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?

I disagree with everyone. I can't believe what I'm reading. Of course OP has every reason to feel aggrieved. The teacher needs to work her contracted hours and if she can't for whatever reason, personal or a sick child with hospital appointments, whilst we have every sympathy, the school needs to re-negotiate less hours so that she does the hours that she's contracted to do, week on week.

how anyone can argue otherwise is beyond me and it's not teacher bashing it's just that we expect people to do their contracted hours in whatever job they do.

OP should raise it with Head. Make it less personable, by not mentioning the teacher herself, and just say you expect your child to be taught by a teacher who is in school for the full week.

This teacher can be off as often as she likes, herself ill, Her child I'll, child needs hospital appointments. This is none of our business.

What is our business is that we expect our children to be taught by proper teachers and not just to fill-in or not someone who is absent all the time and unfortunately as a pp said schools are on their knees, like the NHS, going the same way, but we still expect our children to be taught and so this needs a job share or a renegotiation of terms or bringing in another teacher, or whatever the fix is to make sure that your child gets a decent education.

I don’t see it as a teacher issue. If she were ill you couldn’t make her renegotiate or make her work her contracted hours. That’s for the school to sort out, and the reason some of those managing people get paid more. I don't know how they’ll sort it out when there’s neither extra money nor teachers available. So the headteacher will land with this headache and add to the million other problems they have.

It must be lovely to have no experience of what it’s like to have a seriously and chronically unwell child.

Of course you have no idea what is going on with her child, yet you assume it’s a lack of commitment on her part. Take your concerns about cover to the management team.

And no I’m not a teacher, nor am I the “teachers can do no wrong” brigade. Have a heart.

Parents weren't 'invited' to comment - she was very forthcoming with the situation and very apologetic which parents and students alike appreciated. I wasn't offering a solution, I was clearly stating that the school seem to have gone about it in a very poor manner

Your title of 'if you cant do FT, go PT' is completely unreasonable as you have absolutely no idea of her individual circumstances. You are in no position to be commenting on her contracted hours.

There is nothing unreasonable in being unhappy with the standard of education your child is receiving and this needs to be taken up with the head or governors.

You are being completely unreasonable.

Not only do schools have no money for good cover, but there is a chronic lack of teachers anyway, so often nobody around even if the money was there to pay them. Childcare provision in this country is on its knees. We are still in a pandemic and also now going into winter which is a totally normal time to see an increase in illness, especially in young children. Not everyone has a rich husband, supportive parents or other options. As a teacher who has been in the teachers position as which you describe, your post makes my blood boil.

And you don’t think it’s an issue that she was required to perform sufficiently apologetic and contrite for her mental health condition to the students and their parents.

You seem to think that parents can reasonably expect teachers to justify themselves to parents. That parents’ desire to know and be placated by a sufficiently apologetic teacher is reasonable.

It’s ridiculous that schools put teachers in a position where they’re having up disclose their personal health information and apologise to parents for it. And it’s ridiculous that so many people think that parents can reasonably expect it.

Teaching is a job done by humans, with legal rights. The school is providing your child with an education according to government policy requirements. The individual teacher is one school employee that is part of that (public) service. They’re not a shared governess accountable to the parents.

Could be any industry really. If you have a staff member who is repeatedly off for two/three days a week, but meant to be full time, at what time do you call time on someone being paid full time money for a part time job, family circumstances or not?

Why are you still targeting the individual teacher?

The responsibility for staffing lies with the head and senior leadership. They have a responsibility to staff it as best they can, which sadly at the moment is proving an issue in a lot of schools.

You don't know the circumstances of the teacher or why they are off, but seem to think that the school should basically fire her / she should go part time.

Decent teachers are hard to recruit. The school might have decided that knowing the full situation it's best to be a compassionate employer in the knowledge they retain a valued member of staff when this season passes.

It's not unreasonable for you to want appropriate staffing for your child. It is totally unreasonable to speculate about the heads drawing a line and sacking a member of staff.

I agree (and yes I do have a seriously and chronically ill child). However, unless her child becoming ill coincided with her taking the new job precisely (which could have happened, but it's unlikely), then she would have started a FT job knowing that she wouldn't be able to manage anywhere near that.

I've had to change my 'lifeplan' to be able to simultaneously work and look after my little girl. I've chosen to give up opportunities which would mean less flexibility because it's just not viable. I wouldn't take on a job that gave no flexibility in hours/days, because it wouldn't be fair.

IF she is looking after a very poorly child, and it's expected to be long term, then frankly (and sadly) a full time teaching post just isn't going to be viable.

We are all speculating though.

How Would part time be any better? I doubt the teacher is absent in set days! I agree, it’s a management issue, it should not be directed at an individual teacher. They have the same rights as anyone, and school will be following policy. ( I also acknowledge how hard things are for management when it comes to staffing schools at the moment)

Somuchgoo
Some teaching positions for September are advertised and filled by February. It's reasonably common for schools to do this, so she could have accepted a job 4-6 months before starting and have already handed her resignation in.
Other things could have changed as well, such as the role of the other parent, or family support. We don't know.

I agree if she's sole carer for a poorly child and it's likely to be long term then teaching full time is unlikely to be possible.

Aye, there's a big lead up time.

It's awful having to make career choices based on your sick child. Some jobs can offer more flexibility than others. I could never be a teacher (or many other jobs) because I can't guarantee that I'll be around on any day. I've got 5 medical appointments for her next week, others there'll be zero, others, we'll have an unexpected in patient stay. It limits career options.

If it is something like this, then eventually either the school is going to have to put something in place, or the teacher find work elsewhere. It's not sustainable. Unless

The difficulty is that no one knows what the reason is, so they are not making allowances. I'm not sure what the alternative is though. Personally, I'm very open with why I work unpredictable - not because I think I need to tell people, but because people are a lot more understanding when they know the context. But that's a very personal decision, and depends on the reason. People shouldn't feel compelled to explain themselves, though inevitably human nature means they will likely get less understanding if they don't.

They can't just sack her. If she's just started, then it's probably the usual problem of a child starting nursery - they pick up every bug going for the first term until their immunity improves. Going part-time may not help - sod's law says they come down with the bug on the next working day. Next term will probably be much better.

For the first absence or two, then they'll just use whatever supply/cover arrangements are easiest, but hopefully now the absences are mounting up the head will be looking at what they can do to improve continuity and support for that class. You might not be aware of what is going on behind the scenes.

Unfortunately, there will always be times when a class loses out to a greater or lesser extent because a teacher has a bad term health-wise. Apart from putting in place what support they can at the time, heads usually try and make sure that a class that has had a bad year get a strong and hopefully healthy teacher the next.

Head teachers should not be telling parents why teachers are off. That’s unacceptable.

HTs should never be discussing teachers’ personal circumstances with parents. It may even be a bloody data protection breach.

Same thing happens when the topic is discriminating against a woman for being pregnant and needing mat leave - small businesses worrying about affording it are the devil incarnate but when it’s the nanny of the poster, it’s “sack her, you need someone who can actually do the job, why should you pay for her leave?!”

just say you expect your child to be taught by a teacher who is in school for the full week.

God, please don't say this to the school. You would be embarrassing yourself and just dismissed as an idiot who doesn't deal with real life and who knows nothing about how schools run. Also, I think you should perhaps think about paying to educate your child privately.