If you can’t make it work full time, go part time.

[Pineconederby]

Teacher at DC’s school. Appears to have numerous childcare issues from what we’ve been told. Barely makes it through a week without being off for this or that, but tells the DC it’s because she needs to look after her little one.

AIBU to think that she should be supported to go part time, rather than trying to eke out a full time job, which she is very clearly not doing? Multiple complaints made by parents, school not particularly receptive. This is a new member of staff who started in September, supposedly full time, and has completed just two entire weeks in the classroom since then.

At the start, I was sympathetic. Now, not so much. It’s really started to affect DC’s attitude to school, they are left with the (not amazing) TA when the teacher isn’t in and seem to complete endless worksheets but not much else. At parents’ evening it was pretty clear she didn’t have a clue who DC was, or what their abilities were (made a glaringly obvious mistake and referenced a different child 😳). I know teachers tend to be sacred on here but really? Is this the standard that’s deemed acceptable these days?

Rubbish. She will just phone up, say she can’t come in because of xxx and leave it to the school to sort. It’s not like the HT will drive to her home and collect here

op you have to hope that the school are sorting this, it is bad, whatever her circumstances are, to have only done two full weeks, however I also know it’s fair on impossible to discipline a teacher on absence unless you have a very strong HT

take the matter to the Governors

FWIW: I don't think it's being well managed as I've already posted.

But I don't see this as a teacher bashing thread. However the OP's insinuation that the answer is to go PT is also rude and probably not the correct solution to whatever the problem is.

Anger should be directed at the head, crap as that sounds, it's their job to manage this sort of thing effectively.

obly the headteacher really knows the circumstances. What if the little one has cancer or is undergoing tests? It might be that there is no one else and they need the money. It’s rubbish for your child (and the class) but teachers are human too.
When I was a deputy head in charge of these things we had a situation with a teacher and a sick child. In the end I timetabled her for cover (which did impact PPA for other teachers if I couldn’t cover the cover) but at least meant the children had regular teaching, However that was ten years ago. Schools aren’t funded well enough for that anymore. The school are between a rock and a hard place, as (probably) is the teacher, as is your child. Ultimately this comes down to government funding.
Public services employ people not robots, so there needs to be sufficient slack in the system to cover sickness well. There just isn’t.
Protest, write to your MP and for Fs sake don’t vote Tory.

How would going part time actually help though?

If she works money- wed and her nursery aged child is ill on a tuesday and gets sent home, what is she supposed to do? She can easily swap her hours at work unless it's a job share with an extremely flexible other person with no childcare issues. She can't get the child to stay at nursery but keep them off Thursday friday instead. The only feasible alternative is for her to give up work which is pretty awful.

Most teachers I know get their partners to look after kids when they are ill but maybe she doesn't have that option. The school could be managing it better

Parents aren't her employer though. It's the head teacher who has to assess whether or not she's unable to meet the clauses in her contract and how the school can both legally and empathetically address that. Obviously as service users parents can complain to the head and expect to be answered, though not with any confidential details.

It's hard to recruit teachers atm. so driving away a good teacher who is going through short term issues (such as a child of their own having recently started nursery and being ill a lot, as many are) would be a mistake.

Children get ill, childcare arrangements break down - it’s life. Let the school sort it out - they will be aware of the details.

Have you never been off work when your children were ill?

Listen, OP has a right to question and be concerned about the quality of her child's education. I'd be surprised if a parent WASN'T concerned.

Now we don't know the teacher's issues and why she's been off work so much but at what point does it become too much?

I understand the education sector is on it's knees at the minute but surely if it continues then something has to be done?

You're complaining about having a part time teacher but are saying she should go part time. I'm struggling to understand how your life will improve if she does what you're saying she should.

Echo what PP are saying. If you think your DC's education is suffering, take it up with the head. But maybe try some compassion and understanding for others too.

I agree that the head/seniors should be managing this better. As @OKild09 says, when should that be? As a parent/service user/whatever - when is a line crossed and the situation simply not sustainable?

@RambamThankyouMam but thats up to the school to decide not the parents
The school will have all the info , maybe her child has been hospitalised or something and the school need to be putting measures in for teachers absence
A parent doesn't decide what action is taken in the teacher

Your issue is with the school arranging adequate teaching cover, not with the specific teacher or their issues.

The head was unprofessional to fob you off with the talking about this staff member’s childcare issues. They should have been talking to you on the basis of how they were providing adequate teaching cover.

If you think the TA cover is not acceptable, have THAT discussion.

