Posting for traffic. Should my husband quit unsupportive school as NqT

[Poppyscone]

I have posted this in chat also but have made it into an aibu

My husband had worked TA for four years applied did his teaching qual last year and passed with flying colours. Impressed on placement and was really positive. He got a job in a school till Christmas which he was told my become permanent.

Since starting the school have told him hardly anything. He has had to ask about every single little thing right from where the paper is kept right through to big stuff such as getting information from the last class teacher about each class. When he started he was given a sentence about each child’s progress. He has had to find out through drip and drabs and asking the parents themselves. Even finding out from the parents serious medical issues he should have known about on the first day.
He can’t believe none of the children have SEN plans as he has identified needs that need addressing. Obviously he had not told me the reasons he things they should have the extra support or given me any names

He has been basically left to it and given no guidance. He had a mentor who he has had done one session with. He was given notice of a three hour induction training two hours before it was due to start dispute chasing this up knowing it must be happening.
Last week the head asked to see his planning and told him it was awful, he should be long termed planned fully up until Christmas and his plans as a NqT have to be better then the rest of the staff.
She then called his mentor in who told him not to worry he would provide support. The head said he planning has to be long and comprehensive.
Since then again dispite crying out for support he has had an example of planning from one teacher who had basically cut and pasted from an example plan the school use and nothing else. The head has passed this plan as brilliant without obviously reading it.

My husband can’t understand if the planning is that bad why no one has been in to see one of his lessons. No even a bit of one. He also has TA support only 2 afternoons a week and that is only for interventions.

Anyway he was given till Monday to improve his plans and has been working past midnight all this week. Anyway the head came to him today and had changed her mind and wanted to see them now. He had to present them and the head had a go at him for not them not being organised and said he was in danger of being failed already.

My husband came in crying and I just don’t know what to suggest. Anyone got any advice. Anyone left there first school and then gone onto success.

Also I know they are not called NQts any more but I wanted to write this quickly and get advice. Should he leave and start again

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Some schools are toxic. He must not allow people to sabotage him. Our RCTs get access to our LTPs and MTPs and then use our resources. They should I have an hour timetables with their mentor every week and their is no need to present long term plans. The two year programme is meant to be supportive, collaborative and to help retain new teachers!
What hw should do next may depend on his area and subject but I would be loathe to stay. Usually the RCTs cry and we make them feel better. Ours have mentioned that some mentors are horrid - it’s arsehole syndrome.

No I don't think he should leave at this early stage. Is he speaking up and asking for support?

I'm sorry that he was crying.

There is obviously a shift from TA to teacher though and he has to step up! Agree there should be the right support, however.

Cause the typos

Excuse!

Get him to speak to his union. They'll give good advice.

If he can be released from his contract he could leave and do supply while he’s searching for a better position. There are lots of positives to supply work but he’ll need to be prepared that it also comes with a whole other side of potentially stressful things. He needs thick skin and to be able to look on the bright side.

Sorry I should have said it is primary school

I would look for other jobs, yes.

As an ECT (new term for NQTs, apparently), he needs an hour or so with his mentor weekly. The first year is hell and I sympathise. Planning should be via the in place Schemes of Work which should be available to him, everything should be available to him.

Without being rude, I don’t see how he has managed t9 identify that children need SEN intervention already-that is up the SENCO, not him. He can raise issues, of course, but he’s only just got there, we’re only 3 weeks in in my area of England.

He needs to speak to his mentor and request the time with him/her to which he is entitled. It’s a hell of a steep learning curve. Was he not able to get a full year’s contract?

The thing has got to him most I think is not being told about the pupils and any issues they may have including quite serous medical issues

@Poppyscone

The thing has got to him most I think is not being told about the pupils and any issues they may have including quite serous medical issues

Doesn’t the office hold this information? Is he asking the right people for the right info?

All that kind of info should be on the school system for him to look for. Register system will have the info, its his responsibility to look it up.

Personally I don't want teachers to give me info on my students, it gives them a clean slate every year, if after a few weeks I have an interesting character I will find out who had them last year and go and have a chat, or speak to SEN department or head of year to find out more.

Planning wise I can't comment as I am secondary.

It doesn't sound well organised but there are some things he can do for himself.

Wow- schools are tough but his experience is totally unacceptable. The department should have schemes of learning that he can follow and his own lesson plans should reflect those. Has he been given them? Also, planning until Xmas? That is a department job not him individually. So for example I was in charge of year 11 and year 9 planning in my last school- I was three weeks ahead as everything was redone to reflect a new teaching model.

Could he speak to his university tutors? Or his union? Also what is his relationship like with his current mentor?

Honestly working in a school is just toxic. I told my children they can be anything they want but not a teacher! It's the worst profession by a million miles.

I'm so angry reading this

Sounds like he works so hard and has tried so hard

How dare they

Nqt year can be hellish with lots of support

What are they playing at ??

