Something EVERY parent of a child in a UK State school should know about

[QualifiedTeacher]

The UK Government has new proposals to allow non qualified teachers to teach in UK schools. This means our children?s education may be placed in the hands of teachers without basic qualifications such as English and Maths GSCE let alone a Bachelors degree. This policy will mainly be affecting children from the lower economic backgrounds and the reasoning behind employing unqualified teachers is simply because it costs less.

I have attached an epetition which gives more information and is asking for signatures to oppose the use of unqualified teachers in UK State schools. If the numbers signing this petition is large enough, we can get the debate discussed in the UK Parliament. Please help and protect the education of all UK children in State schools.

Thanks

I don't really much remember asking for your opinion. I'm sure my post responded to mrz. Such rude teachers we have nowadays.

The only staggering rudeness there is yours, MTPP. You can't have a private conversation on an open forum - and of course QT will respond, it's her thread!

MTPP I am not young, I remember the days when Des O'Connor was still white and Michael Jackson was still black.

I have done MA modules in education and deprivation, looking especially at the impact of race, gender, disability and class on education. What I have learnt is the more disadvantages you have, the more difficulties you have in getting a good education and therefore into employment, being out of poverty etc.

The Children's Commisioner, Maggie Atkinson report March 2012, They Never Give Up On You states if you are a black, african caribbean boy with SEN, and eligible for FSM you are 168 times more likley to be excluded from a state funded schools than a white girl without SEN from a m/c background.

morethan
I didn't get much help in my PGCE year either - I was mainly taken on by schools to be an extra bod!
My NQT year was crap too. I had no support whatsoever. I felt that I was doing catch-up for years.

However, in the last 16 years, things have improved 1000% (and more!) The mentoring, observations and reports are rigorous. All students and NQTs are closely monitored and helped, and, throughout their training and their induction year, they learn how to teach effectively.

Of course, the very clear standards were very helpful as an assessment tool for students. As these have now been replaced by wishy-washy garbage, things may go downhill.

Flexybex, my PgCE was only 2009 though. It was also accredited to a very good teaching Uni. The best in the NW, perhaps I was unlucky. What does concern me is my friend and others who had exactly the same experience as I did are teaching in Secondary schools now. They are doing well from all accounts and this is what makes me believe a PGCE/ PgCE isn't worth the paper its written on. How can it be when if you compare different experiences they aren't measurable by the same standards

Look at it this way. You have to cut your food shopping bill by 20%. If you shop in only one store and online etc, this may be easier for you, if not, and like me you go from shop to shop it will be harder.

If I decided to cut my shopping bill by 20% I would have to
omit free range eggs
omit organic milk, butter, cheese, fruit and veg
omit corn fed chicken
omit organic lamb
I cook a lot of Indian dishes which require butter so I will buy lard instead
I like making a Maderia cake every week, so I'll use margarine instead of butter

Slowly, I will begin to realise that things do not taste the same and the benefits of eating say organic fruit and veg impact on my health and welbeing.

Some people are already omitting these things and going for the 'basic' brands and their JSA, DLA and HB will be cut.

This is exactly the same scenario HTs have. How to get the same result with lesser or cheaper ingredients. Something has to give.

Last year I taught a child whose father told me after paying the bills (rent, council tax, gas, electricity) they had -£4.50 a week for food so his children didn't come to school 2 days a week to save bus fares and lunch money

My school is effectively in the same position as that family mrz, despite downsizing and the DH losing a day's management time.

Since time began people have had to adapt to changing circumstances, try reading a bit of history! In this counrty today we are lucky enough to be living in the best time and a safe country - most of the word has a much tougher proposition. The best education we can give our children is the mental tools and resilience to adapt, we do them no favours sitting around moaning that 'it isn;t fair'. If htey see poepl who are maybe theri only role models whingina ang whining instead of thinking creatively, and helpin gthem to do the same they lose out twice over. For HT to be freed up to be more creative and employ differnt types of people on different contrats - part time etc means they can budget more effectively. There is no more money - and wishing there were is pointless. In your analogy - swap meat for vegetables and waste less.

What are you rambling about, MrsGuy? Teachers can teach part time now anyway, and we have established there is no shortage.

No one is sitting around moaning 'it isn't fair' - they are saying 'hang on a minute, teaching needs some sort of training, and children deserve to be taught by qualified staff'.

The most whinging and negativity I've seen on this thread is from you, actually.

Yes mrz and fb, teachers have been known to give up their fruit and crisps to give to starving pupils.

Some of these children's parents are mentally ill and we have to ring up the LEA and Social Services, it's pretty heavy stuff. And it does impact on education because the child's basic needs have to be met and we may have to spend the whole school day organising somewhere for the child to go, especially when the child has been abused. We are affected emotionally as well by the whole situation, as are the other children.

When children come into school with knives and proceed to cut themselves, horrible stuff. Why do they choose our environment to do this? Because for some children it their own form of a real home. I've had children in tough gangland schools say, they feel 'safer at schools than at home.'

It is actually more expensive to employ part time people than full time staff

Well said MrsG.

