Need advice from fellow teachers!!!!

[Supermummy88]

Good evening all,

I need some advice. I started a new job last year as a head of department in a secondary school. It’s been hard work and the environment is quite toxic. It’s a fairly small school and there is only me and other teacher in the department. Since last year I have had all GCSE classes, which I am fine with. It was a very dysfunctional department before I started as the staff turnover was very high and some of the previous teachers were unqualified/ECTs. I have made some very big changes, created new schemes of work and created the GCSE lessons from scratch. However, the other teacher is an unqualified teacher from abroad and struggles massively with behaviour management with his KS3 classes. There have been many students and parents that have complained. In most lessons he takes 30 minutes to do the starter activity and his classes books are of very poor quality. He has also recently been on a support plan, but there still doesn’t seem to be many changes in how he teaches and his behaviour management skills. I have just been by SLT that it would be a good idea for him to take on a GCSE class in September. I am seriously concerned about this and feel that it is a very bad move. I have been teaching for over 12 years and have line managed in the past and would never ever suggest this. He doesn’t have a clue about the curriculum and when I went through a GCSE paper with him he didn’t know how to answer the questions. I know deep down that he won’t cope. The year 9 classes he has now are very challenging and he takes 3 lessons completing 1 lesson. I have raised my concerns, however, the decisions seems to have been made! I know how this school works and I will be held accountable if he doesn’t succeed!

What do I do??

Thank you x

I’d ask that the head of t&l line manage him as presumably they are happy with the gcse group.

I think you need to get your concerns in writing. Do you have line management meetings? Are there minutes? If not, I suggest you start making minutes and circulating them to check your line manager agrees/keep them in the loop. Such a meeting could involve raising your concerns and discussing how it will be managed if member of staff cannot cover material/has insufficient subject knowledge/cannot manage behaviour. You should be able to create a plan agreed with your line manager of how performance will be monitored and supported, if necessary, and by whom. You can have GCSE classes as a standing item on your agenda of line management meetings and a sure you keep m/share minutes of all meetings. This way you have an ongoing paper trail showing what you have done to support GCSE results, so that it can’t all be laid at your door if there are issues.

Tell them that in your professional judgement he is not ready to teach GCSE and suggest some coaching or an extra free in which he can observe you.

I have been doing this since last year. He hasn't made any progress and therefore the students are really struggling. Our main focus is him being able to teach KS3 and familiarising himself with the content and also how to manage behaviour. I don't know how i'll also fully support him with his GCSE class. A member of staff has told me that if he struggles, STL will make me do intervention classes with his class. This is something I am not prepared to do.

Put your concerns in writing to the headteacher.

This place sounds very poorly run. It's not your responsibility to take all the exam classes because the other people in your department are not meeting basic standards of teaching. Your workload must be through the roof.

Start looking for jobs elsewhere. We are in a teacher shortage so something will come up and by exams 2025 you'll already be gone. Not all schools are like this and you'll find something better.

It's actually the headteacher who has suggested it aswel as STL. I teach a humanities subject and the teacher who is head of another humanities subject is very close to the headteacher. For some reason she has convinced the head teacher and SLT that he should be teaching GCSE, even though this is not her department, it is mine! I just don't understand why. She also fully well knows that he is struggling to teach. But she says it is the students, not the unqualified teacher.

If you are line managing this teacher, use your rigorous systems and evidence, gained through a range of monitoring ( book scrutiny, pupil voice, lesson drop ins, data tracking) to plan appropriate support for him.

The school will have a performance management policy, find out what it says and involve whoever should be aware. Do you meet with SLT as part of your role? Do you hold pupil progress meetings with the teacher? With SLT? Use these to raise evidenced concerns.

If you don't line manage him, find out who does. They should be following the monitoring processes and should, from the evidence gathering, be planning support.
You may not know that a formal performance & support plan is in place, as these are confidential but you should be able to see the impact of the support in the monitoring evidence and the progress pupils are making. (unless of course he doesn't improve with support, in which case the next stage of performance management/capability will start.

Yes, I have been line managing him since last year and have used rigorous systems and have kept SLT in the loop. SLT and pastoral have to regularly go into his lessons because he can't manage. There are times when I have to give up my PPA because he can't manage the class and I have to support him. I have fully explained my concerns to SLT and the headteacher. They are now saying its because of time tabling.

