When do teachers usually tell parents about maternity leave?

[Tellytibby]

Is it the norm for teachers to not tell people about their maternity leave until they're just about to leave? 3 weeks to go apparently and I just found out from my child, who said Miss Teacher's Name isn't going to be here in November because she's having a baby. I asked and she said yes that's correct, shes bearly full term. You can't tell she's pregnant, she's tiny. If I hadn't have asked I don't know that I would've found out until she had left. It doesn't change anything but I feel like it's quite a significant to not tell parents (a change in teacher). Genuinely very happy for her but wondering should we have been told sooner?

I completely understand that and you are worried about your child but knowing about the teachers maternity leave earlier wouldn't have changed anything.

It would just have made the DS anxious for longer

In this case knowing earlier would have given both you and your child longer to worry about it and longer for this to becomes an issue to you. I'm wondering if you are generally an anxious person and your son has inherited this trait? Sounds like he's doing grand now so you should be able to reassure him how good he did, and bolster his confidence for this next (minor) issue coming his way. I'm sure his previous tears where down to school as a whole, not specifically who would be teaching him.

Teachers don't tell parents, it's private. Pupils can tell and some teachers might be happy to discuss dates.

While I agree it’s important for transitions in schools to be well managed (especially for children with SEND) the school also has to respect employees’ rights and wellbeing. Communicating with parents about staffing changes is a job for the head/ SLT not the individual teacher. I used to work as SLT and some of the things you have to think about are:

• Staff rights to privacy
• What happens if you inform the school community early to give parents and pupils plenty of notice and then the staff member has a miscarriage
• Uncertainty about maternity leave start date e.g. there could be complaints if parents are informed and then the date changes because of the staff member or baby’s health or any other issues
• Cover; ideally for maternity leaves starting in the Autumn term you would employ someone from September and get the pregnant teacher to do interventions or cover elsewhere but that’s not always affordable or possible nowadays. They also may not know who will be covering the maternity leave yet
• Depending on the size of the school, if parents know in advance that there’s a teacher going on maternity leave in the Autumn term there may then be lots of requests for children to move out of that class because parents perceive there will be disruption

I agree that it would be a good idea to speak with the SENCO about supporting your son with the transition but I don’t think it’s unreasonable for the school to hold off announcing the teacher will be absent for now.

In that case it's probably better that he doesn't know that there will be a change until the person covering has been in to meet the class. Hopefully that takes a lot of the worry out of it, if he knows who to expect.
The sooner they tell everyone, the more likely it is that children get to know and some start worrying.

One of the parents when my kids was in primary school said teachers shouldn't be teaching if they were going to go on maternity leave! I did point out to her that banning all women of childbearing age from the classroom would most likely lead to a severe shortage of primary school teachers.

I get it, OP. These things impact our kids. That doesn't mean you think people shouldn't be allowed to have babies or go on mat leave, but you wouldn't be human if you didn't kind of wish for your child's sake that it wasn't his teacher, or so early in the year. I had a similar situation with my highly anxious introverted mostly mute son, his 1:1 TA went off on mat leave in the April when his gcses started in the May. Of course I thought to myself in private that I wished she had waited the extra couple of months to get pregnant to see him through to end of gcses. My thoughts are my own, and my priorities are naturally my son and his needs. What would have been very inappropriate would have been saying anything to school or kicking up a fuss. Naturally I congratulated her and we bought her a little gift etc.

In fact his TA leaving so soon before his gcses did have quite a big impact on him; she left very abruptly a couple of weeks before it was expected for health reasons, and the planned handover didn't really happen. I can simultaneously be delighted for her, her baby and that all was well, and also wish that my son could have had consistent support from the same person until his exams finished in June. Lots of people on mumsnet will pile on like you are a terrible person for even thinking to yourself that it's not very convenient. But when you have kids that aren't typical, you have a different way of seeing these things.

Jaysus some people got out of bed on the wrong side today. Presumably this is your first year as a primary school parent and you are (reasonably) using this parenting forum to ask a question of other parents about something you haven't come across before.

OP, I totally get it, my LO struggles with change too and I'd be worried about a change in teacher. That being said and in answer to your question, I don't think it really is something that would usually be formal spoken about (although of course we are used to a pregnancy generally being quite obvious so I can see why it would usually be common knowledge.)

However, I'm not sure that knowing about it any earlier would have made much difference. Fingers crossed her replacement will be just as lovely and your little one will get used to her in time 🤞

The op has explained why she is worried so I don’t understand why it’s necessary to keep pulling her up on her original question.

I also have a son with ASD and understand how hard it is. I think you should speak to the SEN so that they can prepare him for the change and he may be able to meet the new teacher before she starts. My son really struggled with change and the school would prepare him for changes. Before he started secondary he was put on a programme where he went every week for a visit and was given pictures etc of staff and the school. I get it op and I hope that you get support from the school and that you son settles with the new teacher. Good luck!

I totally understand. My autistic daughter, who struggles with change, has had two teachers retire at Christmas the past few years with less than two weeks notice. If the school know a teacher is leaving/going on extended leave, why keep it quiet until just a couple of weeks before? Especially if there's a holiday in there too.

But he already nos she’s leaving, because he told you…

Ime parents are more anxious than the dc about these things.

it is absolutely none of your business

Jeez some people are so touchy.

I don't think there is any need for the school to give lots of notice, but if they are aware they have a ND child who struggles with both school and change it would have been nice if they could have mentioned there was a planned change of teacher (they don't need to mention why) to the parent so they could support that child in partnership with the school.

When teachers leave a school whether at Christmas or the end of the year they often don't tell their classes in case they start to 'play up' in the final weeks. I've known teachers not even tell their classes if they have a 'difficult' relationship.

This.

Loads of time. Honestly !

@TeenLifeMum you obviously don't have a child who this would really bother, one of my children has really struggled a lot with teachers leaving - my othernesschild cried a lot when her teacher left mid year, but she still went in ok and was happy and didn't spend the whole holidays worrying about school.

We knew quite soon but only because dd said miss x was eating all the time at her desk 😂