Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to make a fuss about job-sharing reception teachers?

193 replies

EmmalinaC · 05/07/2010 16:18

DD1 starts school in September. Last week we attended the new parents evening and discovered that she will have two part-time teachers: Mrs X works Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Mrs Y works Thursday & Friday.

Many of the parents expressed concern about this and were told that both teachers were working mums and it suited them better to work part-time. They didn't really offer any justifications that were to the children's advantage (apart from 'it's better to have two teachers in case you don't get on with one' )

I don't want to start off on the wrong foot with the school by making a fuss about this but I can't help feeling that it is totally inappropriate for a reception class.

So AIBU to complain the school? To the Head? Or to the Governors?

OP posts:
Original poster
EmmalinaC · 06/07/2010 15:05

I have ShadeofViolet

Read the thread...

OP posts:
Original poster
EmmalinaC · 06/07/2010 15:11

MilaMae thanks for your comments - they're very similiar to the views expressed on another thread, which is what gave me cause for concern.

For my own part, I'm going to give it a chance.

OP posts:
Colliecross · 06/07/2010 15:27

My son had 2 job-sharing teachers and he hated the idea and so did I, but actually it worked very well and he was very sorry to move up at the end of the year.

LolaKnickers · 06/07/2010 15:32

YANBU. Think it's OK for slightly older children but agree with your concerns about reception class. And I work part time, so I know all about that. Couldn't the school have put the job sharers in charge of a different class?

Littlefish · 06/07/2010 15:41

Perhaps these teachers are the most qualified to teach Reception Lola.

Would you rather have two experienced Early Years teachers job sharing in Reception, or a full time teacher moved in from another yeargroup, with no experience of Early Years? I know which I'd prefer.

Alternatively, is it ok to discriminate against part time workers, blocking their professional development by refusing to put them in certain yeargroups?

LolaKnickers · 06/07/2010 15:50

Erm, yes I think it is OK in such a situation. Job sharing is not a right and it depends on the needs of the post.

Jane054848 · 06/07/2010 16:03

YABU. It's a bit depressing that a mother of young children is complaining about jobsharing. No wonder we have problems convincing our sexist male bosses.

Flexible working is an important right for women to try to help us achieve something remotely resembling equality. If you complain it is very unfair to these women and supports the position of the many people and organisations who are against flexibility for working mothers.

So don't, please.

mumto2andnomore · 06/07/2010 16:11

As a job sharing Reception teacher im so glad most of you have positive experiences !I agree with the comments about the person at the end of the week being fresher, teaching 4 year olds can be exhausting.

loobylu3 · 06/07/2010 16:12

YABU!

I can't believe you are even considering complaining to the school/ head and governors before she has even started!

Why can't you try to see the positives of the situation and stop panicking! I also think it is a real shame that two women who are mothers as well as teachers can't receive more support from the mothers at the school!

Lonnie · 06/07/2010 16:21

I only just saw this thread however I sharred the same concerns when my dd1 starts school with part time teachers but actually it did work very well... when she went into year 2 it happened again and that did NOT go well.

However I have now got 1 in year 7 1 in year 5 1 in year 3 and 1 in year 1 and 2 of them has jobshare teachers and it works very well so out of our experience of 4 it hs been great..

YANBU to be worried YABU to judge before you try it

Oblomov · 06/07/2010 16:22

Well I agree with OP. I think its inappropriate. For reception children ,only i mean. for your first yera, with your first ever teacher. its not right.
Ds1(6) had the loveliest teacher in reception last year. in the other reception class there were 2 teachers, both fab, but many parents didn't like it. and they were different so the children got confused, with their teaching styles. actually there were lots of reasons the parents didn't like it. I wouldn't have liked it.
Ds1 is in a split year now, in yeaR 1. once again both fab. but i'm not keen.
BUT, don't complain. becasue it will change nothing. the decision has already been made.

CaptainUnderpants · 06/07/2010 17:07

I think many of you are being unfair to the OP - yes flexible working is a right that should be given to Mothers but I think any parent has a right to consider the education/welfare of their child before considering the rights of women working fexible hours rights and supporting our 'sisters'.

The OP fears may be unfounded but our kids only have one crack at the school system and they come first beforing supporting fellow mothers who teach .

saintlydamemrsturnip · 06/07/2010 17:17

CaptainUnderpants - are you saying that we can take away the right for people to work part time if our individual child happens to be taught by a part timer? The world doesn't revolve around our individual children. How could it?

