Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

Flip

1 2

Original poster

Is this unreasonable of me to be a bit upset with DSs' school?

36 replies

BeckyBendyLegs · 21/12/2012 13:35

I get emailed the school newsletter every Friday and today's has just arrived with a message 'We wish Miss X (DS1's teacher) all the best in her new job and we're sad to see her go today and welcome Mrs Y in January for Yr 3/4'. First I heard!!! Is it normal not to alert the parents a little bit in advance that a teacher is leaving mid-year? I couldn't even get her a card or a present or anything and DS1 doesn't cope well with change - I'm sure he didn't know otherwise he would most certainly have said something.

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

redskyatnight · 21/12/2012 14:32

I agree it would be normal to let parents know a bit more in advance (as you say, some might well want to send cards or presents). Also potentially they might get to meet their new teacher in advance. Is Mrs Y new to the school or has she just been shuffled from elsewhere within school? If totally new to the school it won't be a sudden move as the school would have had to recruit.

Are you sure you didn't just miss the info - were you told at the beginning of the year she was leaving at Christmas, was it on some other newsletter and you overlooked it?

Original poster

BeckyBendyLegs · 21/12/2012 14:39

Mrs Y is new. I know nothing about her. I'm sure she's going to be fine but a little bit of information would have been courteous I think. So it looks as if they deliberately kept quiet. That's really odd. I'm sure I didn't miss it, DH and two of my friends with classmates in the same class are just as cross as me!

OP posts:

Original poster

BeckyBendyLegs · 21/12/2012 14:40

I'm partly cross because his teacher is lovely and I'm sad she's leaving!

OP posts:

Hulababy · 21/12/2012 14:43

Definitely unusual. My class teachers left today but children and parents knew a month ago. They have also met their new teacher. We have children with lesrning needs linked to changes in routine, anxiety etch they need the time to process it all and know who us coming in. Also means teacher abd children say goodbye properly

teacherwith2kids · 21/12/2012 14:47

Unusual. Teachers have to give a period of noticw which is around one half term - so the school are likely to have known about this for some time.

Original poster

BeckyBendyLegs · 21/12/2012 16:09

The children were told in assembly today and some of them were in tears :( DS1 is devastated. Blumin' school.

OP posts:

Hulababy · 21/12/2012 16:22

Seems very unfair on all concerned to just throw it at them on the last day.

A fair few of ours were in tears today as it was their teacher's last day, but at least they had known it was happening and are not now anxious about the new teacher after Christmas, as they have at least met her a couple of times plus had a letter home from her.

lljkk · 21/12/2012 16:52

Normal amount of notice, ime.

mrz · 21/12/2012 17:16

I moved year groups with 3 days notice when one of our teachers gained a management position in another school to begin in January. We could have insisted he worked his notice but most schools allow staff to leave if possible so it isn't at all unusual for things to change with little notice.

Original poster

BeckyBendyLegs · 21/12/2012 17:20

mrz that's a good point. I never thought of that possibility. Ah well, never mind.

OP posts:

ImaginateMum · 21/12/2012 17:21

We had this happen in Year 1. DS's teacher unexpectedly had her visa renewal refused. It may not be the school's fault, if they are ordinarily good at communication.

Sonatensatz · 21/12/2012 21:49

That's more notice than we got that dd's teacher was leaving. They had a supply teacher for a couple of days on the third day we got a letter home telling us that the class teacher had left and the supply teacher would be covering until a replacement was found.

ninani · 21/12/2012 22:09

The same thing happened with our son's class. However, the school letter said that the new teacher had worked at the school for a couple of months and the children knew her.

EllenJaneisstillnotmyname · 23/12/2012 00:15

But if they have had time to recruit a brand new teacher, it's unlikely that this was a last minute thing?

ImaginateMum · 23/12/2012 00:40

They might have hired a long-term supply for two terms, which would be quicker. Also, they might not want to say until they have done so - less unsettling perhaps to meet the new teacher rather than have a vacancy.

EcoLady · 23/12/2012 01:12

Perhaps Miss X did not want a fuss to be made about her leaving, so wanted it to be kept quiet until the last minute.

PastSellByDate · 23/12/2012 02:36

BeckyBendyLegs:

First off in my long experience (DDS now Y3 & Y5) of primary - it's the lot of us parents to find school upsetting at various points. So no you're not wrong to be upset. Your child has had a shock - a teacher he adores is leaving and he hasn't had the opportunity to say a proper goodbye.

In the New Year you can approach the Head as a group of parents expressing concern about the short-notice regarding the teacher leaving. Explain that your children are upset to have lost their teacher and although you're certain they'll grow to adore their new teacher as well, you would like him/ her to consider allowing the children to prepare a card wishing the teacher good luck in her new job, etc... which the school can pass on to her.

Now it may be that this teacher is leaving teaching - this does happen. In that case the school may well (with the teacher's consent or by her request) have agreed not to say anything until the last day. In which case you can understand that telling a group of children you've decided to leave teaching might be more upsetting than just leaving suddenly.

Inclusionist · 23/12/2012 09:03

If the teacher is going to a new teaching job she should have given notice by the 31st October which fell during half term. It would be considered very bad form to find a new job for January after that date. I was offered my new job on the 29th and this is bad enough as there is no way my current school would be able to recruit an in-post teacher for January in the space of 2 days. (I'm in non-teaching management roles though so at least it doesn't ditch on a bunch of children just some other mug has to cover my work).

So, either the school has known for around 7 weeks or something has gone awry and this teacher has negotiated early release from her contract. If something has gone wrong I would have thought it was more likely that the school would keep it quiet.

Is the school under a lot of pressure of the Ofsted 'Requires Improvement' variety?

mrz · 23/12/2012 09:07

As I said earlier learnandsay an ex colleague had an interview on the 15th December and left on the 18th.

mrz · 23/12/2012 09:10

and nothing went wrong but the school felt it was right to release him as the position was promotion (and preventing a member of staff from leaving isn't the best way to ensure all staff give their best for the pupils - resentment isn't great motivation)

mrz · 23/12/2012 09:11

sorry that should say Inclusionist not learnandsay

Inclusionist · 23/12/2012 09:27

Bad form on his part to apply for that job in the first place though. Did he think he could persuade them to wait for him until April?

Inclusionist · 23/12/2012 09:31

I didn't mean it's necessarily 'gone wrong' as in a bad thing has happened, I mean the usual protocol for a teacher moving on has, for some reason, not been followed.

If the school has released the teacher from her contract early I can imagine they would not spread that about, even if it has been done completely amicably.

Whistlingwaves · 23/12/2012 09:34

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

mrz · 23/12/2012 10:22

Sorry Inclusionist but he was head hunted for the job so not at all bad form on his part

Flip

1 2