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?

Literally can be anything. Illness. Mental health. Inappropriate behaviour. Family issues. Quit because unhappy with the job. - rarely newsworthy (if it was it’d make the news eventually I’m sure.)

You’ll likely never find out. Illness/MH would be the most likely, especially for a high up role to go mid year. I hope they’re ok.

Oh also. As a senior member of staff in a MAT. Most staff won’t know why - it’s someone’s personal life. Only people who need to know will know.

Has been kidnapped and is being held for ransom.?
Abducted by Aliens.

Who knows.

Would be helpful if the parents were informed of a possible return date. Just as a matter of courtesy.

The head teacher’s private information is not any of your business. You are not entitled to know the reason. I’m sure you can think of many reasons why someone would take an extended absence, you’re not that daft.
school is not obliged to tell you and cover is in place.

They know that the Deputy is in charge, what else do they need to know?

Have you checked the minutes of governors' meetings, OP?

Any minutes that are personal will likely be redacted.

Or part 2, so not available publicly

Why would it be helpful and courteous? The headteacher’s presence or absence surely doesn’t have that much of an impact on the day to day lives of the OP’s child/ren? Also, given the type of reasons ppl have extended leave of absence, it’s often not possible to know a return date (bereavement, cancer, mental ill health etc). The deputy is acting head. Why do parents need to know more?

What do you want from them 'My Dad's almost dead but not quite yet, I'll have a chat with the doctors to see if he can hurry up so I can be back on Monday'?

Yup.

I had a parent demanding that my HT explain why the Principal Teacher of English wasn't available to hear his complaint. I was at my mother's funeral.

No, the HT did not inform the parent of that fact: it was none of the parent's business.

Illness
Family illness
Accusation
Disciplinary
They're the most likely reasons but just like you wouldn't want your personal business spread around , neither do they. They are entitled to privacy
You have someone in charge that's all you need to know

We had a similar situation recently. It turns out our Head mistresses teen daughter had attempted suicide and was seriously unwell in hospital. Do you think we should have been told the details? Do you think she should have let us know her return date in advance ‘as a courtesy’?

When I was a headteacher I was unexpectedly diagnosed with cancer. I didn’t want to share my diagnosis as I was terrified and traumatised. Unfortunately I felt forced to tell everyone about my illness due to the horrible gossip about me.

I hope you are well now?

Before I was a HT, my HT had to confess to her family and the school staff, that she had breast cancer all because OFSTED refused to defer the inspection whilst she attended days of radiotherapy.

She felt that missing the inspection without good reason would be letting staff down and would lose the confidence of her staff, so had no choice but to tell us.

She had also chosen to shelter her teenage children from her diagnosis, but due to staff knowing, was unable to continue with this choice too.

If your parent is in a care home, or you have a company that you frequently contact as part of your work and the manager in either of those organisations 'disappeared' would you feel entitled to know the reasons why? Or would you be satisfied to learn that someone else was picking up the slack in their absence?

I'm not a teacher, but I've worked in and around schools for many years and the entitlement that parents feel over the lives of the teachers never fails to astound me. Your only concern is that, in the headteacher's absence, her work is being handled elsewhere. End of story. It is entirely unreasonable for any parent to expect the lowdown on what's going on in teachers' private lives. They're human and absolutely entitled to their privacy and dignity. If or when there is a legitimate need for parents to know what's happened to the headteacher then I'm sure the MAT/LA will make the appropriate arrangements.

Please, remember that teachers are humans too.

Everyone knows ‘teachers are human too’ but I think when a teacher is absent for a long time, parents should be reassured about what the plan is whilst they’re away.

And sometimes that doesn’t happen!

parents should be reassured about what the plan is whilst they’re away.

But that doesn't mean parents should know the reason why they are away.

Yes, but that doesn't mean knowing WHY the HT is absent. That is no one's concern unless it's in the public interest or a matter of safety.

The Deputy Head is in charge, that's what the plan is. It's exactly what the role of DHT is for.

Yes, of course.

In my area, some heads are absent some of the time because they are actually covering headships in other areas as well as their own school. Deputies often teach their own classes so can’t be expected to absorb everything that a head does.

So what?
Still not your business..

I’ve just remembered another one locally.

HT went MIA for months - rumours about affairs etc which he had form for.

However one of my school colleagues bagged a role at County Hall as PA for VERY VIP- turned out HT didn’t hold correct qualifications to be a HT. He was suspended but they had a duty of care so it was officially mental health.

And another.

HT off for months - turned out her grown up estranged daughter accused her of historic abuse/assault so she was ‘mutually’ suspended which the police investigated.

But they didn’t investigate very quickly and she was off over 2 years full pay.
Investigation went nowhere, she came back for 4 months and went off again with stress. Then resigned.