To expect my reception child to have a qualified teacher?

[MaryBeardy]

DS is in reception. I was told by another mum his teacher has been off for a few days. I asked DS who was teaching him and he said the two teaching assistants that help across reception and occasionally a teacher from a different class. Should there not be a qualified teacher present at all times (or at the very least one in training that has some supervision)? I’m feeling a bit annoyed this hasn’t been communicated by the school but don’t know if I’m being unreasonable. TIA

This sort of comment makes me seethe. It's called the Foundation Stage exactly because it's the foundation for the rest of the child's learning journey.

Welcome to the world of teacher shortages. Dd lost two excellent teachers from one department during her a levels and dropped a grade. So it gets worse sorry to say.

My DCs Reception teacher worked 4 days a week. It meant they had a Higher Level TA on the 5th day, plus an afternoon when the teacher had PPA time. The school were never explicit about this, the HLTA was introduced as 'a member of the class team'. I presume the teacher did the planning for it.

My other DC has a teacher this year who was working as a HLTA last year. Apparently she hadn't quite finished her qualification by Sept but would do 'soon' as it was just signjng some bits off. Again we were only told on probing. No-one knows if 'soon' meant 2 weeks or several months.

Both of these schools are 'Outstanding' inspected this year. It annoys me a bit they haven't been that open but it seems to be going OK. As PP have said, for a few days, consistency is better for children, plus budgets for supply teaching are tight.

If it’s just to cover a few days sickness then I’d much rather a TA that just child knows then a random supply teacher. Different story if it was long term though.

It's like so many things because the budget isn't enough to take on supply teachers if a teacher is off short term sick as is happening at the moment. Sixty children taught by one reception teacher for a couple of days as in my DGC class (admittedly she is very experienced and a brilliant teacher) and the TA's were doing a lot.
We get this elsewhere but this is private businesses cutting corners PA's instead of a qualified GP, all sorts of staff instead of solicitors

The teacher will likely have sent a lesson plan for the days they are off. It’s not a big deal for a few days off.

I've been there you are OP. One day a week supply with a TA.
Turned out the TA was a qualified teacher but had retired and gone back as a TA.

When DH started looking for a TA post, having recently finished his teacher training (we had 2 nursery kids and he needed fewer hours than teaching) he was mostly competing with experienced teachers who still loved teaching but had had enough of the crap that goes along with it so were switching to TA roles.

I was shocked too when this happened years ago at my dd's school, but now I know it's how it is since schools have no money. Having helped out in the school I assure you that many of the TA's were just as good if not better than teachers so don't worry.

The TAs will be a much better solution than an adult who doesn’t know the school or the class. And the teacher is more than likely to be planning all the activities from
home and sending them in. Honestly it’s so much easier going in sick than trying to sort cover from home!

@Hairoit Teachers off sick cannot be expected to lesson plan for the lessons they are off (unless pre-planned). They often do, but are under no obligation.

TAs, who are paid buttons, being roped into teaching a class - an incredibly difficult job - because the teacher is off, is an actual problem in our education system. TAs who don't want to do it are railroaded into it 'for the good of the kids', TAs who don't want to do it have to do it regardless, and it causes good TAs to leave.

The assumption that the TAs are delighted to be doing this (even if parents are rushing to say how marvellous it is) isn't a reasonable one.

We give our TAs an extra £2.86 for covering the class for a whole day, to cover 15 mins extra at the end of the day for dismissing the class..

Of course they are delighted. Imagine what you can buy with £2.86 (which is taxed)

My sister is a higher level TA. Super experienced, great with the kids. In many cases the teacher looks to her for guidance. She is also expected to teach classes and as others have said, it all comes down to money. TAs are cheap (far too cheap imo).

Like all, there will be brilliant ones and mediocre ones so really depends how good your child's TA actually is.

The government has proposed ANOTHER unfunded pay rise for teachers which will stretch budgets even further, so if you want your children to have a qualified teacher in that situation then please write to your MP!

The government needs to fund pay rises if there's going to be any money for SEND, EAL, or behaviour support as well as money for supply teachers.

Thanks everyone. I’ll chill out. The TAs do seem lovely tbf. Lack of teachers = yet another indication of how shite this country is in some ways. I assume private schools don’t have this issue?

It’s less acute but even they are struggling (according to neighbour who teaches at local private)

They don't have this issue because private school teachers don't have to be qualified

There will be reception who will unqualified teachers as there main teacher, you have Gove to thank for that.

For short term supply having staff who are familiar with the needs of the children is most important. Many school are running in debts, lots of them are in structural deficits means the department of education has been through their books and said they aren’t over spending but there is still no more money for these schools.

Where I work each reception class has a level 3 qualified childcare professional as well as a teacher. If the teacher is absent for any reason, they lead the class with a teaching assistant to support them. Most of the learning is through continuous provision, set up and shared by all the reception classes anyway.

Wait until they are year 11 and there's no one qualified to get them through their GCSE's

It's the slippery slope. We accept TAs and soon they'll replace teachers. What's the point of people going to university for 4 years to train as a teacher when they're replaced by someone with possibly no higher qualifications than GCSEs.
Before anyone jumps on me, I've been both a nursery nurse and a primary teacher have trained teachers so I know what teachers are trained in.
I think you should use parent power OP and complain to the HT

I agree but what can the head do if there aren’t any teachers?! Magic them up?

Have you thought about refusing? Are you in a union? It's totally disrespectful to both you and teachers. Also, unless the rules have changed since I was a teacher, there should be a qualified teacher for PE for insurance purposes.

As a short term solution for reception where it’s mostly learning through play, I would not be too concerned. The TAs will know the correct ways to teach phonics etc. You’ll be more worried when they’re in their GCSE years being taught French by a geography teacher, or a random supply, on a much more permanent basis than just a few days’ sickness cover.

For a couple of days, following the plans already set by the teacher, a TA is preferable to a supply teacher.

But when you get into weeks, TAs who are not qualified teachers do not have the expertise in the level of planning and assessment to do the unseen work done by teachers.