to take my complaint to the headmaster? Genuine opinions wanted

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DD is in year 2. Her "PPA" teacher who she has once a week as cover for her normal form tutor was reading to the children from the minipins book. When they left for the day, she picked out 12 children in the class who were "slim" "beautiful" "lovely and "skinny" and said they cold get their coats on first and said "the other 15 of you are too fat and big you'll have to go second, you're not as lovely and sknny as the others.

In what planet is it ok to classify children according to their weight?????

I should clarify here, that DD, despite being in the second group, is actually officially underweight at the doctors, as she is quite tall for her age - but she was in the fat group! That however is irrelevant, my argument is that children should never be criticised for baing fat by a teacher, or made to feel like the less good group simply by weight, which at age of 6 is nothing to do with them anyway.

I went back in to school immediately after my daughter told me this and spoke to this temp teacher. She said it was due to the book and the story of the book, but said anyone who would get upset about it was stilly, then she said to me DD, "don't be upset by this, a lot of other children in the class are much fatter and uglier than you are but don't tell them that".

On the grounds that she:-

1. classified children by weight and made the skinny group the good children and the fat group the bad group
2. Used the word fat in a deroggatory manner
3. Failed to accept that this was a problem when questioned and
4. Further repeated to DD in front of me that other children were fat and ugly

I think I should take the following points to the headmaster.

What are people's thoughts of this? I know the teacher has been complained about before for mnay different reasons and that is why she, close to retirement, is on PPA cover rather than having her own class.

The teacher's barking and should NOT be allowed within 100 yards of children with poisonous attitudes like that. It's not just the second group who may be the target of teasing - some kids may resent those in the first, so-called skinny group.

Can't believe she carried on when you challenged her. Appalling.

This is utterly awful. WHile it just might, might have been acceptable with a class of older children who were studying psychology and anthropology and just about to start on Stanley Milgram, to do this to primary school children is so outrageous she should be sacked on the spot.
THe only tiny bit of caution I would advise is to find out exactly what happened as much as possible in that kids of 6 can sometimes exaggerate and misinterpret.

What was the book? Because if discriminating between fat and thin people was the moral of the story it is even more alarming ...

Do you think there is any chance at all that she was trying to get them to think about something in The Minipins to do with body image etc?
I read your OP and thought it was wildly implausible on face value, but then I wondered if this was something along the lines of a "stunt that went badly wrong".
A while back IIRC a teacher similarly misjudged the situation with a group of older children and frightened them all to bits by telling them some apocalyptic piece of news.
Then he said, "only joking, now write describing how you felt just then".
Loads of the families complained. I wish I could remember the details better.
But I think this was Yr 6, not infants.
Can't help LOLing that Fattipuffs has posted on here, sorry . I remember that book well. Are you sure it wasn't Fattipuffs and Thinnifers namechange?
I think you do need to talk to the school about this, if only to get the exact version of events. It doesn't sound good.

I totally agree with everyone, especially StewieGriffinsMom who recommends including the school governors and the LEA in your complaint. My DD is year 2 and I would be livid if this had happened to her. I wouldn't be happy about that teacher teaching her again that's for sure!

Is it The Minipins by Roald Dahl?

Dd had a supply teacher who was not asked back because she called one of the children 'stupid'

Of course this teacher is acting totally inappropriately. Tbh I find it odd that you even need to ask for opinions

My concern was that DD's class tutor was in the room on his computer and didn't get involved in the conversation at all, either to back her up or back me up. All very strange.

For me, I was very measured in addressing the situation with her, asking for her opinion rather than pointing the finger (I have a tendency to cry when angry - but I didn't at all).

I will go and see the headmaster tomorrow

YANBU at all!
Outrageous behaviour.
No amount of justifying it can make it better.
Can only guess she is a young, v inexperienced 'teacher' with no children of her own?
Yes, complain, and get all your parent friends to complain too. And take it to the governers. And the LEA.
I would be hopping MAD.

The class tutor's attitude is very odd.
Good luck with sorting it out with the head.
The woman sounds unsuitable to work with children, tbh.
I hope your dd can put the incident behind her.

Coud it have been one of these" tomorrow we will discuss how everybody felt at that comment?" or is she just an idiot?

Either way, a trip to the head teacher is IMO the only choice, even if just to have the pedagogic way of this teacher explained. Please let us know how it went.

That is absolutely shocking!! I would definitely be complaining (and I am one of the most oh-I-don't-like-to-complain type people I know ) What a silly silly woman the teacher is.

Is this an independent or state school?

speaking as a teacher myself i think this is appalling! I'd put your complaint in writing to the head and board of governors! PPA time shouldn't be covered by anyone unless they are professional enough to do the job and those comments are not professional, they are insulting, devisive and totally odd!

OMG, am audibly gasping whilst reading this.

As a mum of a child (DS2) on the more 'cuddly' end of the spectrum, who is quite sensitive about it, I would be incandescent if this was one of his teachers. Same if it was DS1 actually who was classed as underweight when they did BMI in science recently.

IF this is true and exactly as related, I would wipe the floor with them. Can't think of any justification whatsoever for this type of talk from a teacher, and would be very surprised if the Head etc. could justify/support it either. Wonder how said teacher would react if a parent reported a bullying incident between children talking like that??

I'n not guessing she's a young, inexperienced teacher - I'm guessing she's a mad old bag whom they wheel out when short staffed

Good God - on no planet is this acceptable. If she can't see the problem then you should take it up with the head.

yep, OP said 'close to retirement'. Tis a loooooooooooooooooong time since she did her training then.

! Beyond belief! but there also has been other issues in the UK with some school teachers sending letters home to parents telling them they think their child is fat or overweight. Partly a stupid attempt to tackle Government targets to get British kids healthier, fitter and 'slimmer'?

Does your childs school have a parents group on website ? but defo see the headmaster and also your childs class need to be included in some kind of discussion on positive body image and healthy lifestyle to counter-act what the temp teacher did.

JZ7

Speaking as someone who did PPA cover last year, it is a totally inappropriate comment-there is no excuse for it.

she is as mad as a box of frogs, a complete fruitloop. I'd say letter to school, the governers and the LEA.

Could it be something like that

racism experiment?

Yes, she is close to retirement.

My reasons for asking for opinions, are that I spoke to one of the other mothers straight after it happened, who has children further up the school, who said "it's not ok, but this stuff happens, you could go to headmaster but from my experience he listens to the complaint and then sits on it, as he thinks teachers are responsible for themselves".

So I wanted to guage the strength of others opinions to see if I was over-reacting.

Am gutted you are not a troll. Take it to the headteacher and ask that your complaint be addressed by a governor if he seems to be dismissive.

JZ7 - good idea to request the class has some education of positive body image to counteract any potential negativity to the "fat group" I will suggest something positive is done.

Another frustrating thing is that have personally arranged a visit to the school on 2 occasions of a group of sportsmen to talk to the children about exercise, healthy eating and positive attitudes, team-work etc. It is frustrating when positive efforts like this are counter-acted by negative offensive teachers.