to be crying my eyes out in front of my children

[TheFatOwlOfTheRemove]

I just found out today that I will have to look for a new job from September

This is the only job I have ever had which meant anything (everything, in fact) to me and I have worked my arse off, started as a volunteer sweeping floors etc and worked my way up to doing inclusion work 1-2-1 with children with SN

I have put far more into the job than is actually required and everyone has always said how well I do it and how dedicated I am

there were two of us doing the same job with different children and we had both been wondering what would happen when the children we work with move on to school

today I asked the other worker what her plans were and she smiled and said "Oh I'm OK, they've asked me to work with X" - X is the remaining child with needs for a 1-2-1 worker in the nusery after September

nobody was going to bother to tell me

I have done far more work with this child than she has, and I have put so much more into the job. I don't mean to be bitchy but it's just true - I have put more into it. I liaise with prtage and Ed Psych, I have attended meetings out of centre for transitions and assessments, I keep a detailed diary of the child's progress and language development etc, I take photos, I write up observations and give them to the child's key teacher

the other worker does NONE of these things

but her dh is the centre's handyman and they have all known each other for years

I feel heartbroken, hurt and frankly just can't stop crying

the children haven't noticed luckily, but if they do I won't be able to just say I'm fine, because I'm not

and dh is out all evening

"I don't want to take them on legally, I want them to WANT me there"

Forgive me, but you still don't know how this happened, nor who was involved. If it has not been announced openly, that could be because the head (or whoever) decided that fait accompli was the way to play this, so that your cheerleaders in the school wouldn't have a chance to influence the decision. If this is the case, you have one person, possibly some others, against you, but not necessarily everyone.

You may well have been so wrapped up in doing your job well that you didn't have time to play politics. Sadly, in some cases, it is our responsibility to know what is going on, politically, within an organisation, in order to be protect the work that we do, and our ability to do this. In the best organisations, it is a line manager who shields his/her people from the upper management's interference and unfairness, who fights for their pay rises and who creates the conditions to work well. I once saw the transition from such a manager to an appallingly weak one, and it was really Something to see.

However, there must be someone in the organisation, with who you've worked well, who would be able to help you with appealing this decision, which seems to have ben made and executed so unprofessionally that it has got to be hard to defend. Do you really want them to get away with this?

Greeny - this sounds really trite, but the positives are that you have one hell of a lot of experience now. Really, really valuable experience which schools are looking for - you can't get LSAs/TAs who know what they're doing very easily. Or you could move sideways now you're familiar with the world of SEN - look at your Council's Childrens Services website, the jobs section.

And you're putting 2+2 and coming up with 657 re the MNHQ email - you must know how valued and appreciated you are here.

And rant at your Chair. She/he needs to know what has happened. I am a Chair - I'd be appalled if I knew this was happening with our staff.

it isn't trite hassled, it's incredibly helpful and very kind

am drunk tired and emotional now, and know I am probably making a huge fuss when people have MUCH worse problems, but when I got home today I felt as though my insides had been scraped out with an ice cream scoop

just wanted to say a very genuine thanks to all who have posted kind and supportive things to me, it REALLY helps xx

They have treated you appallingly and illeagally.

YOu have so much to offer, you are good at your job so take a deep breath and go out there and look for a new job where they will appreciate it you and it won't be positions based on who you know rather than what you know.

thanks cargirl

I don't want a new job though

Hassled, could you explain the chains of command, so that OP (too confusing with dual identity!) can see how such a decision could have been made without meaning the whole school is against her? If she can see that it's not everyone, she may feel more confident about appealing?

OP, think about pushing this, for the children's and school's sake, too. I can't imagine how it could be a good thing for them to let you get away.

Fatowl Dh school has just been told monthly timesheets are illegal for long periods of work and they have put everyone onto temporary contracts (with holiday back pay). Look into it.

In a few days you need to scrape it all back together and start again. Because hiding behind the curtains is not going to benefit children who really need it like you have for the past 3 years.

You CAN find another job or start as a volunteer as you did before. Only this time you can offer more than sweeping floors right from the off.

With respect to your current place, just keep your dignity and your head held high. Do make sure you gather up records of what you've achieved and copies of any resources that you've created - anything that would be useful. In a dignified way .

In your position, I would imagine feeling so hurt and betrayed by them that working for them would be awkward in future even if it was offered. So, time to move on. But don't give up - remember it's about those children as much as it's about you.

You've had bad luck here as this is evidently one of those workplaces where who you know ultimately counts most. But not everywhere is like this, and now you have the chance to go for the same kind of job in a place where you will be appreciated, and will be able to work with kids from the off because now you have the experience. You could be looking back in a year's time and saying, 'Well, they were gits to me about it at the time but actually it was the best thing that could have happened'.

I would definitely ask more questions. Wait till you are a bit calmer and less likely to cry, and write down exactly what you want to ask, then go and see the head. I would be asking:
first off, is it true and definite they are letting you go?
When was the decision made, on what basis, and who was involved?
can you get a reference from them straight away acknowledging the progress you've made and what you've achieved?
Definitely check your legal rights too as someone who has been there that length of time. Forgot whether you said you are in a union but Citizen's Advice might be able to help, or the legal threads here?

Don't give up looking for a better job of this kind though. It sounds ideal for you and you are making a difference to kids. Don't let these gits put you off that. (Git is going to be my word of the day, I can see.)