I'd still put in writing to the headteacher, keeping it factual rather than opinionated. Raise the concern and in the letter, ask about the procedures for support plans and capability for unqualified teaching staff.

Ultimately you need a new job then none of this will be your issue when those children don't pass their GCSEs. You've tried to warn them in a professional way and your hands are tied. If you choose to stay, you already know what the outcome will be and you will be kicking yourself come results day 2025.

Yes, I am seriously considering finding a new job. This has really stressed me out. I have put in so much to develop this department and now they don't want to listen to my professional judgement. I am a shortage subject and there are lots of jobs available so I know I can easily find something else. The teacher didn't have a clue what the words 'evaluate and assess' mean. I have been told that I need to guide him and teach him.

This is not a school to work in long term.

The SLT have shown you how bat shit they are. You are not going to change them. They are going to disregard your professional judgement time and time again.

Seriously my best advice to you is to pick up your schemes of work and to run far and fast.

If you can’t prevent it, then hen it will have to be one Y10 class, with a clear plan from SLT of what to do if they fall behind. That means they MUST have a timetable that would allow you to step in and take over without it impacting your statutory PPA. You have worked really hard, but I’d be tempted to look for a new job in the Spring.

He will be given one Y10 class in September. However, the current year 9's that he has, who will be in his year 10 class are not manageable for him. He has had a number of issues with year 9s and the thought of him having them in year 10 is beyond me. The quality of their books is very very poor and sometimes he only does the start activity for the whole lesson. I have warned SLT but they have already made up their minds. The GCSE course is very fast paced and he doesn't understand half of the terminology! I am expected to teach him!

@Supermummy88 As you know, you can't go anywhere until January so start applying and interviewing. In the meantime, set him up some intensive weekly CPD with you including your subject pedagogy, the GCSE unit he's teaching and how you want him to mark/give feedback. Set him very short term targets then follow up on these rigourously e.g. 20th September he brings his first evidence of marking to be quality assured. This is not to put him under pressure but to show you've fully supported him through CPD and are holding him accountable.

It will develop you as a leader and give you experience in the less enjoyable parts of the leadership role you're in but personally I wouldn't stay.

This is what I've been doing for KS3 with him and it's become very time consuming for me. We have many meetings during the week and very limited time. Our timetables also overlap, so we are not free at the same time. The thought of doing all this for GCSE whilst I am also teaching/marking/managing the department seems as if it is going to be unmanageable for me. I also have two primary aged children who I have to get back home to at a decent time. I think I will have to look for something else.

If possible plan the timetable so you teach one class at the beginning do the week when he can come and observe you and then he has the exact same lesson with the same year group but a different class later on in thr week. If you can make sure you are free during this time.

It isn't ideal but by making him sit in your lesson some of it will go in and then translate to his class... Hopefully. Great advice above already given.

I would also flag at every data entry point that his class aren't making enough progress. So book scrutinies and observations so you have evidence across the year to support yourself when you have your raising standards meeting with the head later on.

I would write to the board of governors then start looking for a new job. Those children deserve a properly qualified teacher.

My advice is also to look for a new job. But be relentlessly focused in supporting him until you leave. If you find somewhere and are questioned about it,, talk about why you want the new job in a way that doesn't criticise your current school (it's bigger/smaller/more challenging/different intake). This will make your exit as smooth as possible!
Ultimately in your current job you are being undermined, unsupported and your students are being impacted. This doesn't sound like something you can change so you need to leave.

It sounds like the school has bigger issues. Start looking now to leave. If your hums is Geography then you should find yourself getting snapped up.

1. Get on the TES and start job hunting.
2. It’s really hard line managing someone who simply doesn’t have the capability (and / or desire) to teach KS4-5. I speak from grim experience. I know you know this. Sympathies.
3. are they doing this because it’s the easiest way to get the timetable sorted? It’s really shitty if so. I mean, it’s also really shitty that they’re not taking no for an answer.
4. See 1.

Can he be put on a support plan?

It sounds like he needs to do ITT!

Is there anyway he can be enrolled on a teacher training course? You’re not in a position to train a teacher when you’re HOD and have a busy timetable.

He has already been on a support plan. He was getting a lot of complaints from students and parents.

Just an update....my concerns have been totally ignored today. I have into this teachers lesson three times today already because he couldn't manage the behaviour. All three classes had barely done any work 45 minutes into the lesson. It is so concerning that he is being allowed to teach GCSE.