Can he make it to xmas ?
Get the heck out then? 😢😢

There is obviously a shift from TA to teacher though and he has to step up!

How do you know he hasn't?

Oh poor guy, I really feel for him - I’ve been here and it almost broke me. Badly organised school expecting the impossible from young teachers, giving them no support and then making them feel shit… Sadly it happens.

I was fortunate to have started my nqt year in a good school which gave me confidence in my ability, but I switched to a terrible one for the second half. It was such a shock to finish my first job on a high only to be informed 2 weeks into the next job that they had ‘serious concerns about my performance’.

I chose to see out the year because I was terrified of making myself unemployable as a teacher forever if I walked out before the end of the year, but not a week went by without me seriously reconsidering this decision, or having some kind of breakdown. I could never get on top of the workload despite working crazy hours, and nothing was ever good enough. Meanwhile the school dangled the threat of making me fail my nqt year (and then I really would have been unemployable as a teacher).

Eventually I contacted my union. I spoke to a horrible woman who implied it was probably my fault and the school wouldn’t be raising all these concerns if I wasn’t shit (or words to this effect), followed by an amazing man who I truly believe saved my career*. He encouraged me to write to the school explaining why I kept going off on stress so that we could ‘work together’ to prevent it from happening again, and to leave at the end of the academic year if I could last until then.

I worded my letter in a very non-accusatory way, but each of the causes of my stress pointed to a poorly run school. The head didn’t even acknowledge receipt of the letter, but he behaved much better during my final term, avoided doing the things that caused my stress (and which were very bad practice anyway) and as a result I didn’t miss any days. He was a classic bully and confronting him head on worked.

When I left I I was snapped up by another school nearby who were all too aware of the ‘challenges’ of that terrible school and have had a lot of success poaching staff from there! I think survivors of that workplace are rather desirable to employ because we’re used to working hard and as soon as we’re treated like respected professionals instead of disappointing idiots we thrive. Who would have thought it…

It’s up to your husband what he does. If he thinks he can survive the year, this might make the next step of his career easier. Support him in any way you can because he’ll need it. It will be very tough and a real test of his resilience and self belief. Feel free to contact me privately too.

*A few years after leaving Terrible School I contacted my union rep (same one) again as I was having some problems. His advice was totally different and emphasised reconciliation rather than counterattacking letter and handing in of notice. His judgement is excellent because once again his advice was spot on and my problems were quickly resolved this time round, because I worked in an environment where problems can be solved. So I highly recommend contacting your husband’s union rep and really hope s/he is as good as mine.

Little paws not all schools are toxic. I’ve taught in one terrible one and two excellent ones. It’s pot luck,

He needs to speak to his union for advice and support.

A lot of teachers do move schools during their nqt year, and there are supportive schools out there. Good luck to him.

Thanks everyone.

He is going to leave I think and start again on supply. He said the last straw was him leaving the school at six tonight and the head saying “leaving already are we?”
He was the last member of staff to leave the school apart from the head.

With the SEN issues he has spoken to the parents regarding them and the parents have agreed with him but the school don’t.

The pupils detains are kept in a file in the office and he had asked for access and been told that if he needs to know anything he will be told by the head or previous class teacher (this was the head) when he asked the previous class teacher he was told to refer to my notes (which is a couple of lines of each child my husband was given on his first day)

The only time he was allowed access was to get a telephone number to ring the parents.

The head also once shouted at him in front of the parents that he was standing in the wrong place to greet the children when they are coming into school. He was just on the inside of the door so he could keep an eye on the children that were in the classroom as well and she shouted at him to stand outside the door.

This is a really unreasonable attitude towards him. They aren't providing proper support and his confidence and wellbeing will be shot to pieces.

I know this because I was there as an NQT. One of the things I recall being told was that I had 'no teacher presence' when it should have been as good as Julie's. Julie had been a teacher for 10 years and this was my fourth day as an NQT. I was put on a danger for failing form, despite having good feedback and good observations. I was told to sign my end of term report without them allowing me to see the grade and it was a near fail. There was lots more to it than this too.

I resigned before 31st October and left at Christmas. I never wanted to teach again at that point. However, I caught the bug again when I was feeling better and started my new role the following September. I've now been there 8 years, (mostly) very happily.

My advice would be for him to resign. Unfortunately, this is a culture I've heard of towards NQTs and less experienced teachers. I wasn't prepared to see it out at that point and I didn't regret it one bit leaving. I'd even had my union in on a meeting and they were useless.

There will be a school out there that will treat him well and he will foster a love for teaching but this isn't the place. He shouldn't feel that this is normal because it isn't. If he does leave, they will likely make his life hellish and treat him worse than before. That was my experience. I was even accused of stealing a class camera because I couldn't find it on the last day! Leave, leave, leave.

@Poppyscone

The thing has got to him most I think is not being told about the pupils and any issues they may have including quite serous medical issues

That will all be available on sims