do i have a bad reputation at school or something?

[cryingfoul]

I'm not really sure how to describe this as i don't know what happened myself! I was talking with some other mums from my Dc's primary school last week and I said that I thought schools should tell parents a bit about the teachers e.g. how many years teaching experience they have, what specialisms etc. The five other Mums took me up wrong.. thought I was talking about our school and got a bit heated, saying that I needed to trust the head and similar things. I tried to explain, then got fed up and left and put it out of my mind.
Then three days later the head asks to see me in private. I follow her to her room with no idea what she wants to talk about, and guess what it was? One of the mum's had spoken of her concerns and the head wnated to tell me that the teachers won't accept it and it is the school governors business anyway! She backed down a bit when I repeated exactly what I'd said and a bit more when I said I had a right to hold a private opinion. But this is weird isn't it? For that mum (whoever she is) to run to the head and for the head to request a mettign with me citing the data protction act! Or am I being unreasonable?

would you believe it.. my Dc's primary is one of the two schools that have to wear "real" ties! I felt sorry for DS1 (age 7) yesterday as he did up his top button and put on his tie and then went out to play in 25c at break time!

I really don't have several axes to grind... for me school is 0.5% of my daily awareness 9except today when I am writing on here). I only thought of the school uniform and name thing a few mins ago.

The only time I ever really cared was three months ago when something was really wrong and I had to ask the head to deal with it. It was something that she should not have let happen in the first place, although I did not say that to her. The HT handled it badly.. she said that she would arrange a meeting and then she didn't but wrote later to say case closed. I feel I found out that she is not quite as wonderful as people say she is, and she's been cool with me since then. That's why she's defensive ... not because she has reason to suspect that I am a would-be subversive or something stupid like that!

sapell3 - your don't have to have a teaching degree/qualiication to teach in ANY school regardless of sector. However the vast majority of schools in both sectors do use qualified teachers.

As for secondary not in primary, hmmm.

I work as a TA in an infant class. I often take the class by myself. I am secondary trained. I am qualified to teach primary and have considered it and may well do so eventually. However in order to actually get a job in a primary school I need way more than my teaching degree. I need experience - no head would take you on with no primary experience.

So IMO the qualification doesn't really matter.

your don't have to have a teaching degree/qualiication to teach in ANY school regardless of sector"

That's interesting Hulababy, I didn't know that. How long has that been the case?

Always has been.

As I said, most teachers employed in schools are qualified. And I have never known unqualified teachers to be ued in subjects such as maths and english. However is subjects with specialist skills such as music, art, sport, etc then it is not uncommon for non qualified teachers to be used.

At my school both the fantastic Year 3 teachers left last year - one, who had been there over 20 years retired, the other who had been there 4 years went on maternity leave.

They were replaced by two NQTs, with the non-teaching deputy head to cover their PPA & NQT time & to generally mentor them.

Many parents were horrified, some even complaining that their children were being used as 'guinea pigs' - but nearly a year later they can't praise the Year 3 team enough - they are both wonderful teachers.

Thing is, the head knew how good they were, as they had both done their teaching practice at the school. What's more, she had told the parents this in a newsletter, together with a brief introduction from both of the new teachers, but it still didn't stop the playground gossips jumping to conclusions.

So you're a parent having a private conversation and the headteacher can call you into the office for a bollocking. What is that all about?! Weird is not the word. Free country, free speech.

On the teacher qualifications and experience I think at primary level natural talent for teaching and engaging children are more important than specialist subjects or years of experience. So I dont think this information would be of any real help to a parent, especially as you often don't get to chose which school your kids go to anyway. At the end of the day they have to qualify as a teacher in the first place and have a degree in some subject.

If it was a GCSE or A level teacher teaching German with no qualification in that subject themselves I would worry. But what school would employ such a teacher? They all want good results at the end of the day.

Hulababy, you do have to have QTS to teach in a state school. However, you may carry out specified work under the direction of a teacher without QTS (HLTAs, etc). Presumably, your QTS permits you to teach in a primary school, secondary or not.

From Teachernet:

you don't Feenie - you do to be a teacher - but you can be an instructor (ie teacher by another name) without one. Many state schools do only employ qualified teachers to teach ( as do all the independents i know of), but by by no means all state schools - i know of several state secondaries where they employ instructors.
Cover supervisors (mentioned above) are only leagally allowed to take any single class for three days in a row before the school should use supply. Doesn't stop schools bending the rules to breaking by eg allowing cover supervisor to teach bottom set year 7 3 days a week, every week for a whole term!
My secondary QTS allows me to teach primary, most primary teachers aren't qualified to teach secondary as far as we were told (prepared to be corrected on this)

"Headteachers also can appoint other teachers without QTS to carry out specified work but only under the direction and supervision of a nominated qualified teacher."

So yes, specified work - eg music/language classes - but not a primary class teacher.

I'll correct you Loshad, very nicely though! . QTS allows you to teach right through from nursery to Y13. Obviously they might have trouble being employed, but there is no legal bar.

If the curriculum and activities are specified a non-trained teacher could deliver it. The wording is scarily vague when you look at it.

I don't think the issue here is whether or not cryingfoul is correct in her opinion or not but more does the head teacher have the right to police that opinion. No crime was committed. What has the country come to, do we have to keep our mouths shut in the playground for fear of being dragged before the head. That head is just weird.