Teachers leaving and long term sickness

[Jennybeans401]

Middle moved school last year due to bullying. She settled well into the new school and things have been okay for her.

About 5 weeks ago the lovely, long term TA left the school. The TA worked in dds class, dd liked her a lot and she provided a lot of stability. The class has a lot of children with SEND requirements. The HT hasn't replaced the TA, dd said the class was difficult but she loves the class teacher so tried to get on with it.

The class teacher took sick leave 2 weeks ago, she seemed very stressed and now the class just have a TA from Reception teaching them (no other TAs to support this young lady). The class is very disruptive now, dd can't concentrate and doesn't understand the work anymore.

I spoke to the HT yesterday who said they don't have any other options but to continue like this until the teacher is back.

AIBU to think of moving dd again if the problem doesn't get resolved?

This may be normal in English schools but it doesn’t happen in Scottish schools. An SLA is never left in charge of a class.

TAs don't want to be teachers or they'd be teachers surely.

Often the same people who feel that teachers should think themselves lucky they get all those holidays and clock off at 3, and think that Ofsted inspections and Primary SATs are fair and just and totally necessary in their current form to raise standards. They seem to think that anyone who raises issues about workload or the pressure should just leave, as there will be some excellent more hardy graduates who are just waiting in the sidelines to swoop in.

There aren’t. Teachers are leaving in droves. Many left are broken and there is a huge retention and recruitment crisis. Meanwhile, what is Gillian Keegan actually doing apart from visiting sixth form providers?!

Plenty of TAs are qualified teachers, they just don't want to deal with all the extra shit that comes with being a teacher.

Some TAs actually are qualified teachers who want less stress and shorter hours.

If you are in a MAT, the MAT can post a deficit budget. It can also help individual schools who are struggling. There's no day to day consequences to teachers of the school being in deficit.

I'm honestly not sold on the idea as teachers we should put up and shut up so the trust can balance it's books - I think it's often used as a way to pressure teachers into doing things like cover during their PPA etc. And I know most teachers will agree to do this, because they care and don't want the students to be left without a teacher or more pressure to be put on TAs etc.

But when we do this, and we bail out a MAT that is often top slicing as much as 10% of the school budget, long term we perpetuate the problem.

Exactly @Postapocalypticcowgirl I was at a local walk in centre recently and there were huge waits. Saw a lovely Dr eventually, who actually encouraged complaints for exactly the reasons you state above. The more complaints on record, the more things have to change. Not complaining means you’re essentially accepting your lot.
@PoorOldHorse - I didn’t vote Tory FYI, never have, never will. I just don’t hold the current education system on a pedestal, as many on here do (just like the revered NHS). There are good and bad schools everywhere, good and bad Drs, good managers, bad managers. Two schools in our town, similar sizes, one is thriving and has a very stable staff, the other is losing teachers all over the place. They’re about 0.5 miles apart and have similar catchments. The difference is SLT. Sometimes you also have to look inwards and at how budgets are managed.

Yes exactly my point. They've decided not to be teachers. Even if they are perfectly capable of teaching they have chosen not to be teachers so it seems really unreasonable that they are then expected to teach.

Yes exactly my point.

Two schools in the same area can certainly be different. A supportive Head and SLT can make a huge difference to teacher well being which will help maintain a stable staff.

@Jennybeans401 Do tell me what Labour are going to do to make teaching more attractive. Are they going to encourage young men who have been frightened away by social media and powerful website like MN to consider teaching. Many posters want schools run their way by female teachers. We have to widen access to teaching but MN posters will complain massively if teachers are not cosy female teachers who give up on their families to work selflessly for other people's children.

Postapocalypticcowgirl
You've made me think of something.
OP If your child's school is part of a MAT, especially a large one, then they probably have various directors in central teams who might be able to be deployed (if they're not already plugging gaps elsewhere).

It's definitely worth OP making her concerns known to the school, whilst also being aware that the options are small at the moment in many schools.

My child in reception hasn’t had a teacher since his left in early October, she’s had 4 different supplies and weeks covered by everyone from TA’s to office staff. It’s so hard on them and I can see they’re not making any progress. My eldest had the same issue 2 years in a row and completely stalled those years, luckily once he got a good teacher he wizzed through and the class has apparently caught up.
My friend moved her child to a new school due to the issue and within 2 weeks the same thing happened to her child’s new teacher.
I can’t believe in this day and age we are living in a time where education, and healthcare is so utterly shite and it’s entirely the fault of the government.

If they're HLTAs then yes.

I've been in this position as a secondary teacher, and it's amazing how quickly things change when parents start making official complaints.

Your assumption is that there is supply out there waiting for the call, we know there is a shortage of teachers. If the teacher is off sick then the school can't simply hire long term supply to cover as the teacher could come back. The school may decide that a TA is better than a string of short term supply (and tbf they could be right).

From experience, official complaints at secondary just mean that classes are rejigged so the individual child might get a better experience but the problem is simply moved to other classes. Exam classes might be 'prioritised' while KS3 classes are shafted.

OP - it's shit, and I'm sorry. Do ask the school to come up with a solution, obviously you have to prioritise your child, but please also email your MP about the situation, telling them about how your child is being so adversely affected. Ask them to forward your complaint to the only person who can really do anything about this shitshow - Gillian Keegan, Secretary of State for Education. You should get a response from the DfE.

http://writetothem.com/ is good for emailing MPs.

I feel so sorry for the TA (as an ex TA myself, recently left partly due to management wanting to use us in this way without paying us appropriately or even showing us much respect compared to teachers).

For @Jennybeans401 - I would definitely complain to the Head. It is not acceptable and they should be paying for a supply teacher alongside the TA or finding an alternative teacher from elsewhere within the Trust. The solution they have found is not fair to the children or to the TA who will likely resign soon herself or go on sick leave because her stress levels must be so high.

Don't know how you could have failed to know that you would need to bring ID to vote, it was literally all over the media for weeks. People do need to be more political and aware of what is going on in schools, and show it's not acceptable, not wait for it to affect their own children or grandchildren before becoming angry.

Anyone can teach in an academy.

@Innocentsongs so true! I'm a teacher, and I don't know why I read the teaching threads on here, as they just end up making me feel so deflated. I really feel for @Jennybeans401
DD, as the ones who are bearing the brunt of the situation are the most important part of the job - the children.

@Spicysock so please tell me how Labour and LibDems are going to help recruitment? MN and other social media are so damning about anyone who doesn't fit their cosy idea of a traditional teacher. No one wants a job with so little flexibility anymore

They can let it happen because none of them have children in state schools so it doesn't affect them. It's an absolute crisis.

@Spicysock . Please read my posts and explain how you are going to improve recruitment

100% agree with you. I thought you meant about doing the degree etc. The way it is the teacher gives up teaching to be a TA and ends up being a teacher anyway on less money - or leaves which is probably more likely.

Nope, normal salary and cleverly-worded contracts

Are they? I've not seen that

It’s not just the consistent and untenable funding cuts. It’s also the spectre of Ofsted, SATS and the creeping academisation of education . Academies are centralised and depersonalised and create intense pointless work and targets while removing any autonomy teachers have. It’s only going to get worse in the next few years.