OP- my severely autistic son - who is far more likely to be affected by anything like this than his reception aged brother - has been in a class with a 50:50 job share this year (and will be next year) and it has worked very well. I'm sure it will be fine.

bartuki · 06/07/2010 17:27

This happens at my son's primary school. He was a very nervous starter but had no problems dealing with 2 teacher and loves them both. He knows which teacher works on which day and just accepts it as normality. There are teaching assistants that work across both teachers and it all work out very well. I was worried about it too but have absolutely no complaints, in fact I like to hear feedback from 2 different teachers and welcome the variety of approaches 2 teachers offer.

I also wholly support schools allowing excellent teachers to work flexibly.

MilaMae · 06/07/2010 18:20

Mothers are perfectly able to go back part time but the rights of children to have a good education have to come first.
Primary teachers are supposed to teach across the age range there are 7 year groups so a part time teacher is perfectly capable of returning part time just in a year group more suitable.

No teacher has a right or is better qualified to stick with 1 year group. Decent heads continuously move teachers around.If a teacher is only best capable of teaching reception they shouldn't be in the job.

Aside from my own experience of teaching in a jobshare I've taught alongside many a job share and I can think of only one I would have been happy with my dc being in.

I also have the experience of one my children being taught in a job share and it wasn't good. So all told I think I'm probably well qualified to comment Littlefish.

CaptainUnderpants · 06/07/2010 18:20

saintlydamemrsturnip - what I am saying is that if a job share teacher , whether male or female isn't working out (and this does happen)we as parents should put the education of our children above that of the rights of the job share.

Can any of you honestly say that if you were that position you would stop and think ' oh I'd better not rock the boat , they have a right to job share , it really doesn;t matter about how my child is learning '.

Be honest with yourselves . My children come first above anybody's rights .

Pekkala · 06/07/2010 18:41

MilaMae, I'm a job sharing reception teacher. I am an early years specialist (trained as an Early Years Professional(0-5 years) and as an early years teacher (3-7)). I COULD teach in other year groups than reception, but it where my heart and best skills lie (I agree with the EYFS ethos far more than the KS1 curriculum). I disagree with your statement "decent heads continuously move teachers around" - mine doesn't as she knows that the best use of my skills and knowledge is in the year group I suit best. The children in my class are happy, their parents are happy, I'm happy (which, working the hours I do is very important) - what's wrong with that?

woahwoah · 06/07/2010 19:31

I was about to say almost exactly what Pekkala said - Early Years is different to other teaching.

MilaMae · 06/07/2010 19:42

I think teachers can get very staid if continuously teaching the same year group. When you change year group it makes you think of things in a fresh way,you're out of your comfort zone so to speak not continuously plodding on doing the same old thing which you so often see with teachers entrenched in the same year group for years.

I also think all teachers should have a turn at rec so they can see where kids come from and actually experience the teaching of early reading and writing.I think it does early years teachers good too to experience older groups so they can see where they're heading.

I'm sure you,your children and their parents are happy but that doesn't necessarily mean it's the best overall for a school to have teachers continuously teaching the same old year group especially if it means 4 year olds are lumbered with a job share because a teacher feels only feels comfortable in rec.

Sorry if a teacher doesn't feel comfortable teaching different age groups for the good of the whole school they shouldn't be in the job. I'd be concerned as a parent if a teacher was on a pay roll with skills only suitable for reception. If you stick with the same year group because you like it you'll never gain experience at other groups so will become less and less confident at moving as the years go by thus not enabling the head to make best use of his staff in order to benefit the children who after all should be coming first.

clam · 06/07/2010 19:44

"Primary teachers are supposed to teach across the age range"
Are they? Who says?
I work in a primary school, but trained for 8-12 year olds. Wouldn't be in any child's body's interests to move me anywhere near KS1. Love them dearly, but it's just not my scene and I bow down in reverence to all Early Years teachers.

MilaMae · 06/07/2010 19:52

I'm sure you move around KS2(4 years to choose from),perfectly possible to move round KS1 and rec(3 year groups to choose from) comfortably.

clam · 06/07/2010 19:59

Yes, I can and I do, but that's not what you said.

clam · 06/07/2010 20:03

Also, I'm not sure why Reception has been singled out as being inappropriate for job-shares.
Don't know how it's organised in other schools but in our Nursery, for example, the children are split into 3 groups and rotated on a termly basis between 3 adults (one teacher and two nursery nurses/TAs). They will be tended to by any one of those adults (not to mention various visitors/helpers) at any time as they're playing. Don't reckon they're confused.

Acanthus · 06/07/2010 20:10

Reception children don't know what to expect - so they won't think it's weird to have two teachers.

MilaMae · 06/07/2010 20:17

They're not being taught to read and write at nursery.

They're not having to cope with half that they have to cope with in a rec class,as you say they're playing.

Also not actually sure it's been proved that a steady stream of carers in a nursery setting for the under 5s is something we should all be aspiring to be frank .Sounds like a total nightmare.