Teacher leaving the room

[villageprimary]

Looking to find out if this is normal as I don't have other experiences to compare to...
My DC goes to a v small rural comprehensive primary school with just one class ranging from Reception to 11yr olds. There are 2 classrooms, but they don't always divide up.
DC (Yr2) has told me that they (the class, sometimes half the class, sometimes all) are 'often' in the classroom without a member of staff for reasonably prolonged periods of time (approx 20mins). There is 1 teacher and 1TA min in the building at all times, sometimes 2TA... I was surprised that they are alone in the classroom for any length of time as I don't remember this happening when I was at school, other than for the odd moment when they'd go get the tv or projector or something like that.. but I know that was a loooooong time ago!
I only heard about this as my DC was telling me about some of the kids mucking about and I asked what the teacher said, but teacher wasn't there.
So AIBU to think it's normal to have at least one member of staff in a primary classroom the vast majority of the time, or is this normal, or is this an inevitability in a 1 class school where a teacher has to prepare lessons for such an age range?

Urm, what?! 20 minutes is insane to leave a class of primary school children - very much normal. Are you sure it's not 2 minutes that feels like 20 minutes to the mind of a child? And certainly not daily - if there are two members of staff then why would they both ever need to leave at the same time?

2 - 5 mins fine. Longer than that, surprising and not advisable. Check with the teacher / school. Perhaps your child isn't giving an accurate version of events.

@NurseryFlirt the 2 mins feels like 20mins thing did cross my mind, but my DC has been able to tell the time etc for a while, so I don't think they'd get it THAT far wrong, even if allowing for some exaggeration... it certainly not just popping out to the loo or something.
DC said it varies but can be up to 'about 20mins'.They are supposedly set some work, then left to get on with it... but I feel that surely someone should be there to answer any questions etc, check how they are doing etc. I don't want to ask the head about it if this is to be expected though.

Is it possible that when you ask whether the teacher was there, he has answered the question you asked rather than the question you implied - was there an adult there?

@SnowdaySewday - I did check that - there's no adult.

Tbh whether or not he can tell the time, kids don't always perceive the passage of time accurately. It could be anything really. I know one teacher in my building has been leaving the room due to morning sickness...is it ideal, no. But what's the alternative, barf on the kids?

This shouldn't be happening. Yes there might be an emergency situation on a very rare occasion necessitating the adult to leave the room but it shouldn't be a regular thing. It's a major safeguarding issue.
It doesn't matter if it's a small school with fewer staff. Where are the adults going?

There should always be an adult in a primary school classroom.

@SionnachRua
The alternative would be to have another adult on hand to step in and watch the children. The situation should have been covered in that teacher's risk assessment. If she's being sick that frequently she should be signed. Her pupils are being put at risk and it must be miserable for her.

Signed off sick.

A pregnant primary teacher is hardly unusual - there isn't going to be someone spare to step in for the full length of someone's morning sickness! And being signed off is such a waste when/if the sickness only requires short absences each day.
Not saying it's ideal as it isn't, but the alternatives aren't really there. In RL you'd get the teacher in the next room to keep an eye on them.

Just from personal experience as a teacher, I reckon your child might be mistaken. More than once I've had pupils look surprised when I tell them off for something and they say "oh I thought you'd left the room!" when I've just gone to help someone else or get something from the back of the room. We also had a complaint from a parent whose daughter swore one of her teachers was regularly late to start lessons and was leaving his classes in the corridor for 10-15 minutes each time. It wasn't true and, luckily, his classroom was on a corridor with cctv so the whole thing was easily resolved. And this is secondary where pupils should be perfectly able to keep track of what's going on! Have a word with the teacher if you're concerned but it could be a misunderstanding.

At my (secondary!) school, classes aren't left without one member of staff!

