AIBU to think vice principal had unrealistic expectations?

[Supermummy88]

Good evening all,

I’m a geography teacher and took on a new role as head of department last year in November at a fairly new school…this august were their first set of GCSE results. When I started there was a lack of resources, very poorly planned schemes of work and no GCSE lessons on their system. I had a lot of my own resources however I didn’t have any for the exam board that the school do for geography. I have worked extremely hard for the past year to get this department up and running. The other geography teacher is unqualified and new to this country and therefore I couldn’t really rely on him much. I have put in a lot of effort and I don’t think I can put in much more. I am doing intervention classes, lots of exam questions, creating lots of new GCSE content etc. I had a meeting with the VP and AH yesterday and they said that the year 11 mock grades were not good enough in comparison to the RE and history results and that I need to do something as a matter of urgency to ensure that the students reach their targets. They then started going on about how good the RE teacher is and how her grades are amazing. They have come up with a whole list of things I need to do. I just don’t have the time or energy as I have primary aged children on my own. AIBU to just tell them to find someone else for this role? I just can’t deal with the constant scrutiny!!!

I'm with you. They sound completely unreasonable. I would go further and tell them to shove the role and their school. You will find a new job in a heartbeat.

Look for a new job and prepare a calm email to send after you have resigned summarising the things you have done to improve grades and where you felt support or resources were lacking in a way which hampered your efforts. If SLT haven't noticed by now there's no point saying anything with a view to staying because they clearly don't value anything they have to look beyond the surface to see. Also it would make your relationship with them awkward whether or not they think they are in the wrong. Go somewhere you will be appreciated!

With the teaching crisis as it is, I am sure that they need you more than you need them. You have power. Be polite and assertive, tell them what you have done so far, and what plan you think could help for next year. If they don’t agree, you will be looking at other options.

I just don’t have the time or energy as I have primary aged children on my own. but you're doing this during your work hours right? Or are they expecting you to put work in after hours??

Find a better school and make sure you take all your resources with you!!!

That's shocking behaviour from senior management!

They are welcome to.find simeone else. As for no GCSE lessons being on the system, are there any colleagues in different schools/ prepared lessons u can purchase? Teacher of 30 yrs in dept where we are still in process of doing this.

I am willing to bet that 99% of all this is done at home! PPA time isn't enough for all this, unfortunately.

@SaagAloopa all teachers work after hours

Tell them all you have done and are doing already and just carry on doing what you are doing, don't let it get to you. They are also under a lot of pressure to perform and seem to lack the skills or qualities needed to be effective and supportive SLT.

Whilst I have every sympathy for the amount of work you put in, this should have been brought to smt attention as being a problem before this point. The children should not be being disadvantaged because it's a new school. I would be livid if my dc's results were below par due to resource issues at the school (both got a*)

Sounds awful. Prepare a list of points to reply to their request with what you have done so far and the explanation of the challenges faced in implementing the extra changed they want (lack of time). Also raise you are feeling completely unappreciated for the things you've done so far and lack of recognition that it takes time to turn things around from where they were and that it's unhelpful to say how great other teachers in different circumstances are.

Separately polish your CV and start to make enquiries about your next role.

Discussion with the head and deputy together would be wise.

I wouldn't be saying that you will go but you want to leave that meeting with a sense they are on your side, appreciate your efforts and are going to put some additional resources in to help you, not just expect you to work ever harder.

I assume you already work many hours after school as it is so presumably not possible to add more. Don't just bleat you have kids. You should be able to balance both school and kids.

A lot of a teacher’s workload is completed out of hours.

For now while you decide I would meet with your line manager with a list; what you’ve done, what you’d like to do and what support including time you’d need to do it.
to compare an unqualified and experienced teacher is nonsense, so keep telling yourself the comparisons are unfair. I assume they’re also not the same kids doing all three humanities so what’s their value added/p8 estimate?

I think you’re doing too much intervention actually and probably, knowing the pressure you’re under, all focused on y11 rather than ks3 or y10 which is what will make long term difference - until you get those sores you’re always going to have to firefight y11. Also if kids know they can go to catchup classes is their attention in lessons worse?

remember that you know quality first teaching with small targeted intervention is what’s needed.

I would go back to them with the following:

1. You have worked really hard to turn the department around but if year 11 have had 4 prior years of patchy instruction that wasn’t sorted out until your arrival, it’s totally unreasonable of them to expect the students to match the achievement of students in other humanities subjects that have had solid teaching from subject specialists since year 7. There’s only so much you can do in one year to fill in gaps that have been left by the school’s failure to provide decent geography teaching for years before your arrival.
2. What makes them think results from History, RE and Geography would be comparable in the first place? Just because they’re all humanities subjects, it doesn’t mean they are examined in the same way or use the same skills. What is their rationale for holding each humanities subject lead to account against the results of other humanities subjects?
3. What are their plans for providing adequate training and development for your unqualified colleague so that they can share the planning load with you?

A good SLT will appreciate the work you’ve put in so far and have reasonable expectations about what can be achieved in a relatively short period of time with students who haven’t had specialist teaching for most of their education. There’s also the reality that the children’s grades can’t be solely your responsibility - they also have to put the work in. As a secondary teacher myself, in my experience, it is generally true when it comes to the humanities GCSEs that children who take Geography tend to be less academic than children who take History, so pitting the two subjects against each other when you’ve got students who have a different work ethic and mindset to contend with is really unfair. You can only do what you can do.

If they’re going to be difficult, then vote with your feet. There is a recruitment crisis out there and good luck to them finding someone as dedicated and hard working to replace you!

Please, please walk away from this role. You're being used. That is so toxic. They are only looking for a workhorse.

I would also want to know how their targets were calculated. Because most of the time they might as well have been made up on the back of a fag packet. Holding teachers to account for arbitrary targets created by some utterly unscientific algorithm is the main reason why I left state school teaching after training.

Can I just ask - when the kids grades came in low what were you expecting them to do? Saw such a shame but better luck with next years kids? Of course they’ve identified gaps and are trying to sort it out - but it’s now up to you to say actually if you want that I need more resources as the other geo teacher is not pulling their weight.
This sounds like it might be your first head of department role - if you are head off department you need to state the problems and what you need to fix it - it’s all very bizarre the others feel they need to tell you what’s missing. A learning curve is you should have gone to them sooner and say the other geo teacher is not performing or as this other geo teachers boss you should have put training in place for then

Thats ridiculous. No wonder so many teachers hate the job

All teachers work after hours. It would be impossible to do the job otherwise.

Example. My school hours are 8:40 to 3:30. Within that time I have 4 hours of non-contact time per week. Outside of those hours I reckon I do approximately 15 hours more work a week (evenings and weekends) and that doesn't even really keep my head above water tbh. To feel like I was actually getting everything done I'd have to do at least double those extra hours.

Who appointed an unqualified teacher from abroad? Utter madness and at the root of the problem. They don't have to allow you to relinquish your HoD role, so potentially you are stuck. I would concentrate on my own classes and their exam results now, and I would tell them this is what I will be doing rather than attempting to rectify their poor decision making on appointment of staff.

Someone desperate as there are no teachers?

All half decent teachers work outside of school hours.

Lol

Have you met a teacher?