AIBU to think this is a lot of staff to be leaving?

[RabidAnchovy]

Got the parent briefing from the DCS school (DS1 going back for 6th form and DS2 going back to year 8) there are 19 teachers that have left at the end of this term, yes 19.

It is a C of E high school just been granted academy status (that's a whole other thread) with 1000 students.

I think 19 is a lot of staff to go and it seems that at the end of each term staff leave, not one or two but in droves. Its ofsted is GOOD but I am starting to worry about staff turn over, the head has an open door meeting each month, would it be unreasonable to go to the September meeting and voice my concerns? All the head ever goes on about is the importance of the right uniform I would be more worried about the teaching staff then if a chail has the right socks on

19 out of how many? Although 19 does seem an awful lot!

Someoneelseaskeda similar question a fewdays ago.I would say the sameto you as I did tothem. 19 does seem a lot. I think it reflects a bunch of unhappy staff. Usually when you get a great number leave like that it suggests low morale as a result of something. Changes being brought in that they do not want or like?

Alternatively are they being made redundant? Are these staff being replaced? I think it could be worth raising politely. You might want to know what changes so you can decide how far they may affect your DC's.

Well, I think the HT is hardly likely to raise staffing concerns in a newsletter to parents. That said, 19 does sound a lot but key to this is how large is the staffing body, and the nature of the contracts these 19 staff were employed on. If they were on fixed term contracts then you'd expect them to leave.

I wouldn't be surprised if the management team decided to recruit temporary teachers during the transition to academy status and will now recruit permanent staff on different terms and conditions. Worth asking the question. Maybe the HT is managing performance and these staff don't like it, or perhaps he is just a git. I wonder how much of a truthful answer you are likely to get, as the HT probably won't be able to say much to you. Expect a very vague answer if you ask in a public meeting!

You need more information. As others have said, 19 out of how many? Were some of them covering maternity leave, in which case you'd expect them to go as the permanent staff come back? Were some of them part-time, in which case it's less than 19 full-time equivalent staff members?

It would also be helpful to know why they're going. Staff who hand in their notice with no job to go to - bad sign. Staff going on maternity leave, reaching retirement age, taking medical retirement, moving on to promotion posts, re-locating to another area because of partner's job, leaving to train as educational psychologists or similar - not a bad sign, might just reflect the age profile of the staff.

You'd also want to know if all the vacancies have been filled for September and how good are the new staff, but good luck getting any of this info out of the head!

We had 11 leave this summer, all except one retiring, to other schools. We have 70ish teachers.
Last summer, one person went, as there were no jobs anywhere. This year was slightly better in terms of job opportunities and promotions.

You need more information. Yes it could be there's a major reason or it could be one of those weird years. How many left last year?

I was a governor at a school that over a two period lost all it's staff because of a dominating HT. Replacement staff were excellent & after that 36 month period things began to stabilise because we ensured we employed a deputy head who had better interpersonal skills in comparison to the HT. The pupils didn't suffer & I doubt any parents know the full extent of what went on.