There should always be an adult in a primary school classroom
This ⬆️

No way the children should be without an adult at all, unless teacher literally standing 1m outside door but even then. The fact that it’s a mixed age class is even more worrying. Things can get hectic/stretched at schools, but I would never leave a class unsupervised (been a TA and teacher). I’ve sent a child with a note to get an adult to cover from another class for 5 mins or even used landline to call office in an emergency (eg period). You can’t just walk out.

[quote tulippa]@SionnachRua
The alternative would be to have another adult on hand to step in and watch the children. The situation should have been covered in that teacher's risk assessment. If she's being sick that frequently she should be signed. Her pupils are being put at risk and it must be miserable for her.[/quote]
So what, call another teacher through a mouthful of sick? That's a superhero of a woman right there.

If a school has a TA then I assume that's the easy answer to these problems - TAs aren't really a thing where I am - but sometimes these things just happen. I've had it myself where the best you can do is open the door to the next classroom and be as quick as you can. The odd bout of throwing up in early pregnancy isn't unusual and in Ireland, we have enough trouble getting substitute teachers as it is right now. It's better overall to have a regular teacher than a constant rotation of subs.

This really seems unlikely. I teach extremely well behaved year 5-6 girls and occasionally have to dash out to the loo or photocopier. I shouldn’t really but sometimes there isn’t much choice. I’m never gone more than 2-3 minutes, and I tell the kids I’m leaving and check what they’d do if the fire alarm goes off while I’m gone. There’s no way I’d wander off for 20 minutes without telling them, even less so if they were younger.
You say there’s 2 classrooms - are they adjoining? Could it be the teacher is in the one next door with a group, with the door open and sight of the class or at least able to hear them and popping their head in every few mins?

Primary school children should never be left unattended. Pregnant or not the teacher should have shouted for another teacher. Serious safeguarding issue.

Also a woman in the early stages of pregnancy is unlikely to have told her employers and had a risk assessment done.

I was coming on to say sometimes us teachers do need a quick wee break but if you mean they're left without any adult supervision that's not right. Do you know any parents of any of the older children? They might have a more accurate understanding of how often and why they're being left unsupervised.

@modgepodge - the classrooms are adjoining yes. It's a v small school so there's never anyone that far away, so I'm. It that worried about safety, more I just feel a bit uncomfortable IF it's true that there's no member of staff there to help them with their work at times. While i understand setting kids up and letting them get in with it, I feel that primary age kids should have access to someone to ask questions of at all times and - this may be expecting to much though - I feel that sometimes if a child is struggling with something they might not say, but if a staff member was there and watching them, they might see and offer help, not just wait to be asked for help.

I do acknowledge though that my DC is quite young and so it's possible it's not quite as long periods of time as 20mins, but DC insists that there is def no member of staff at all in the room on a regular basis, sometimes the teacher will split the class across the two rooms into older and younger, and when that happens personally I'd expect the TA to be in the room that the teacher isn't in, even if they are adjoining rooms?

Agree with everyone else.
If his is happening, then it is wrong, and no, Primary dc should not be let without an adult in the room for longer than it might possibly happen if they step out the classroom door for a minute for a good reason.

I would think carefully how you approach it, as I also agree that sometimes a child's perception of what is happening isn't always a true reflection of what is.

@BackforGood - I agree, if I raise this I want to be careful as I know it's possible DC is mistaken.... any suggestions on how best to raise it? Thanks

"Ds mentioned he'd needed the teacher for something but they were left alone for 20 mins - he's probably got the time wrong haha! But thought I'd mention it" (to the class teacher, not the head). If they have been doing this it would be enough to make them stop.

My first instinct is that the teacher is doing a quiet provision just out of sight but where they can see the class. Is there anywhere a small desk could be used as such?

@Mistressiggi

"Ds mentioned he'd needed the teacher for something but they were left alone for 20 mins - he's probably got the time wrong haha! But thought I'd mention it" (to the class teacher, not the head). If they have been doing this it would be enough to make them stop.

This!

Go to teacher first and let them explain what might have happened. There's nothing worse than someone going straight to the head and blowing things out of proportion before you've had the chance to say what actually happened.