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

[BeckyBendyLegs]

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.

It's very common for schools to use their discretion and release staff early.

Well, I think it is bad form, both on the part of the headhunters and the teacher. Moreso the headhunters because I can understand the teacher not wanting to turn down an opportunity that fell in his lap. TBH, I think that if they wanted him that badly and only he would do they could have waited a term.

The deadlines are there so schools don't get shafted by staff leaving with no notice period and have a fair chance to staff their schools appropriately by having time to advertise, interview and choose the right cadidate for the school, not just fill spaces with agency supply.

Maybe it doesn't matter so much in the current climate where there are many, perfectly good, unemployed teachers waiting for jobs. Where I live though, a teacher leaving on 18th December would leave a class with supply for at least the following term. Not ideal.

You are jumping to lots of incorrect conclusions Inclusionist ... sorry but the fact is schools do release staff early for many reasons, it isn't unusual. I've attended interviews where the first question is "Are you a firm candidate and will your school release you if you are successful" ...

Actually the teacher leaving on the 18th left the class with an experience class teacher and member of the SMT who knew them well ...me

Why have you been at multiple interviews that would require negotiating early release?

I was talking in general- it is you that has decided to make it about one specific scenario. No, obviously I cannot comment on what has just happened in your school. However, I stand by my assertion that it is better if school staff respect the resignation deadlines and it is more usual that they do so.

My DH was headhunted for a deputy headship in an academy and they were offering to bury him in money. He said no because no because a) he wants to choose his own roles and b) he didn't want to screw his current school. His attitude is not unusual.

Because I was living 50 miles from where I worked at the time and it meant leaving home at an ungodly hour each morning and getting home too tired to eat. The positions I considered became available after the deadline for resigning and my head and governors understood ... as it was I moved house solving the problem.

oh and I commuted for two years before it started to affect my health just in case you want more details.

I know it is very upsetting for the children, but I really do believe that they will adjust very quickly. My dd is 8 and in P4, their teacher has been off sick since early October, they are on their 3rd substitute teacher who says she has been told she will be there until the end of Feb at least. Until recently, we were expecting the class teacher to return at any time, as the school have been very secretive about the severity of her illness (which is fair enough) but the children appear to have coped very well.

I realise this is a very different situation, but I just want to give hope that the children will settle very quickly with the new teacher x

My dd's school do this all the time too and leave information like this till the last minute.

a fb friend of mine has just left her school after a bullying incident the children and parents love her to bits but she was treated terribly by somebody senior to her (don't know all the details) and the school agreed to her leaving.
I'm not sure what they told the parents who didn't know, but i'm sure they werne't going to be advertising the full details of the situation!!

I think it can sometimes be seen as difficult for a school to tell parents that a member of staff is leaving if they do not have news of a replacement - many HTs may think 'I would prefer to leave it until we can say who their replacement is'. Then if appointment of a replacement is delayed for any reason, the announcement of the teacher leaving can be surprisingly late.

It's usually a flawed strategy, tbh, unless you have no teachers at all amongst your parents - our parents always know almost immediately because the couple of teachers amongst them see the vacancy advertised and use the playground 'jungle drums' to share the word... so we now just tell them as soon as a teacher resigns, and inform them or the replacement once one is appointed [which again, they usually know through their children, because the interviewees teach a class as part of the appointment process].

Dd moved schools after half term.
perior to joining i was told in confidence by head shes was leaving end of term.

2weeks into term the everyone else parents and kids were informed.

The new applicants each taught child hour each 6interveiwed
bext day was announced who had the job.

The schools had meet and greet and the new teachers spent lot of time with them this term observing how old teacher did things getting to know kids -its sad as liked old teacher but they done it in very good way,

Unlike old school whos freind in other class was told week before end of term that their teacher was leaving-she was temporary contract they liked her but new teacher taken on.

I thourght teachers had to give terms notice.