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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Teacher says to class "you can watch this dvd whilst i prepare some work for the Ofsted review" reported her to head - agree?

116 replies

SexyDomesticatedDad · 13/11/2008 17:09

Title probably says it all - just back from holidays and the secondary school is told it has an Ofsted inspection later that week. DS 2 comes home and reports they were allowed to watch Simpsons DVD during a lesson for above reason. Apparently teacher is quite newly qualified but thats no excuse right?

OP posts:
tatt · 13/11/2008 19:18

No - don't agree. Should go direct to the teacher if you're unhappy unless there is a very good reason not to. Then it would be subject head or head of year. Going to the head should be for more general issues or when you've exhausted other routes.

independiente · 13/11/2008 19:50

OP, you are an adult, are you not? This teacher is also an adult. Therefore, you should have approached this situation in an adult manner, and spoken to the teacher directly. Not only were you being unreasonable to report directly to head, but your approach was immature as well.

wonderwoman73 · 13/11/2008 19:52

Sorry but you are totally unf*ing reasonable! Do you have any idea how stressful an Ofsted experience is for an NQT? It's no suprise teachers are leaving the profession in droves when they have to tolerate this kind of bullying aggressive behaviour from parents when trying to do what is aready a stressful job.

wotulookinat · 13/11/2008 19:53

YABU. Being a teacher is bloody hard work, especially if you are new to it. Maybe she shouldn't have been honest and said they would do some media work on it later in the term or something!!! Or maybe she is extremely worried about the inspection, has to pass it with flying colours, has a bitch of a head of department on her back about it and has been up until 1am the night before getting things ready.

morningpaper · 13/11/2008 19:54

I don't think YABU

I doubt a teacher could get much done in 20 minutes in a class of 30 kids watching the Simpsons

I would be annoyed too

blametheparents · 13/11/2008 19:55

If there is an upcoming Ofste anf the teacher was preparing i can't believe that even the Headteacher would be interested!

Yurtgirl · 13/11/2008 19:56

I think I would have complained to the teacher first off

Why didnt she get them watching an educational dvd - plenty available imo

asdmumandteacher · 13/11/2008 19:57

In a particularly bad comp that i taught at (many many moons ago) i used to put Grease on nearly every other week....

It was either that or get the s@#t kicked out of me

wotulookinat · 13/11/2008 19:59

Blametheparents has a good point - all the head will care about is passing the inspection.

asdmumandteacher · 13/11/2008 20:01

I agree too - the Head won't really care - more than enough on their plate to deal with

independiente · 13/11/2008 20:03

If your DW made a mistake at work, and as a result raised the ire of a parent of one of her students, how would she feel about said parent going directly to the head, without talking to her first?

seeker · 13/11/2008 20:06

Am I the only one who thinks it's so unlikely that a teacher, however new, would actually say this to a class that I wonder whether the OP's ds did a bit of interpreting? Or am I too cynical and suspicious for words?

luckylady74 · 13/11/2008 20:12

I think it's very unreasonable of you to not approach the teacher directly.
I would like to see you suffer an ofsted in your first ever term of a job and not get a little ratty and stressed. I find it hilarious that you're offended on your child's behalf because the teacher hasn't got 20 minutes for them once.How many nights and weekends will they spend wading through their coursework in the years to come?
If this teacher or indeed the school failed the ofsted then that would have a little more impact on your child's education.

Hulababy · 13/11/2008 20:17

YABU.

You should approach the teacher first if you have an issue with it, not the head.

Not keen on the idea of The Simpsons personally - what age?

Is it a one off or a frequent event? If one off I reall would let it go.

May schools use DVDs for one off occasions IME.

PuppyMonkey · 13/11/2008 20:18

I did a dissertation on TV comedies for my degree... I got a 2:1.

BoffinMum · 13/11/2008 20:19

I think the teacher was a smidgin daft and could have been a bit cleverer in the way she did this. There's lots of stuff out there that makes life easier for teachers and which is easier to justify than the Simpsons. If I was her Head of Department I would want to know, and I would have a quiet word with her about it. She is new to the game, after all.

thean · 13/11/2008 20:34

It may well have been the teachers own PPA time that couldn't be covered by another member of staff as sometimes does happen. If it was close to Ofted time the teacher wouls have to ensure that all the planning was up to date. If she was an NQT, she was prob under much more stress having not gone through this experience before

FairyMum · 13/11/2008 20:37

YABU if a one-off. YANBU if happens on a regular basis. Cannot belive you went to the head after one episode of the Simpsons

BoffinMum · 13/11/2008 20:50

Going to the HT is a bit like going to your parents to tell on a sibling, surely?

PictureThis · 13/11/2008 20:53

We used to watch Raiders of the Lost Ark in our RE lessons. . I think you may have been a bit quick off the mark reporting it to the Head.

pudding25 · 13/11/2008 22:20

YABVVU. I cannot believe you went straight to the head. I also cannot believe that your DW, as a teacher, encouraged you to do so. being an NQT is hard enough, never mind having Ofsted turn up in your first term.

I find your post in both meanings of the word.

pudding25 · 13/11/2008 22:20

YABVVU. I cannot believe you went straight to the head. I also cannot believe that your DW, as a teacher, encouraged you to do so. being an NQT is hard enough, never mind having Ofsted turn up in your first term.

I find your post in both meanings of the word.

Heated · 13/11/2008 22:28

Ah, so you're one of those parents.

roisin · 13/11/2008 22:48

How old is your dd sexydomesticateddad? You do realise you'll be the talk of the staffroom the next day, and every time you have a parents' evening they will think of this event, and some of them will also think of it when they see your dd in class.

I work by a principle that I always complain first to the cause of my grievance and give them a chance to respond. If it's a repeat offence, that would be different. But for a first complaint it's a bit over the top.

Sleepdeprived72 · 13/11/2008 22:48

Having read all the above I am amazed by how little the majority appears to expect from schools in terms of standards. If this was any job in the private sector or any other profession and there was a clear expectation of a service i.e. educating your child and that service was so clearly not delivered (albeit only for a brief period) you would consider you have every right to complain. How is this teacher ever going to realise that this is not acceptable unless someone makes an issue of it? as for the "in my day" anecdotes I don't consider that this makes the scenario any more acceptable.