Independant school providing supply teacher for a term - are we entitled to any fee refund?

[mummyinred]

DD started school yesterday, in a letter home we were told class has no permanent teacher and a supply teacher will be provided until one is found and able to start, legally are we entitled to any refund of fees?

Marina, i'm quite sure that it does happen. I knew I wasn't going mad!!

I think that he will be doing the GTP or a PGCE, but what I was trying to say was that he is employed as a teacher, gets paid as such and takes full classes of students without yet having any formal qualifications, which the supply teacher in the OP may well have.

You can have unqualified teachers in both state and private.

IME most schools, from both sectors, prefer to use fully qualified teachers for main subject teaching. But a lot aso use unqualified teachers for more specialist subjects.

And schools may aslso use Level 4 teaching assistants to cover classes too.

nell12. My cousin has just started teaching Y7 maths at a private school. She has a degree in maths from Oford, but no teaching qualification or teaching experience.

Thank for pointing out the spelling mistake - sorry dyslexic! Yes I'm for real, thought I'd ask the question and got an answer, didn't quite realise the question would cause so much shock. We were obviously told there would be a permanent teacher before daughter started and whilst I don't doubt the ability of supply teacher and am fully aware that supply teachers are ncessary from time to time I am not happy about the disruption of having a new teacher midway through the year.

Thank for pointing out the spelling mistake - sorry dyslexic! Yes I'm for real, thought I'd ask the question and got an answer, didn't quite realise the question would cause so much shock. We were obviously told there would be a permanent teacher before daughter started and whilst I don't doubt the ability of supply teacher and am fully aware that supply teachers are ncessary from time to time I am not happy about the disruption of having a new teacher midway through the year.

I am sure the school will deal with it well. It wn;t be the first time they have had to deal with such a situation. For example, they will have dealt withmaternity leave previously.

And children just get on with it really well IME.

But no, a refund would def be out of the question! The school do have to pay for the supply teacher to start with, and fees go towards that.

Unless you are unlucky and have a bad school there, the better resources and flexibility/autonomy available to the private sector usually means they can avoid sudden hitches like this. I suspect someone has been taken ill or had to resign for urgent personal reasons.
Is your dd in Reception? I think it is quite reasonable, in such an important year, to ask the school for an explanation as to how this has happened. Is your dissatisfaction part of a bigger concern that the place is not turning out to be what you expected IYSWIM?

Teachers get sick or have family members who need full-time care, which means they are unable to do their jobs for a time. Private schools do follow employement laws, which means that there are sometimes short-term vacancies that need filling. It is not rocket science.

I can confirm that you can teach in the state sector without a teaching qualification. I did while I was finishing my PGCE....I spent two terms teaching on the 'Unqualified regester' (I did have my subject degree at the time)

None of the teachers in the (private) school that my children go to lack a teaching qualification.

This is yet another of those areas where you cannot generalise. there are good and bad teachers in state and private. there are qualified and unqualified teachers in state and private.

and to the OP, no you can't expect a refund

I shall be covering a maternity leave from November. They are bloody lucky to have me . I only want a short term appointment as I don't know whether I want to worl part-time or full time, or even what subjects to teach. I am highly qualified and experienced. More experienced in fact than the teacher I am taking over from. I'm sure it'll all be fine.

my DS1 had a supply teacher for two terms one year. She was actually way better than his permanent teacher.

Why don't you wait and see if shehe is any good before you decide.

Interested to see what ppn of refund you would have expected. You do realise you are paying for more than the teacher don't you.

I'm sorry but your OP is pretty funny.

It isn't M&S - it is an education