DD8 going in to a job-share class in September. I'm royally hacked off about it.

[Doodlez]

DD is 8. She's going in to year 4 in September. She is profoundly deaf in one ear.

Year group is being reduced from three classes to two. DD has copped for the one sodding option I didn't want which is the job-share duo who work 2.5 hours per week. One is known as the 'Dark Cloud' and the other is the 'Ray of Sunshine'!

She's also been separated from her friendship group. She's devastated

My worries - will her needs around hearing be met? Will I have to repeat everything that's happening with her audiology situation twice? Will the message I give on Monday at 8am be translated properly at 12.00 noon on Wednesday when the second teacher kicks in? How the hell do parent evenings work?

Job share - primary school teachers = stupid to me but hell, what do I know?

Any views? Any job-share teachers who can slap me down?

DD is Yr 5 and has had a job share since Christmas. She loves both teachers who bring different aspects to the role. The 3 day teacher is very creative and they do lots of drama based activities whilst the 2 day teacher is innovative with maths and really pushes the class to read challenging literature. I have found this a very positive year for dd and my initial reservations have been unfounded.

Absolutely agree with you craxy re the flexible employment and retaining great teachers. I am fortunate (nurse, not teacher) in that I have flexible working. As a result I rarely need to take time off (2 days sick in the past 4 years and one childcare day). If I was inflexible and full time it would be a different story.

It is great to hear so many positives. I too would have had the same fears as the OP.

Dd1 had a job share one year, and I had similar concerns to you. However it was probably her best year ever. The teachers were both lovely and complemented each other though, which, from your description, they might complement each other but aren't necessarily lovely.
If you're concerned about messages not getting through then give two letters in on Monday one addressed to Mrs thundercloud and the the other to Mrs Sunshine.
One of Dd1's teachers wasn't the most organised, but that added to their charm and they were always ready to be corrected/helped and it gave the children a pleasantly helpful feeling.
Personally I'd be more concerned about splitting her from her friends. Sn children have enough to put up with and, even if it's done randomly, I think sn children should be an exception and given a friend to stick up for them. I'd go in and ask about that, explain how it can be hard for your dd to integerate with new friends who don't understand about her deafness etc. and ask why she's been put there. it maybe that they had a good reason, or a reason that you can completely rip up, in which case they may listen to you.

I job share and all the parents I know are really pleased with the set up! My colleague and I work very closely together, we speak most days on the phone, plan together, meet to write reports and assessments together, do trips together etc and often both come in on our days off if there is something special going on like a class assembly or a special event. She works 2 days and I work 3 are this year we are teaching a class of 5-7 year olds.

We are quite different in character but on the same wavelength regrading education and what we believe works. We balance each other's strengths and weaknesses and neither of us is completely knackered at the end of the week as I know I would be if I worked full time (my youngest is still only 9)

I think if you get a good job-share team, its a win for both kids and teachers

I agree with the principle of job share, and clearly from the experience of those above it can work

For me it didn't. That is probably the result if that particular pairing. Although they talked the talk of communication, it gradually broke down over the year - there was a need for a great deal of repetition and some queries were ignored or mishandled. So yes it can go badly wrong.

My DD had a job-share in P1 (Scotland) this year. I wasn't keen on the idea to start with but it worked out really well (good handovers with phone calls, book etc) and contrast in skills (one good at literacy/numeracy and one great at all the crafty stuff) ..... until one went on maternity leave and it all went a bit wrong. But saying that there's nothing you can do about that and tbh they still had a great teacher for half of the week which was definitely better than if the teacher that went on mat leave had been full time and the rubbish cover had been the only teacher they had.

She is also having a job share next year and again I was a bit disappointed when we first got the list. But there are 4 classes in P2 of which 2 are job-shares so it would have been virtually impossible to slot all of those who'd had the job-share this year into non-job-share classes next year. Other parents say that the new ones work well together and have job-shared for years so hopefully it'll be another positive experience.

Hopefully your daughters needs will be met just as well as if she had one teacher.

