To think some teachers are getting away with all sorts with no way of challenging them??

[RedEyePen]

Mainly SLT! So today my ‘high needs’ son who the school tried to off roll had a head bump. On the way back from A and E I bumped into the Head getting her weekly shop in the supermarket. During school time. She didn’t seem stressed at all! Just getting her shopping in. V happy to interrogate my son as to why he wasn’t in school. Head and non teaching SENCO are always in the playground chatting every morning, yet can’t do any of my son’s paperwork without - at worst - an 8 months delay because they are ‘snowed under’.
I also work in a school where planning meetings, courses, computer based admin trumps : actually attending to the children’s needs.
AIBU??

Why don’t you home school your high needs DS?

I have taught. I went to the shop very, very occasionally at lunchtime. Never during the hours that I was supposed to be teaching,

There’s the nub of it. Are you responsible for the wellbeing and educational progress of every child in your school? She is. Are you responsible for the wellbeing, standards and discipline of every member of staff? She is. Do you have to liase with multiple agencies weekly on child protection? She does. Do you manage multimillion pound budgets? She does. And after all this. If your school ‘fails’ it’s OFSTED do you get the heave ho? She does.
You’re not a teacher are you? Only a non teacher would come out with this bollocks. Yes, support staff are badly paid but teachers are responsible for planning, data, reports, progress etc. My TA leaves a 3.45. I’m still there at 6pm sometimes and taking work home.
I agree with other posters. Don’t like the school? Leave and try another.

I don’t think he is high needs. Neither do the Local Authority or paediatrician. Head likes to call him high needs so she can get more money from the Local Authority.

In my school teachers are allowed to have their PPA offsite because we are professionals. We can do what we want during those 2.5 hours - go to lunch, get a smear test, do the big shop… as long as the planning gets done at some point, we get to choose.

Oh I see you were a teacher? Why aren’t you a teacher any more?

Are you not allowed a lunch break at work where you can pop to the shops? I imagine this is what she was doing. Our Head has her lunch break at all different random times of the day depending on meetings etc. You can’t be mad at someone for having a break during their working day, surely?

Mumsnet has a permanent boner for teachers.

Don’t be so ridiculous.

Bloody endless.

Will some parents be happy when all the teachers retire and no one else wants to qualify and work in teaching because of the bloody awful parents.

Yes, very tedious....

Nope she wouldn't because when Ofsted are in no teachers get a dinner break. It breaks all employment laws when it comes to Ofsted. They are interviewed during their breaks and lunch and are interviewed before school and after school.

Is it acceptable to break employment law because it is Ofsted?

Just move schools. You clearly don’t like this one. Spread your joy elsewhere, it’s not fair for only one school to experience some time with you.

If she was trying to 'off roll' him surely she'd do his paperwork ASAP!? You have a problem with the school so take your son out. Baffles me when parents who seem to hate a school so much insist on their children attending and just moan the entire time about the school 🙄

How do you know she was supposed to be teaching?

I do work in a school but part time.

I work in different school where I’m constantly busy and with the children whereas SLT are mainly chatting, in ‘planning meetings’, late, minimal interaction with children and very possibly at the shops if not on site.

No, she would more than likely have been up all night the day before the visit, and been incredibly stressed. Did you hear about the Head who killed herself following a brutal Ofsted?

I am really shocked at so many thinking this is OK. Surely heads need to be available and present on site? I'm a clinical manager in the NHS which would be a similar level of responsibility and I would never just wander off to the shops and leave the unit to it.

Yes I do work in my own time too but that doesn't make it OK to just head off and do what I like during the day.

I find it really worrying that so many find this acceptable!

Hmmm

Honestly? I do think this can be the case sometimes. Headteachers aren’t really answerable to many people (unless results plummet) and OFSTED are infrequent enough to not be a day to day concern.

I have worked in schools with completely mad heads though!

@NewLifter

Agree! I think if most people saw what happened in schools they would be absolutely shocked. There is an incredible amount of shirking that goes on, while a good honest few are working their fingers to the bone with no credit.

Why don't you have some extra training and apply for an SLT job? If it's so cushy and well paid?
If they do nothing, why are there SLT shortages, and why is it so hard to fill headteacher vacancies?

It is actually incredibly difficult to challenge a Head - and if OFSTED turn up, many are very good at hiding the crap and making everything look rosy,

Don't worry. They're always on site. Plus putting in long hours and doing their job in a professional manner.

You sound absolutely ridiculous. Being a member of SLT is a lot of responsibility and a lot of work and they often have to teach at the same time. I’m guessing you’re support staff and feel hard done to because you’re ’always with the children’. Being with the children and actually teaching is often the easiest part of the job!

I think in most cases, SLT get to their position by bullying behaviour. I’d rather be with the children.