Unqualified teacher teaching class?

[Scottishgirl85]

My daughter will be starting Y3 at a junior school in September (my older daughter is already there).

We already don't love the school, so I wonder if that is clouding my judgement here...

We've just been told her teachers, 2 part-timers job sharing 50:50. I happen to know that one of them is currently an LSA (as like I say, older daughter is at the school). So I emailed the Head and asked who would be the qualified teacher on her days. The response I got was that the LSA is "working towards Qualified Teacher Status and will be appropriately supported".

Is this acceptable? I'm very happy to be told it is acceptable. Just want to check with you knowledgeable folk. Thanks.

So essentially she’s now a student teacher on a placement at your school - and head has assured will be supported? I think that’s okay?

Is it an academy? Academies can use non qualified staff.

We don't have those where i live but it doesn't sound any different from a student teacher having a placement, and they have a qualified teacher the other days I am sure it will be fine.

No not an academy

So the student teacher is on their own in the class?

Yes student teachers have their own classes when on placement how do they learn to wrangle children teach if they are not allowed to practise teaching?

If you already weren't happy with it with your oldest, why send your youngest there? Are you rural and it's only option.

Any student teacher needs to be supervised most of the time I think. My oldest has had trainee teacher for much of this year, but there is a qualified teacher in the class at all times observing her, plus doing marking, lesson planning etc. But always there.

You can thank the previous government. Unqualified teachers can teach alone and unsupported, it’s very common in secondary in shortage subjects like maths.

It happens all the time and is fine. Many parents would be shocked at how much teaching is delivered by TAs, HLTAs and unqualified teachers.

I trained as a teacher many moons ago and was left alone to teach regularly. I thought it was a big shit then and I still think it’s a bit shit now but it’s more common than you think.

It's a good way for schools to save money because they don't have to pay a qualified teacher. It also makes it harder for experienced teachers to get employment.

Trainee staff are usually better then qualified staff as they will put more effort in and actually want to be there plus every little thing they do is being judged

I don’t think that’s ok, when I was training I was not responsible for a whole class, I wasn’t really even left alone with them regularly. I wouldn’t be happy if think they were taking the p if it was my child. Like going to the dr and seeing the ‘health adviser’ might be it might be legal but you want to see the professional don’t you.

She's probably doing school-based training and yes, you tend to spend much more time teaching by yourself. The other teacher and her mentor will keep an eye on planning, marking, etc. to ensure it's up to scratch.
If she's worked there as an LSA before, she probably knows quite a bit about it already.

My TA (previous class, I'm on mat leave) is currently working at my school as a cover teacher (independent school abroad) and she's utterly amazing. She was an amazing TA and she's doing a fantastic job delivering short-term, short-notice cover. She really should be training as a teacher but, being abroad, she doesn't meet the language requirements here just yet.

Child at special secondary has very few qualified teachers in his whole school. They use higher trained TA's for virtually all lessons except PE.

There are unqualified teachers in front of classes all over the country,and many, many classes where the teacher is teaching outside their own qualification.

This.
Schools literally have no money and have no choice but to save money on staff as there is nothing else to cut.
I know of a number of schools who are actively replacing staff who leave with ECTs ( newly qualified teachers) as they are cheaper. It doesn't surprise me to see some schools using LSAs more.

I don't think it's acceptable. There is a massive step up from LSA to being responsible for a whole class, every subject, day after day. Presumably the job share teacher will do all of the planning (so really rough on them) but even so, I think the LSA is likely to struggle. "Appropriately supported" is bollocks. If they had teachers to spare for that, they would just have them take the class.

My school would much rather employ a qualified teacher but there is a huge recruitment crisis in teaching.
One role was advertised for a year and a half with no applicants. As soon as someone applies for a role we interview them & more than one applicant is a reason to rejoice.

I understand why people aren't going into teaching - parents are unsupportive & demanding, students are arrogant & entitled, and government funding is too low.

Totally normal! All 3 of my teacher friends started this year and they’re amazing teachers 😊

It’s perfectly acceptable in maintained schools - nothing to do with being an Academy.

Support staff are allowed to teach (do what is called “specified work”), but only under the direction and supervision of a qualified teacher. It sounds like in this case the trainee is currently an LSA but that next year she will be employed as a trainee teacher.

Employed trainees are employed, and paid, as unqualified teachers. They do not have to work under the direction and supervision of a qualified teacher.

I am attaching a link to the relevant 2012 Regulations (see para 5 in the Schedule) but as far as I am aware the rule on trainees on employment-based training schemes dates back to 2003.

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2012/762/schedule/made

I've met some awful qualified teachers and some fabulous unqualified support staff. I would be happier with my child having a "natural" teacher rather than someone incapable who happens to have a bit of paper.
What is it that really concerns you?

Even when I was training 35 years ago there were unqualified teachers teaching classes. I took over someone's entire timetable and taught completely on my own ( observed sometimes)for a whole term.

As a supply teacher with no primary training I taught a year 6 class for 2 terms. I was trained in secondary and my subject was drama, so literally no crossover at all.

Remember private schools use unqualified teachers.

You know private schools don't have to employ qualified teachers either? I know a lot of (failed) lawyers who teach at private schools. They have a degree in the subject but that doesn't make them a teacher 🤣

And people pay £30k a year for that.....

This is normal, so I don't think there's much recourse to complain, but it doesn't mean it's fine. It's not.

It's part of attempts by various governments to deprofessionalise teaching and therefore undermine pay and conditions. Academies, who set their own pay and conditions were just the start. Children deserve to be taught by appropriately qualified people and we are an outlier in terms of comparing us to similar countries in how we approach this. Being a natural teacher is one thing but you need to have a good understanding of theory, pedagogy, the latest research and evidence base and how to apply that in practice to be the most effective teacher. This will allow you to develop, change and improve over your career.

The person who said trainees can be better, yes student teachers can be very good and enthusiastic, but we know there is a big link between experience and quality when it comes to teaching, which is why it's important we retain teachers in the profession in the long term.

I taught for almost 10 years and the move to cover supervisors and TAs over qualified teachers is not a positive one. It isn't that they aren't good, I'm not casting any aspersions on often fantastic support staff. It's that they aren't being paid at the rate a qualified teacher attracts and this undermines the status of the profession and is taking advantage of these people.