Can anyone give me some advice in this situation?

[StrictlyRioja]

Ok so DD is in Y2 in an independent prep school - her teacher has gone on maternity leave - none of the parents were informed officially about this - we were just left to observe for ourselves last term that she looked a bit pregnant. Nothing was said about her leaving at Easter. Nothing was said about a replacement. I discovered that the last day of the spring term would be her last by asking her directly at parents evening, 2 days before the end of that term.

Nothing was said about a replacement teacher. Eventually, during the holidays, parents were sent a letter saying that there had been no luck finding a replacement yet but it was all in hand. Not sure when they actually instigated the process of looking for one.

At the start of term we are told that some old biddy who used to come along to do an after school club would be taking the class. Yes, she is a teacher - probably qualified in WW2 - but I was open as to what she might have to offer. Well, I have to say I am totally gobsmacked at her inability to either teach anything of substance or to keep control of what is in fact a very small class of well behaved girls. She is a sweet lady but totally unsuitable for the role of teaching Y2 girls in the 21st century. After school club, yes, but an academic curriculum where the girls are used to some level of stretch and challenge absolutely not.

I feel like I am paying through the nose for nothing. I am wishing I never paid the term's fees and I feel like I would like to remove my daughter from the class and home tutor her as she would get a lot more from this than filling in endless worksheets and doing drawings and posters for want of actually learning anything.

My dd, who is normally quite compliant can spot weakness at 100 paces and even she is starting to show signs that she does not take this teacher seriously. She is bored and starting to get into mischief.

Do I have the right to take my dd out of this situation and demand a refund of my fees? As far as I am concerned the school is not fulfilling its commitment to educating my dd to the standard they are claiming to offer .

I know I am speaking a little emotionally, but I really do feel upset and short changed.

Grateful for your thoughts.

t4gnut we're coming to the end of my DS's school career (relief smiley) they've done a mixture of state and independent. Firstly this idea that the independent sector is stuffed with unqualified teachers is s myth, bar the teacher I mentioned above all the staff in DS's independent schools have been qualified. Secondly just because you're a qualified teacher doesn't mean you can teach, the above mentioned very elderly math teacher had no formal teaching qualifications but managed to not only make math understandable but also exciting a true gift. All the poor teachers my DS's encountered in both sectors were qualified teachers.

You should think of changing the username BertrandRussell (I'm sure we're all supposed to think you're terribly clever) to Bernard Manning.
Unfunny "joke".

Actually it takes me so long to type on this phone that OP typed her post about her daughter being lost last night whilst I was faffing around here. So I do have some sympathy with her. But it was a pretty unkind OP. I think she was probably still in shock when she wrote it, which is understandable.

But what proof do you have that the teaching is sub-standard? Didn't she do any posters/worksheets with previous teacher?

I don't understand the comments about not wanting the original teacher to have a life - what's all this about "daring to get pregnant" and "stamping my feet" ? £5K is a lot to part with for 12 weeks of just filling in worksheets and colouring. Are you saying that people who pay for a service have no right to expect anything or to be unhappy if they don't get ?

I don't need any more unkind and unhelpful comments from anyone. If people can't understand that I was upset - or that I am sorry - then you are far more judgemental than you are trying to make me out to be.

And leave my DD out of it. You have no right to comment on what values I am teaching her.

Amnesiac - looking back at my post this morning I am even more aghast and distressed than I was yesterday. Thank you for trying to understand. Yes - I do believe that I must have been in shock - it was the worst 5 minutes of my life. DD's class were having their final lesson in another class in another part of the school (a different building in fact). DD went to the loo and while she was gone the teacher took the other back to their form room to pack up and then out to the playground to go home. DD came back to find everyone gone. It was horrible for her as well.

Anyway, today is another day.

cocktail - not every day in every lesson - no work done in books, nothing new taught - no listening to the dc read - worksheets and colouring in even come home for homework. I know this because dd tells me that "it's all different now" - when they are taught something new, the teacher would work through an example perhaps - but dd is saying that doesn't happen anymore because all the work is the same as what they have already done. She is not complaining - she is just giving the answer to the usual question I ask every day "what did you learn at school today?".

OP you completely have my sympathy, both for the terrible service you are receiving and the posters derailing from the point in hand.

Have you spoken to the head? Expressed your (very valid) concerns?
One third of the school year is a long time and this arrangement just isn't reasonable or beneficial.

You are paying for a service and at present it isn't being received. The head should be doing everything in their power to sort the situation.... so long as they have been made aware.

well, I don't buy the 'its only 12 weeks'

It is one third of the school year, and there should be progress etc in that time.

