AIBU to wonder why our primary head teacher has disappeared?

[HedgehogMugs]

The head teacher of local primary has "disappeared" and bit been seen the last couple of months. Staff are seemingly unaware of the reasons why (or unable to speak about it)
Deputy has been acting head ...

What kind of reasons would there be for this?

None of your business at all.

I am a member of staff

Then why did you say 'seemingly unaware'? If you're a member of staff you know you are unaware.

And the reason may relate to the head's parent, partner/spouse or child and not the head's information to share.

This is like 'where's Kate?' at a lower level. Everyone isn't entitled to know everything about a person's private life even if they do have a public role.

I should think there will be speculation amongst the staff. I expect the Senior Leadership Team will have some knowledge, but as long as the school is functioning under the deputy and SLT and things are running as normal, then that’s fine.

There are so many reasons why a head is absent. Some could be distressing. You may find out in due course. Or not.

You are staff? In your first post you state that the staff either don’t know or aren’t talking about it. Why would you suggest that they might know but are keeping quiet when you are a staff member yourself and don’t know?

Oh I definitely would be.

But I wouldn’t think MN was a place to ask “what reasons could there be for this” because I can come up with the possibilities on my own.
And despite my nosiness, I wouldn’t feel like I was entitled to actually know.

There are many reasons, not your business.

Then they clearly don't wish for you to know. It would have been shared.

Perhaps you should have put that in your OP.

Anyway, if the school is being run sufficiently (when our head was at another school half the week, it was not, we knew where they were though), then just crack on.

Sure you are...which is why you said "staff are seemingly unaware" rather than "as staff we are unaware".

How can you yourself be seemingly unaware. You either know or you don't.

If you are staff, what have you been told? You wouldn't be given the exact reason but they must have said something when the deputy stepped up.

Oh FFS it's none of your business. Our head was MIA for a while, turned out that she had a brain tumour and was taking time to process this and then have treatment. We didn't need to know this. We had a deputy head still running things.

To add, the fact that you've gone on a forum to discuss it proves they are wise to keep it a secret.

I guess if you needed to know you'd know. Everyone has the right to privacy.

My colleague was off for an extended period because of cancer. Whatever it is, if you needed to know, you’d know.

You have no right to know and speculation is pointless

Surely, if you are a member of the teaching staff you should have been given reasons? Sadly I suspect that it is MH or a suspension awaiting an enquiry.

is the school still open? Yes
Is it still functioning well and the children are being taught? Yes
Has somebody else been put in place to fufill the head's role? Yes
Is the reason for the head's abscence any of your business? No

Why did you imply you weren't?

Stop speculating, you utter ghoul.

Physical or mental health conditions, or under a civil or criminal investigation.

In one case I know a teacher with an unblemished record of 25+ years has been off unwell for over a year not just from workplace stress and bullying but from the procedures the academy Trust have tied them up on when they whistleblew.

Reasons that are None of Your Business. Is the school still running? Are your DC being taught in it? If so, you've no right to even ask what's happened. Unless you're one of those parents who enjoys feeding the rumour mills with baseless speculations.

Lord no. As all teachers they are expected to live their non school life in a sealed bubble of perfection, only allowed to go home to eat and sleep so that they can be at the beck and call of entitled parents who damn well pay their wages you know.

They are also told not to have personal lives that impact on their school based duties and are also expected to inform all parents of any alteration to their private circumstances even if the changes do not impact their working lives.

This happened at my daughter's old school. There was so much speculation in the playground about where she was, including some quite nasty rumours. In the end the governors had to send a letter confirming she'd had a mental health crisis and decided to retire early. None of anyone's business, and I feel sorry for her that the whole school had to be told about it. The school ran perfectly well under the deputy, and a new head was found when needed, so there was really nothing more that anyone needed to know.

Clearly the senior management team and the governing body have no trust in @HedgehogMugs ability to remain discreet and not gossip which is why they are being kept in the dark along with the other mushrooms.

Performance issues
Illness
Disciplinary
Requested leave of absence
Sabbatical
Work related stress
Pregnancy or adoption leave ( obviously not maternity as staff would be aware.

In my case I was absent because my son died. Staff were not aware initially as I was unable to deal with sharing the information.

None of your business, OP.

This is a horrible, intrusive thread.