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?

If she is an outstanding head with a track record of unusual success, it's possible she's been seconded to Ofsted. Happened at our DC's school (on the downlow).

OP, how would you feel if you found out next week that the reason for the absence was incurable cancer, family diagnosis of a hereditary fatal condition, stillbirth, death of a child or something similarly horrendous? I hope you'd have the good grace to be mortified about your morbid curiosity!

Teaching is a tough gig. Not helped increasingly by parents. It's none of your business.

This, but sure why some parents think they have a right to know personal information about teachers.

👏

Well it will be completely private reasons if staff don't know but of course rumours will go round. No one's business.

Absolutely none of your business. The school is being run in their absence. Keep your nose out.

A chair of governors is really, really not the head teachers line manager.

Does your position require you to know, or are you just being nosy?

the head is entitled to privacy like the rest of us.

It's nothing to do with parents. If the school is still being run properly that's all that matters.

Sickness
Family reasons
Special leave agreed by governing body
Disciplinary issues

They do know who's in charge, it's already stated on the post that the deputy head is in charge during the head teachers absence..that's all the parents need to know. Surely the head is allowed some privacy? There could be a private and personal reason for them to be on leave for long enough to appoint the deputy head to temporarily take over the role

She’s probably of sick and by the sounds of it long term sick and nobody needs to know why 🤷🏼‍♀️

Seems odd you didnt mention that at first! As a member of staff surely you're aware of the possible different reasons.

Why a head isn't present as much has nothing to do with you. Its between the school, the governors and the head while they are absent. Does this affect your child day to day education?

Op maybe sacked and it’s under police investigation and they are not allowed to contact any of you. I once seen this happen in a high school ht just disappeared and new ht brought in. Never mentioned again.

In that case you shouldn’t be posting on here really…….words fail me sometimes.

When it happened at my DCs’ school, in the middle of a term, the kids were all told in assembly that Mrs X had left and Mrs Y would be Acting Head. The parents got an email saying the same thing, and nothing more was ever mentioned, including to the staff who seemed baffled. She’d only been there about a year. As the school closed not that long after, I assumed she’d done a midnight flit with the petty cash. Although rumours among the children were that she had joined a cult…

Not necessarily. It's none of their business, either.

Usually they do but clearly don't want to share with staff, which is fine too.

Illness (physical or mental)
Bereavement
Suspension whilst an investigation is undertaken

Tick any of the above, and it's no-one's business unless and until the LA/School/MAT reveal it

It is sooooo not your business. They could be off for many different personal reasons. Would you want hundreds of people pawing over your personal life, while you're going through something catastrophic enough to take you away from a job you've worked for years to get? Nope.

My godsons teacher killed his wife…

It really doesn’t work like that unless a private school.

There is a required public consultation to close a school, with posted notices, public meetings, council approval and all to time scales (at least 6 months). A headteacher stealing would not be an agreed reason for closure. Closure is a high level, strategic decision and is dependent on the LA being able to meet its statutory duty to provide enough school places in the area.

The headteacher may have taken up post elsewhere whilst the consultation process is concluded, usually cost saving in using leaders elsewhere.

This was a private school. And it limped on for a couple of years before closing. But hinky things were afoot I think, and I doubt I’ll ever find out what.