I think we forget how lucky we are. I don't like the ed system at all and for years followed other parents sending dcs like lambs to the slaughter. Neither have really reached their full potential. DS1 did well considering etc. Instead of moaning how bad things are I have taken action and won't use state schools for the forseeable future. I have had to stop many luxuries and we have tightened belts etc but dds education is important to me. I can't help thinking its not so important to those teachers who are moaning and doing nothing to change the situation. You can teach in private schools, tutor from home, teach in further/ higher ed etc

To Feenie

'The most whinging and negativity I've seen on this thread is from you, actually.'

At·ta·girl

Regarding swapping meat for veg, i.e. cutting back on protein, which is essential to a good diet or perhaps taking specialist vegan or vegetarian supplements which costs a lot.

Protein in the school budget might be, the cleaning contract, the heating, the repairs to the building, the contracting in of specialists such as child mental healthcare specialist (some cost £500 + VAT a day), GSCE, BTEC and A/L syllabus specific revision workshops and resources etc. the list is endless.

luxuries like eating for two days a week mtpp?

MrsG

I am curious

When we have removed all the "BAD" teachers and the unqualified are teaching.
When the TA's have gone because the school can't afford them.
When the SEN department has gone but the children with ASD, ADHD, Dyslexia Dyspraxia,EAL, and bahavioural issues etc, are still in the class.
When there are no isolation rooms because there are no extra staff to staff them.
When Children are going hungry because their unqualified teachers can barely afford to feed themselves let alown their charges.

Will you be happy then?

Oh yes, with the cuts to HB, the expected effect will be overcrowding as the maximum a family can get in benefits is £500 a week unless the family has a member who is on disability benefits. And remember the government is cutting those who will be eligible for disability benefits. For instance according to the new DLA, called PIP (personal independence payment), if you are in a wheelchair and can use your arms to propel you, you are no longer eligible for the mobility component. Therefore many disabled children's parents or disabled adults will have their adapted cars taken away. It's happening now.

Remember the cost of the average 1 bedroom flat in London is around £180 so the poorer members of our society will be lucky to find a 2 bedroom flat for less than £250 a week in London with mice and damp. Hence, mum and dad in one room, and all the kids in the other bedroom and living room.

Mrz. There will always be people who don't eat for 2 days and yes I have been that person. Thank God not since I had my children. The instances you and others speak of are not really common place. We live in a deprived area and tbh have never heard of this at any of the schools my dcs have ever attended.

However, whilst we have established this will affect the standard of education these children will get, its hardly comparable to a school budget.
With correct mamagement many schools ime could save a tremendous amount of money to use in whatever way the management seemed fit.

There will always be disadvantaged children/families. Education provision will always be open to change. There will always be people saying "It shouldn't be like this". MrsG is right though, if you read a little history we aren't having it too bad atm. At least our life expectancy and health services have improved alot.

And there isn't even social housing. They will have to rent from private landlords, hence the mice and damp.

Well MTPP, teachers usually don't write to EVERY parent and tell them that a child has come in who has been abused or is starving, so how would you know?

I have had to stop many luxuries and we have tightened belts etc but dds education is important to me.

Bully for you - we'll worry about all the other children then. I'm alright, Jack, eh?

Feenie, not at all. I am not the one whose moaning about people being employed to do my job for less than I am getting. On the contrary, I can sympathise with those with little as my family are low income.
Never in my life could I imagine an income of up to £42k. There are people starving according to teachers on here. Well take a pay cut or donate your income if you are really that bothered.
I think its disgusting that a QT can start a thread saying how awful it is for children whilst complaining about the strategies government are making to free more money (or maybe not). You don't need a letter from a school to inform of the local demographic. If as you suggest teachers have to deal with all this and spend all day finding somewhere for them to go. Who is teaching our kids.
For goodness sake lets get the unqualified teachers in. They could hardly do a worse job. lol

MTPP - well said, and well done for refusing to allow your DD to be sacrificed to the vested interests. You cannot be expected to somehow wave a magic wand for all DC - just a great shame that the so-called 'professionals' don't acknowledge your efforts, and agitate for the good of all children. Sadly they are only motivated to preserve the status-quo, which is so spectacularly (by their own admisssion, repeatedly on this thread and elsewhere) failing the most vulnerable

MrsG. Yes its a bit like double standards really. I don't understand why they want to preserve a system that isn't working. If they were open to change maybe children could have a better chance. If they are playing social worker also aren't they stopping somebody in social work being allocated a position liaising with schools. Obviously they can't do anything about the role they are given, but nobody has to accept terms if they don't want to. I left the profession for those reasons. But I don't pretend to support the needs of starving children by giving them an apple or crisps whilst I take a fat wage. I am leaving this thread now because I am really sickened by the comments of one particular QT. Good luck MrsG

MTTP, 'Well take a pay cut or donate your income if you are really that bothered.' 50,000 teachers are unemployed and of the teaching workforce 20% are not in permanent posts.

'I can sympathise with those with little as my family are low income,' and you said you lived in a deprived area. It is expected that MORE yes MORE disadvantaged families will be moving into YOUR area and with the school budgets in schools being cut, I wonder how that's going to impact your local schools.

Let's hope MrsG lives in an exclusive and really expensive area and benefits from the smaller classes the benefits cuts might create in forcing low income familes on benefits out of the better areas of London.

Bye, bye Mrs G