@BonnesVacances - she goes part time and is able to actually make 2 or 3 days in the classroom. Another teacher does the other part of the week. The children know where they are, don’t get messed about, disappointed that yet again, Mrs X hasn’t shown up… If the teacher can’t cope with/facilitate a full time role, at what point should this be addressed?

I'd speak to the head about it. Focus on your concerns about your child's attitude to school, rather than why the teacher is off.

Even if there is the most heartrending, tragic circumstances behind her absence, the head should put in place a consistent replacement provision, it shouldn't just be a shrug and oh well, sometimes life is difficult.

@Pineconederby you call time depending on your work policy and the law and based on their circumstances , for example someone undergoing cancer treatment is protected by law
The school will not tell you the full reason the teacher is off as they can't
The school will know the issues and will either be planning to replace or if long term issue they will need to out alternative plans in place to cover

@NoSquirrels - I imagine that’s part of the problem. They don’t have the budget to provide supply teachers so use TAs. But they’re not getting value for money from a (by reputation at least) experienced teacher who isn’t there half the time (for whatever reason).

Only on MN will this be classed as teacher bashing.

it’s completely unacceptable that children’s education is suffering due to long term teacher absence no matter the circumstances.

Id personally be informing the governors in writing if this continued long term with no foreseeable plan in place.

Parents don’t need personal specifics however they do need communication on their children’s education and what plans have been out in place.

Again, not the teachers job that management aren't using adequate cover.
Possibly management's fault, certainly I have worked for schools who have baulked at using proper cover and instead used a ta, justifying it as a budget issue whilst paying senior leadership very well.
Likely because there is no budget for cover and people who could be doing cover have had enough at the appalling conditions of teaching and have quit for good so there's no pool to draw from.

This has been created by successive government decisions regarding education, not just the conservatives,but also labour putting in unnecessary hoops and impossible working conditions. It's been helped along by parents who treat teachers, who are educated people, as slaves not fit to human treatment. Add in that the same parents breed children whose absolute contempt for teachers make the one perk of the job deeply unappealing and it's no wonder we are where we are.

And the situation will get worse. Pay and conditions for teachers is going down not up and people are not training for it.

Oh and by the by, teachers are very rarely allowed any time off. I speak after years of threats and bullying to get me in no matter the cost. So if the teacher is off its extremely likely it's for a good reason.

And no, teachers shouldn't have to share their private information such as cancer, bereavement, serious illness with parents. They are human beings entitled to dignity.

@Speedweed - thank you for understanding!

That may be true, but that is the only basis on which you can discuss this issue: the quality of education your child is receiving and (as a PP says) how the instability is affecting their attitude to learning.

If you start making suggestions about the teacher going part time or any other operational matter you are interfering and will get treated that way.

Frame your complaint in a way that will produce a better outcome.

Most children will have a shit year somewhere in their education- a teacher off long term sick, a teacher they can’t gel with, a teacher who breaks their leg on Sept 5th and comes back sometime in February having been covered by a dozen random adults over that time (yes, that was my DC)….. it’s awful but they just have to cope. Expecting an entirely smooth and trouble free education is just not realistic in the current climate. It’s been a couple of months.

The school will be doing what they can, but finding appropriate cover is hard both in terms of cost and a lack of supply teachers. Talk to the head, explain how your child is feeling/finding things, but don’t expect miracles. Do as much as you can at home yourself and encourage your child to be resilient.

You decide when the line is crossed/it’s not sustainable- but that choice is expressed by making a formal complaint via the head (not the governors, this isn’t a governor issue) or moving school. You have absolutely no power at all over the HT decisions around staff and how they are managed, or over how a class is covered.

You obviously don't work or have no clue as how would part time work , if she works mon- weds and her child is ill on a mon and tues she still won't be in ?
You need to speak to the head and say your not happy with the TA cover etc , although ta cover happens a lot in schools

This. It’s basically impossible.

@carefulcalculator you 'call time' as you put it, as per your company/industry/employment policies. I've had a month off work followed by a month reduced hours, followed by a month of increased WFH. It is what it is because of extenuating circumstances. As a PP said I wonder if you actually have any experience of how such things work.

I agree with everything in your post @AngelicPickles, but would also say that the no term absence policies have become unsustainable. They were only backed up by the threat of no progression or bad references.

Teachers have been pushed too far - so many have just stopped believing that they have a long term future in the classroom or even that their schools have much of a financial future, and so why wouldn't they stay home with illness? And that's leaving aside all of the pressures around childcare and other issues escalating so quickly.

The bonds have been broken, and it's hard to see how schools recover.

Oops meant to tag @Pineconederby sorry @carefulcalculator !