I'm a jobshare teacher (currently on maternity leave), and just want to ditto what everyone else has said about communication, not being knackered etc. My teaching assistant (who is full time) says that she loves working for a job share class, as we're both very different people- my 'other half' is very loud and excitable, I'm much more quiet and reserved- but our teaching styles are apparently very similar, so it isn't too confusing for her or for the children. She's also commented before that it helps when we're introducing something new, in maths for example, to have two teachers, as if the first one explains it and the children don't really understand, the second one can often phrase themselves slightly differently and help it to click for the class.

Don't worry, honestly!

I used to jobshare and we had no problems with communicating at all. We had a book, left messages on the desk/noticeboard, used texts, e mail and the phone.....not an issue. If I was ill my partner often covered and Vice versa so less need for different supply teachers. We also had the same TA all week and she was great at passing on info if needed.

Our first year of sharing we had a girl with serious hearing problems. We both attended meetings at the start of the year with the SENCO, parents hearing support teacher etc so we both knew exactly what was needed to support her. We also tried to both be there for any reviews, but if not ALWAYS met up in person to pass on any important info.

The children seemed to be fine with two teachers. We were both fairly similar in our ways of teaching but had strengths in different areas..she loved art, DT science and literacy I was strong in maths, music RE and history/geography..

We planned together in our holidays, met together to do reports and did parents eves together. We were always singing from the same song sheet as it were and the children and parents all knew this (It always suprised the children that we knew what they had been up to on our days off!) If a parent passed on any info to one of us we let the other know that evening via e mail usually...

In fact I suppose the only "problem" was we both got pregnant at the same time....!!!!!!

DS had job share teaching in both Y1 & Y2 (he's in Y3 now with one teacher).

He got on really well in both classes and had no problems. In particular, the Y1 teachers complimented each other in that one was very maths/PE focussed and the other very art/literacy focussed so the group got the best of both worlds.

In Y2, the original F/T teacher had gone P/T so gained a job share partner for the first time with DS's class. Once again, it worked just fine, no detriment to the children at all, in fact both teachers were excellent.

Just to reassure you, in both classes, the two teachers were available at all the parent's evenings etc to discuss any problems or concerns.

THANK YOU ONE AND ALL!

Read and re-read the thread up until this morning.

Emailed current teacher and explained fears. She immediately asked me to pop in this evening after school. She's given me the same feed-back many have stated here. The friendship thing however, is quite interesting. She paired DD with another SN child because apparently, DD is the only girl who'll give the other child the time of day and she is very patient with her!

So, I feel like a right heal now...asking to get my DD shifted in to the other class at the cost of the other girl with SN's!

Sheesh!

I asked her teacher to help me by having a chat with DD tomorrow about it all. See if she can talk her around and establish what, if any, friendships are budding or could flower from this job-share class.

You know, my response would have been exactly the same as the OP.

I've read through this thread and can see that job share can actually be a brilliant thing for the children.

It has to work on the basis that they're good teachers (as you would normally hope to find!), and that they have good communication links with each other.

Really hope it works for you OP.

Aw, that sounds really positive, Doodlez. And your DD sounds like she is a lovely girl.

DS2 was in a jobshare class that was also a split Y4/3 class. I was a bit concerned, like the OP, but it turned out really well. The teachers communicated very well, both to each other and to the parents and pupils and each played to their strengths. It was one of the most positive years in his education.

I really hope that some of those posting on the teacher-bashing threads elsewhere come and read this thread: To all of the jobsharing teachers who have posted here, the detail and depth of your communication, preparation and care for the pupils in your care during termtime and holidays is incredibly moving, and is a proud two-fingers to anyone who feels that flexible working = less-than-committed working.

I'm a teacher, but a part-time one.

My DD has had two teachers this year and it's been great. I prefer job share, TBH.

But do be careful about dd being paired up with the child with special needs. Fine if they are really friends - but if your dd is being asked to move away from her established friendship because she is 'good" with this child, it would be possible for her to feel a bit trapped. IMHO it woudl have been better to split the friendship group between the classes rather than just taking your dd out of it.