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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think that 121 tuition in school time is a bit off?

124 replies

porkypoo · 01/04/2010 13:43

A teacher at our school is giving one to one tuition to a teaching assistants child, during lunch break and after school. I paid for my daughter to have private tuition and feel this is really off. Should it not have to be offered to all children?

OP posts:
cat64 · 01/04/2010 15:57

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

valleyqueen · 01/04/2010 16:24

My dd had tuition before school every Friday for 10 weeks, this was because she was struggling with maths. Luckily nobody saw fit to stick their oar in and it helped her a lot.

Yabu.

Original poster
porkypoo · 01/04/2010 16:30

Sorry if i am coming across as vindictive, but I should have pointed out there is history here also.

  1. Teacher is also class teacher to said child and my child, there is already prefential treatment given to TA's child, such as being allowed to stay in at lunch/break time. Being given extra special duties, which my DD wants to be part of.
  2. The teacher doesn't do this for any other children, at a school where we have above average SEN children.
  3. This seems to be more related to getting child into preferred secondary school, than educational needs.
  4. I am not the only parent who feels this way. Other parents (my friends!!) have mentioned it to me...not the other way around.

Maybe its not any of my business, but it comes across as favouritism, and is a little unproffesional surely it would be much better if these things were conduted outside of the school evironment. I appreciate your honesty...

OP posts:
RustyBear · 01/04/2010 16:32

I would guess it is part of the 121 initiative, as others have suggested - several of the teachers are involved in this at our school, though they mostly do it before or after school rather than at lunchtime - I think we have money for six children, though there are more who fit the criteria; they are children who are in danger of not making their expected progress, for various reasons, not necessarily to do with what would normally be termed SN.

valleyqueen · 01/04/2010 16:36

porkypoo could you mention to th teacher that you heard she was given extra lessons and see what she says. She may offer to tutor your child also.

brassband · 01/04/2010 17:12

I don't think a teacher should tutor a child for money who is in her school.I think this leads to a conflict of interests.

janeite · 01/04/2010 17:20

If it is for money, that is an issue. If not, it is really, really none of your business what the teacher chooses to do in his/her lunchtime.

The one to one initiative, as far as I've experienced it, generally involves mentors/contracted in teachers, rather than teachers who already teach in the school (who are likely to have a full timetable of whole class teaching so can't do one to one as well).

Laquitar · 01/04/2010 17:31

Can you do extra-private-work during lunch break?

clam · 01/04/2010 17:43

FGS, this is all complete supposition! You have no idea what the arrangement is here, and frankly it's none of your business anyway. If your own child needs extra tuition, then see the head about it and see if she qualifies for 1:1, although there are specific criteria that must be met. I daresay the Head or governors would be happy to explain that to you if you do choose to go along to complain.

RustyBear · 01/04/2010 17:46

brassband - why would there be a conflict of interest?

janeite - all the tutoring in our school is being done by our teachers, why shouldn't they? - after all, they know the children best and are better able to direct the tutoring to the areas that need support.

janeite · 01/04/2010 17:48

Rusty - because if the teachers are tutoring one to one, they are not teaching whole classes (so it's a v expensive way of doing it!). Or are they doing it before/after school or something?

RustyBear · 01/04/2010 17:49

They do it after school, and in one case before school.

janeite · 01/04/2010 17:52

That explains it. We have an extended school day (ie more hours of lessons than most schools) so we have to buy people in for one to one and pupils come out of lessons to do it.

Having said all of that though and back to the op - if, as a teacher, I was prepared to give my lunchtime (or after or before school) up to a pupil, it really wouldn't be anything to do with any other parent, so I still think that the original poster is over-reacting!

AxisofEvil · 01/04/2010 17:52

When I was applying to Oxbridge my teachers took time out of their lunch breaks, non teaching sessions, late afternoons to give me 1:1 coaching for free in their topics as I had to do entrance papers (showing my age there). How is this a bad thing?

Laquitar · 01/04/2010 17:59

Janeite, giving up your lunch break to do private work is your right, but can you use the work's premise and equipment for that? In most jobs this is not allowed.

Original poster
porkypoo · 01/04/2010 18:01

Thanks Valleyqueen I will ask.

Laquitar...my employer doesnt allow extra-private-paid work during lunch my lunch break, as it would involve using computers etc that do not belong to me. Different set up I suppose.

AxisofEvil...Was this available to all Oxbridge applicants?

OP posts:
janeite · 01/04/2010 18:02

I'm not talking about doing private work. I'm talking about supporting an individual child, who requires support, for the good of the child - not for financial gain.

londonmackem · 01/04/2010 18:05

I think it must be part of the 1 to 1 initiative and the teacher will be paid - by the government(through the school but not by them). It should be at lunchtime or after school as it not meant to be withdrawal - meant to build on work in class (which why teacher doing it would be ideal!). The reason teachers within school have to it is that is very difficult to find anyone else available for the limited money being offered!

JaneS · 01/04/2010 18:06

When I was at school one of the teachers taught the only student who wanted to do Greek GCSE in her lunchbreak, school thought it was a great idea. Porky, why'd you think the school governors would be against it?

Laquitar · 01/04/2010 18:07

Oh sorry Janeite, i though you meant paid work.

AxisofEvil · 01/04/2010 18:07

porkypoo - there was no formal scheme as it wasn't a big Oxbridge school at all (1 every other year on average), it was just the individual teachers each offered to help me.

No one else was doing the exams in the same subjects (and in fact no one from my school had ever sat the entrance papers in those subjects before) but I think the few others that applied may have had help from the relevant departments.

janeite · 01/04/2010 18:09

You are forgiven! Sorry if I sounded cross - horrified at the idea that anybody would think that of me!

bramblebooks · 01/04/2010 18:12

It certainly does sound like it might be the 121 tuition mentioned above, a government funded drive to help children who are not sen but at danger of underachieving to consolidate their learning. This is to be run during school time.

Equally it could be for whatever reason and as long as the Head has sanctioned it, it's the school's business only.

shockers · 01/04/2010 18:18

We have had to run the 121 scheme on saturdays at our school, and keep the names of the children involved as private as possible because of the trouble other parents have caused.
One of our TA's has got wind of a child's name and is livid that her DD is not involved instead. She thinks it is because it would be seen as preferential treatment.

RollOnTheHols · 01/04/2010 18:26

if it is the 1 to 1 scheme I would ask why your child or any other children havent been offered the same other wise it does look like prferential treatment.