is the teacher. Not the TA, or dinner lady, or anyone else!

I wasn't suggesting that it was anyone other than the teacher. I was trying to make a point about high standards for all educational staff. Many support staff are better educated, qualified and experienced than the teachers.

ChesterDrawsDoesntExist · 14/09/2020 10:49

It does need mentioning but delicately.

However, if it was son's P1 teacher who was (and still is) a horrible, obnoxious piece of work, I'd correct it in red pen, write "must try harder" and send it back.

But luckily those teachers are rare. Yours probably just needs a polite spellcheck reminder.

ZoeTurtle · 14/09/2020 10:58

Hm, I'm not familiar with reception year - is she going to be teaching them to spell anything except their names?

If she's not going to be passing these mistakes to the kids, I'd let it go. Selfish, but I wouldn't want to potentially sour relations when your son might be at the school for another six years.

Grrretel · 14/09/2020 11:01

@ZoeTurtle

Hm, I'm not familiar with reception year - is she going to be teaching them to spell anything except their names?

If she's not going to be passing these mistakes to the kids, I'd let it go. Selfish, but I wouldn't want to potentially sour relations when your son might be at the school for another six years.

She'll be teaching them phonics and by the end of the year they should be able to write a sentence, so being able to spell basic words is a necessary skill for a teacher.

ineedaholidaynow · 14/09/2020 11:06

I asked whether it was the TA, because if it was, you would probably mention it to the teacher, but if it was the teacher, then you would probably go to their line manager.

LunchBoxPolice · 14/09/2020 11:10

I’d be concerned and contact the head teacher.

Wannakisstheteacher · 14/09/2020 11:10

I complained last year as DS had a TA who was semi literate, and I don't say that lightly. I pointed out to the head the DS was unlikely to make the improvements he needed to with a TA who was writing 'nice tigar' on his drawing.

TheVanguardSix · 14/09/2020 11:12

Oh reception is such an important year. The phonics seed is planted and this is the year when kids properly embark on reading and writing. You start as you mean to go on and I am sorry, but this is not a good start. I hate saying this because I think teachers deserve nothing but support and gratitude, but you can't let this slide.

Neolara · 14/09/2020 11:13

If the messages are going out to the whole class, I'd be very surprised if at least other parents aren't equally concerned. As stated above, schools sending out written information with inaccurate spelling is pretty terrible PR for the school. If I was the head, I would want to have the opportunity to manage this. I agree with others, that even if the teacher is dyslexic, they need to be meticulous about using technology to ensure they are not making these kinds of mistakes.

DetectiveRandySomething · 14/09/2020 11:14

She will have had to take a literacy test to be accepted on her course.

lioncitygirl · 14/09/2020 11:14

Raise it. It’s not great really.

rainbowunicorn · 14/09/2020 11:14

@ZoeTurtle

Hm, I'm not familiar with reception year - is she going to be teaching them to spell anything except their names?

If she's not going to be passing these mistakes to the kids, I'd let it go. Selfish, but I wouldn't want to potentially sour relations when your son might be at the school for another six years.

What about next year and the ones after that? In all the schools I worked in for 20 years it was very rare for a teacher to only ever teach one year group. Teachers were moved to different years throughout the schools. They may teach reception for a couple of years and then year 4 or 5 the following year. It really is ridiculous that someone can qualify as a teacher and come through a University education without being able to spell. If as so many on here love to say she has a hidden disabilty that causes her issues with the written word she needs to take action to ensure that there is no impact on the learning of those she teaches. If she is unable to do this then she should not be teaching.

TheVanguardSix · 14/09/2020 11:15

nice tigar

Yes, we had similar with DS in year 1. The TA just could not spell and it was unsettling reading her comments in his reading record. This was the person navigating my child through the seas of language and comprehension. Certain things you can let slide. But not this.

ElizabethMainwaring · 14/09/2020 11:17

@ZoeTurtle

Hm, I'm not familiar with reception year - is she going to be teaching them to spell anything except their names?

If she's not going to be passing these mistakes to the kids, I'd let it go. Selfish, but I wouldn't want to potentially sour relations when your son might be at the school for another six years.

When a school appoints a teacher, it is assumed that they will be able to teach any area of the curriculum to any year group; and likewise pupils with SEND and G&T pupils. Schools regularly have re-shuffles. She could potentially be teaching Year 2,or even Year 6, in the future. It is important that the Head knows about the teacher's lack of literacy skills.

Venicelover · 14/09/2020 11:18

I would definitely raise this with the SLT.

ElizabethMainwaring · 14/09/2020 11:20

@DetectiveRandySomething

She will have had to take a literacy test to be accepted on her course.

She would also need a Grade A-C in GCSE English, Maths and a Science subject.

BlusteryShowers · 14/09/2020 11:21

Yes, it needs mentioned. I work in a large secondary and all our official letters or leaflets have to go through the head's PA to avoid any errors slipping through. It's embarrassing.

DominaShantotto · 14/09/2020 11:29

I was a teacher for many years. I'm also dyslexic (diagnosed late in life) and I strongly believe dyspraxic as well but I don't have a formal diagnosis for that.

I used to struggle a bit writing in home-school diaries - but in terms of the motor movements to form letters when I was having a bad day - my mind would blank out slightly. It just meant I never had beautiful teacher handwriting (I was always fine on a whiteboard strangely - unless it was a badly-callibrated interactive one - grrr) but I would never make spelling mistakes like those described, or if I did it would be typing errors and picked up when I proof read it back.

I was, however, incapable of putting the right year on dates until about March each year which the kids and parents all gleefully ribbed me about and would send reading diaries (always reading diaries were my nemesis) back with it corrected in red ink. All in good humour and because the buggers kept changing the year on me!

I'd be raising that level of illiteracy though - for all she's in reception now, a year group move around and she might end up in year 5 next year or similar.

There is so much support available in terms of technology for dyslexia anyway that those levels of mistakes are just cringe! (I bloody love my screen reading software)

GroupSects · 14/09/2020 11:34

I work in a school and some of the support staff’s literacy skills are shocking.
Mistakes along the lines of- Would of, should of etc, alot, random apostrophes in plurals, alway’s.
One is training to be a teacher, I don’t understand how she got on the course.
I think all school staff should have to have a basic maths and English test before they’re given the job.

ZoeTurtle · 14/09/2020 11:35

She'll be teaching them phonics and by the end of the year they should be able to write a sentence

Maybe the head will arrange some phonics classes for the teacher!

ineedaholidaynow · 14/09/2020 11:36

I sit on teacher/support staff interview panels, we often get them to do a written task

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