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.

Headteacher. The NQT must know her spelling is an issue.

@Porridgeoat

It might just be shes dyslexic and needs to spell check or wrote it too quickly. Probably fine with teaching four year olds basic words. What she like otherwise?

Unlikely, unless she's handwriting her notes. This type of error would be picked up by the vast majority of software packages, and most people in this sort of position who are dyslexic know that they need to be meticulous about checking anything that it highlighted as being incorrect.

Look as much as I'd like to support teachers there really isn't an excuse for 'lissening skills' to be sent in a parental communication. It just took me 3 attempts to write that as my spellcheck was insistent.

Clearly her SPAG is awful and she hasn't accessed the necessary tools and support needed to proof her communications. She needs support and this should be flagged.

I'm not sure that raising it directly with the teacher is necessarily the best idea. The chances are that she has no idea how to sort this out herself (otherwise she would have done so already) and will need help.

More seriously, she may get someone to proofread what she sends out to parents - but that won't address the root of the problem, and she can't get someone to proof read everything she writes on the whiteboard or in the children's books. So you as parents may think the problem's been rectified whilst your children are still being taught gibberish.

Someone senior to her really needs to be given the heads up so that they can sort out any extra help and some fairly rigid monitoring until this teacher's English is secure.

How do you know they're an NQT? It's not information that any of my schools have shared with parents.

If you know for sure they're an NQT then you could leave a message at the office to be passed onto their NQT mentor. That's what I would do rather than going to senior leadership as it gives them a way to make corrections without getting the big guys in.

If there's a phase lead then that would be my personal choice, but then my overall approach is to pass concerns to the first appropriate port of call and work upwards if there's no resolution.

Raise with head of key stage or head teacher - that is appalling

Like others say you should raise this, even if the teacher is dyslexic most software would have picked up those words. Lissening ? It took me a few goes to even write that without auto correct trying to, well, auto correct! It does not sound, after 2 weeks in, the teacher is getting much support either, I would have thought that a KS leader/ mentor might have supported with letters home etc at the very start . Reminds me of a year 3 homework when my DS writing a story about Romans used the word ‘torture’, which was corrected by the teacher to ‘torcher’ - that was a long time ago and it sticks in my mind even now.

Having said the above, I am always amazed at grown adults who cannot spell, or use grammar correctly. In my own team people, are often asking how to spell simple words or asking about simple grammar. Mixing up ‘where’ and ‘were’ are common and ‘there’ and ‘their’, ‘should of’ rather than ‘should have’ etc. Someone recently asked me what a semi-colon is!

I mentored an NQT like this. She wasn’t dyslexic, but very lazy about using autocorrect etc all the time and didn’t proof read. Lots of nagging and rigid monitoring. I’d absolutely raise with headteacher (or key stage leader if a large enough school), as you’re unlikely to know who her mentor is.

Absolutely raise it with the head. I'm a primary teacher and frankly find it embarrassing to be lumped together with people like this!

@blue25

That’s terrible for a teacher. I’d definitely say something. Trouble is they’re so desperate for teachers, the standard required to access training has really slipped.

No it hasn't!

'Lumped with people like this' Nice! !!!! I'm also a primary school teacher and feel nothing but sympathy towards this nqt. I would raise it with the head and leave it there. The nqt year is so so so tough anyway, but to have a parent asking for advice on mumsnet!??? 😂

Fingers crossed she'll see this post and be so.embarrassed that she quits! Problem solved!!!!

Honestly.....

Am I an arsehole? I don’t think dyslexia is a defence. If you cannot spell and your professional responsibility is teaching kids literacy, surely you’re in the wrong job? Or at the very least, you should have a level of support that means your dyslexia is masked and does not make it into official school correspondence.

My brother pulled his kids out of a school because the teacher’s literacy was an embarrassment and he couldn’t trust them to effectively teach what they didn’t appear to know.

That needs mentioning. If she can't spell, she should at least be bright enough to use a spell check.

But if she can't spell, how on earth can she teach small children to spell?

@LolaSmiles

How do you know they're an NQT? It's not information that any of my schools have shared with parents.

If you know for sure they're an NQT then you could leave a message at the office to be passed onto their NQT mentor. That's what I would do rather than going to senior leadership as it gives them a way to make corrections without getting the big guys in.

If there's a phase lead then that would be my personal choice, but then my overall approach is to pass concerns to the first appropriate port of call and work upwards if there's no resolution.

At mine we had people who were a TA and then in September they were now "a teacher", so it's not a major leap to assume they are now a Newly Qualified Teacher.

Print out all the correspondence, circle the grossly misspelled words and pop them in an envelope to your head. You can even do it anonymously.

I work with a dyslexic colleague (primary school teacher) and her dyslexia means she does not know which word to choose when spellcheck suggests alternatives.

But some of those words aren't real so they wouldn't be suggested by spell check

I would raise it. I know of several teachers who can't spell or use punctuation. In secondary there's always a push for English staff to put on SPAG sessions for other subject staff . Yes they do have to pass some basic tests on the PGCE but you can retake those and the same tasks and questions come up so it's possible to pass eventually even if your literacy levels are poor.

TempestHayes
I hadn't thought about that.

TA to teacher doesn't happen much in the secondary schools I've been in.

Maybe the redding was blushing with embarrassment?
That's appalling - definitely raise it

@HopeClearwater

I work with a dyslexic colleague (primary school teacher) and her dyslexia means she does not know which word to choose when spellcheck suggests alternatives.

I know four people in education who have differing degrees of dyslexia. Because they know the weight that is put on grammar and spelling for their pupils, each of them has a system in place for double checking anything they send out and indeed what they put on the board. One has an arrangement with her TA to correct stuff she writes in class hen necessary, and is entirely open about it. The children get the message loud and clear that having a learning difficulty is nothing to be ashamed about but that that doesn't exempt you from doing your best at all times.

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!

I'm sure you're right. That's not the point, though. It's well-recognised by academics and employers that many, many graduates nowadays have piss poor standards of spelling and grammar. Being a graduate is no guarantee of excellence in that respect.

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!

I didnt assume that it was a dig at TAs specifically, more just a reminder to the OP to confirm who actually wrote the letter so that the appropriate person is the one who is spoken to.

When I worked as a teacher, if a letter/memo had my signature at the bottom, then it was one that I had personally written in my own words and with my own spelling mistakes. If it just had my name typed out, or was from "the X department"/"Yr Y teachers" then it was most probably written by a TA or member of the admin team on my behalf so any mistakes would be theirs.

It would be embarrassing for everyone for the OP to complain about the teacher to the HT only to find out that it was the TA (or even a member of the admin team)

One has an arrangement with her TA to correct stuff she writes in class when necessary, and is entirely open about it. The children get the message loud and clear that having a learning difficulty is nothing to be ashamed about but that that doesn't exempt you from doing your best at all times.

This is lovely to hear.
The OP needs to flag it so proof reading can be done and similar arrangements in place if needed.
I have to admit, I sit on my hands when I have spotted errors from the teachers - there have been a few that made me wince. stationery/stationary is not as bad as the examples the OP has given though - it is hard isn't it? No-one wants to be that parent. Equally you would expect the teachers to be shit-hot where spelling is concerned.