How often is your child's reception teacher absent?

[tombley]

No side to this question, I just want to know if it is common for your 4 and 5 yr olds to go to school and not see their teacher all day without an explanation? I am concerned about it but not sure whether I need to be.

common here, I think -- at least I as parent don't know where teacher is many days! Even if you tell a 5yo where Teacher went she may not understand, anyway.

Can't say I noticed it , or perhaps dd just didn't remark upon it , last year . However it is the time of year to be compiling individual Foundation Stage targets and reports so perhaps he/she has time out of the classroom for that ?

I think my knowledge of how schools run is at fault here. I know the teacher is in charge of arts so she could be involved in that?

Maybe she had a personal matter and didnt want to share it with the kids. If I'm covering a lesson and the kids ask where the teacher is I never say if they are ill or hospital etc. IF it's a training day and someone asks that's okay.

At dd's last school her teacer was off quite a lot, but we think she was completing parts of her teacher training.

DD's teacher is assistant head, so she has 1 day off a week for AT duties and PPA time.

there is a regular cover teacher

I reckon DD1's teacher is absent half to one days per week. She has management responsibilities as well as prep time. They seem to have quite a well-established group of substitutes, all of whom the children know, and the TA is pretty well always there. It surprised me at first, but DD1 doesn't seem remotely bothered.

She is regularly away for half a day, probably once or twice a week. However today she wasn't in class at all. This happens about twice a month

The half a day will probably be her non contact time. Teachers have a statutory right to some time in the normal school day outside the classroom so that they can do things like prepare teaching materials, mark and assess work etc

All teachers get 10% non contact time (works out at a morning/afternoon per week) where they will be in school doing paperwork.

Then there will be courses and training on top of that.

Then any sickness (although in our school teachers are hardly ever off due to sickness - we wouldn't dare be ).

If your reception teacher is an NQT she will also have 10% nqt time - which when you add it to PPA time is a full day a week out of the classroom.

The more responsibilities a teacher has, then she/he will have even more time out of the classroom.

Also, remember, some teachers can be part time and job share.

HTH

Thanks everyone. It seems that she is out of the classroom about the normal amount of time so I feel happier now.