The way to approach it (and to me it would be the same independent school or state primary in this situation)
Write to the school (always write, keep a paper trail) state your concerns, lack of interest and motivation, children becoming badly behaved, over reliance on worksheets, lack of challenge etc)
Say you are concerned about the quality of teaching in classroom. Ask what that school is doing to ensure that the girls are getting well taught.
I would also point out the safeguarding issue from yesterday

OP - can I just check - how long has your DD been back at school with the new teacher - it can't have been more than a week or so? Thats quite quick to make a judgment that she's a poor teacher. She may just be getting a handle on the class' ability before taking them further.

The "support" might not be in the class room, it may be in terms of briefing about the existing pupils, lesson planning, curriculum etc.

I also think the comment that your DD "can spot weakness at 100 paces and even she is starting to show signs that she is not taking this teacher seriously" is alarming and I would be just as concerned about this lack of respect to a teacher (as a parent) than I would be at sub-standard teaching. She is likely to have picked this up from you, overheard conversations with other parents / your husband perhaps.

name - bad choice of words (mine) - dd is not disrespectful to any teacher - they all love her - she is mischievous perhaps but not disrespectful - I meant that she is becoming bored in class and starting to switch off - and this is perhaps resulting in her being a bit chatty with DC on her table when she thinks the teacher is not looking instead of getting on with her work. She is ADHD so if she is bored and she has the opportunity, she will fidget even more.

Also - DD has no idea because I haven't discussed with other parents nor DH as we never even have the opportunity to chat to eachother until after 9pm and he is usually too tired to do anything other than eat, watch the news and go to bed. My first port of call for discussion tends to be MN - because I suffer from anxiety and am aware that sometimes I see things out of proportion - I like to hear what MN has to say so I can rationalise my thoughts before speaking to DH. I don't want to stress him after a long day with my anxieties. But I was tired and upset when I posted. Als had some so I was not thinking clearly. It all came out wrong.

DD is not an awful child who has learned to be rude and disrespectful from her obnoxious mother. She is happy (and a bit hyper) and loves school. She loves learning and loves her teachers. I do not support disrespect although I have let myself down badly on that front - I can't explain any more how it was something completely out of character that was most likely fuelled by what had happened earlier.

MN can we move on now from castigating me and labelling my DD. Can I re-write the post or something?

Right. So it's been a week- two at the most.

I agree that you should keep a careful eye on what's going on and talk to the Head if nothing improves- you really don't want a whole term of no progress. But it does seem as if you are panicking a bit- the bit about "losing your child" is a bit dramatic, surely. She was in the school building, the teacher had seen her a very short time ago- she had only gone to the loo! Hardly a safeguarding issue.

I've just noticed that your child has ADHD- might that be a good reason for making an appointment to go in and talk to the teacher about the best strategies to use when teaching her- and use it as an opportunity to form your own judgements?

@Strictly: You really are worrying too much! Your DD is in Y2. At this level, primary education is all about socialisation, learning to be independent and organised and to get on with others. They really do not need to be learning anything of substance on the academic side. Our older DC were educated outside UK until they were 7. There was no formal teaching until the equivalent of Y3 - and It does not seem to have done them any harm in the longer term.
By far the greatest determinant of how how well your DD will do at school, in life etc is her home background. A summer term with a poor teacher will make no difference. If anything, learning about boundaries, learning to adapt to different styles of interaction will do her good.
My 9 year old DS once got lost on a school ski trip somewhere up a Swiss mountain in poor weather. The moniteur only noticed when they had all got to the bottom and they were a child missing. Fortunately he was retrieved by another ski instructor and I did not hear about the incident until all was resolved. But it still makes me feel a bit ill to think about it. He told us some years later that it had been quite frightening but that he knew to stay on the piste and that he would have made his own way down. It had also taught him to stay with with the group and to look out for others who might have fallen behind. So not every bad experience is necessarily a disaster.

It would be interesting to know if/ how differently you would feel if it was a state school. Although the OP has acknowledged posting on the spur of the moment, it does come across as a bit entitled- 'I'm paying, so I call the shots' type of thing. That may not be fair, but it did sound a bit like that to me.

The trouble is that teaching is haemorrhaging teachers at present and it can be really difficult to recruit someone, especially at this end of the academic year.

OP if you're really worried that your DD is not learning, could you make an appointment and discuss your concerns with the teacher or the head. They may have information that you aren't privy to- understandably so. It is the case though, that when children have a new teacher, even one they know in another context, they are inclined to test the boundaries.