To raise this with headteacher?

[primaryworries]

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.

You definitely need to bring it to the head's attention. The teacher will be starting them in a journey of phonics and putting those sounds together to make/read words. If she can't spell listening correctly, how will she explain the breakdown of it to sounds and how we don't always say every letter?
The children will be starting their education with bad habits and incorrect spellings!

Wow I’m impressed with how involved primary heads are.

Even as second in charge to safeguarding I need to wait a week for an appointment to see our head 😬

Once she went on a sabbatical for 2 weeks and no one noticed until she talked about it in a staff briefing when she returned

@OverTheRainbow88

Wow I’m impressed with how involved primary heads are.

Even as second in charge to safeguarding I need to wait a week for an appointment to see our head 😬

Once she went on a sabbatical for 2 weeks and no one noticed until she talked about it in a staff briefing when she returned

Are you really surprised?

Surely you noticed primary schools don’t have HODs, HOYs, and so on?

If that's their general standard of written communication, I'd be questioning how they got the necessary qualifications in order to do their job.

The Head is the first point of contact in my DD's one-form-entry primary. The email address for parents is headteacher@ (we don't know the email addresses of individual class teachers) and I had assumed that an admin would triage the emails, but it has always been the Head that has replied, and very promptly.

We've seen weak language skills a few times in TAs, eg one TA who tested a few children on spellings but who couldn't pronounce some of the words (awkward, amateur), and another TA (a 1:1 assigned to a child who is behind on literacy) who spelled 'struggled' three different ways in a single comment in a reading record.

We've also seen evidence of a lack of experience with an NQT (not knowing whether cabbages grow above the ground, or what AD stood for - in a church school).

DD (Y5) is currently a bit irritated about her teacher failing to use 'less' and 'fewer' correctly, which I think is forgivable as many adults get this wrong. I'm more bothered about her use of 'wrote' instead of 'written', as in "Come and show me what you've wrote."

I've not queried any of my above examples with the school, but I certainly would drop the head an email in your case. My DD was an early reader, and any similar mistakes might interfere with the learning, even in Reception, and they certainly reflect badly on the school.

As a teacher. I'd raise it with her. Nothing worse than going above first. Will have a negative impact on your relationship with her. Letters home arena pain. I hate them so I don't always give my full attention and also, it's hard to sometimes see your mistakes.

@Waveysnail

It could be pure laziness and not checking her typing. Yes I would raise it politely with principle

Ironic!

@Hirewiredays
What exactly would you say to the teacher?
I'm a teacher too, and I haven't got a clue how one would word it.

superEkstra ..Ironic

Indeed🙂

@ineedaholidaynow

Is it the NQT corresponding with you, not a TA for example?

Every bloody time there’s a thread about poor spelling or grammar, someone comes on to blame the TA. Most TAs I know, myself included, have a degree these days! 😡

@OverTheRainbow88

Wow I’m impressed with how involved primary heads are.

Even as second in charge to safeguarding I need to wait a week for an appointment to see our head 😬

Once she went on a sabbatical for 2 weeks and no one noticed until she talked about it in a staff briefing when she returned

Primary schools and high schools are totally different. How can you be surprised by that.

Also if you have to wait for a week to bring a serious safeguarding issue to the Head's attention and they can disappear for 2 weeks unnoticed I'd suggest you have a shit HT.

Every bloody time there’s a thread about poor spelling or grammar, someone comes on to blame the TA. Most TAs I know, myself included, have a degree these days! 😡

This!! It's such a lazy assumption

Also if it was a TA or someone else sending out the letters there would still be an issue with the teacher - they are responsible for what comes out of their classrooms to parents!

TAs often do the heavy lifting for weak teachers.
Parents would be very surprised.

@ElizabethMainwaring but that is why you would want to know whether it is the TA, maybe writing in the child's reading record, or the teacher. If it was the TA I would have a word with the teacher, if it was the teacher I would have a word with the HT or their line manager if someone different. Then that person can look at other examples of their work and hopefully come up with a plan.

Having a degree doesn't mean you can spell etc. DH's firm makes all graduate trainees take literacy and numeracy tests as part of their recruitment process. Over 60% of the graduates fail the literacy test.

I would raise it with the HT. Do you have her direct email? If not, email reception that you would like the HT to contact you via telephone or email. I don't think it requires a meeting, but I'd raise it as a concern rather than a complaint in a quick email or phone call. Also say how happy he is, and some positives about the teacher too. It looks much better than going in all guns blazing (not that I think you were planning on doing that)

I would definitely speak to the HT.

And it doesn’t matter that she’s teaching YR. Her standard of literacy and numeracy should allow her to comfortably teach up to Y6. It’s not ok to teach YR with bare literacy skills.

I agree that the bar is very low for teacher training now. It's a shame. Definitely raise it. Ask at the office / gate who you would speak to for the head of Early Years or Infants.

Deferably raze this ishu. Its just not rite!
;-)

I can't believe how relaxed some posters are about this. I would be appalled if my child's teacher was sending home written communication with such basic spelling mistakes. I wouldn't want to approach the teacher first either, it would be a terrifically mortifying conversation.

@ElizabethMainwaring

I would say something along the lines of: I'm not sure if you're aware but there are quite a few mistakes in your weekly letters to the parents. I would hate for this to reflect on you as a teacher because we really appreciate your efforts with our son/daughter who throughly enjoy having you as their teacher. Maybe worth checking your letter a few times before sending out. If it still continues, then I'd go to the head and then discuss their spelling and grammar knowledge and grammar.

I have just retired as a teacher this term and I think that's terrible! Especially with spell checks and everything. Have you raised it with them ?

Maybe she's dyslexic?

@jessstan2

Deferably raze this ishu. Its just not rite! ;-)

Isn’t it defiantly?

Definitely flag up with Head Teacher - it reflects rather badly on the school if a teacher is sending out letters with so many mistakes.

It may be that the teacher will need to have letters proof read in future.

our Primary does have a head of Year, Head of Key Stage (so 1/2 3/4 5/6) Assistant Head Deputy Head and then the Headteacher

Is there more than one teacher in the year - is there a system of who you talk to when?

And is this written or typed?