Primary School concerns - what can I *actually* do?

[Timetheworldsaysicantafford]

I've got two children (reception and year 3), and have so far been fairly happy with the local school they go to...it definitely could be better, but we've had no major major problems if that makes sense. I made pact with myself to not join in with playground gossip, but since some staffing changes have been announced it has GONE CRAZY! Lots of very good, experienced teachers are leaving, including the deputy head. It's a small school and there would not usually be this turnover of staff. Parents are worried. The word on the street is they are all leaving due to the Headteacher. I'm worried too but want to know what I can actually do, of anything!? I wouldn't move schools unless absolutely necessary, so do I just have to wait and see what happens? Does writing to the governor's make any difference...? What would I say? I don't want to over-react but I do feel concerned that the quality of teaching will be massively affected - nearly every class will have a new teacher, and if recruitment is a struggle the school will be full of supply teachers... (Who I'm sure do a great job, but not ideal 😬)

I'm no expert (just a parent) but I wouldn't panic & listen to gossip.
How do you find the head?
What did the announcement actually say? How many open positions are there?
Seems strange to announce without a solution.
I don't think it's unusual for there to be a lot of change with new management. It can be a combo of old staff not liking new head's ideas & new head not seeing existing staff adapting to new ethos.
Look at it as an opportunity for fresh ideas etc & head to bring in people who fit their mold.
Otoh it could be that they are a nightmare to work for and everyone's escaping.....only time will tell but no point panicking.

You can write to whomever you like but it won’t result in the leaving teachers staying, will it? What do you want the governors to do - get rid of the head?

Sometimes a turnover can be good for a school. Maybe the new head has higher expectations, I wouldn’t panic yet wait and see. It may be a good thing

I’m a primary teacher in Scotland so we don’t have Governor’s etc, but I think I work at the Scottish equivalent of this school and yes I’d say it’s because of the Head Teacher 🙈 Usually a Head Teacher can make or break a place. I would also add that most schools seem to be toxic places to work at this point in time. I am a member of a Facebook group of nearly 80 thousand teachers looking to quit the profession, the number jumps up every day. Many quit due to bullying, workload, lack of resources, lack of money to buy anything that’s actually needed to do the job, spending all your own money on it because the school has none, extremely challenging behaviour with no support as well as trying to do the job of a cleaner, parent, teacher, dinner lady, janitor etc, not even getting a break to eat lunch, the list goes on 😑 The job is not what it was. My reason for leaving is all of the above but just to put the cherry on top I am returning from mat leave, having taken a huge pay cut by going part time. I was asked, as we all are every year, which stage we would like next year. In most schools this is accommodated or they will give you as close as possible. All of my experience is in infants and I have taught primary 1 the entire time I have worked there. I said to my HT that I didn’t expect P1 due to going part time but would like infants. I have been given Primary 7 😑 I initially complained but was basically ignored and I’ve now thought stuff it, il add it to my list of reasons for quitting asap 🙄

So yeah, it could be the HT, most likely is but it could also just be the fact the job is so horrendous and no one wants to put themselves through it anymore for zero thanks. A lot of the supply staff (if they’re on that Facebook group) will be permanent members of staff who have escaped other schools and can only just about manage to take a supply shift to cover the bills while they try and get out for good.

I really don’t know what you can actually do though. Parents do have a lot more power than they think but you would need something to actually go off if you wanted to complain about the Head Teacher. The parents at my school have cottoned on to everyone leaving and complained so the HT put a reassuring email out to say staff turnover is due to the council’s HR department or some nonsense. They have now teamed up together to basically petition to get her out and are taking it to the head of education within our council, not sure if that’s the equivalent of your governors. Go in as a parent helper and you’ll probably have the answer to your question in seconds 😂 good luck