Unsatisfactory Year 2 teacher

[littlemissnormal]

This issue may be something that we need to steer clear of so please tell me if you think that is the case!

DD attends a brilliant primary school and is currently in Year 2. We have a great bunch of kids and parents who all get on really well, not just across the year but across the school too.

The current Year 3 teacher is upsetting a lot of parents in that she's constantly off sick, has Teflon shoulders when it comes to discipline and all children in her class are either just coasting or falling behind when previously were achieving well.

Many of the parents have expressed unhappiness with this situation to the head who just diplomatically bats them off.

As a group, the parents of the children due to go into her class next year are concerned that our children will also start to fall behind under her tutelage and lack of attendance.

Is there anything we can do to resolve this? Looking for advice really!

year 2 or 3?
year 3 is the dumping ground for crap teachers ( which is not to say all yr 3 teachers are crap) and the head could very well be already performance managing the teacher, they wouldnt tell you that. one year of poor teaching at that age is not the end of the world, hence why it is the year that gets the weaker teacher.
btw what are teflon shoulders?

In our school, the teachers seem to move around each year, so we wouldn't be certain who would be next year's teacher anyway

I think the OP's post says the off-sick teacher is a Y3 teacher. Her daughter is now in Y2. I'm sure you could all petition the head to swap her for another member of staff, doorstep the governors and campaign to your local MP. But it's the head's decision.

I think that if I was in that position I'd go down to my local WH Smiths, buy workbooks for Y3 and spread them out on the kitchen table.

Is this based on fact or just playground hearsay ?

In the absence of the teacher's attendance record and the details of any notes the head has made on the feelings of parents, or any other hard evidence, it must necessarily be a form of hearsay, mustn't it? But either way the OP is still concerned. But perhaps there's not much she can actually do.

Thanks for your replies. Yeah it is mostly hearsay but its based on an awful lot of parents knowledge of the situation or opinions rather.

Teflon shoulders as in non-stick! Slightest disturbance and the children are sent to the head rather than being dealt with in class.

I suppose you're right and there's not much we can do, just we've had great teachers and don't want that to change!

Unfortunately there isn't much that you can do, as your dd is not in Y3 and everything you say is in fact hearsay. Can you not get the current Y3 parents to complain, complain, and then complain some more? Take matters to the governors and further.

My ds spent Y3 with the most useless teacher ever. I talked to the (new) head on a monthly basis and they finally managed to get rid of said useless teacher. Ds spent the whole of Y3 doing sweet fa, luckily his Y4 teacher is really on the ball and he is catching up to where he should be.

I don't think a bad teacher will matter for one year. If you complain and she gets moved the chances are you'll get her later on instead! Just do what the other posters have advised and 'supplement'. I'd also be inclined to reserve judgment until your child actually has this teacher - she may have a genuine illness this year but be fine by next year. Children being sent to head may be a good school supporting a teacher with health issues, but not necessarily a sign of a bad teacher.

I agree with most of your post, biscuit.

But, as a teacher and parent, to say a bad teacher will not matter for year is really wrong IMO.

If this teacher is truly incompetent (and that's a big 'if' based on hearsay) then s/he should not be in teaching.

A lot of catching up and consolidation goes in in Y3. Regardless of the quality of the teacher the parents of brighter Y3s moan.

In the grand scheme of things it matters very little to where higher ability DCs are by the end of Y6 and matters a lot to lower ability DCs that they can read and do basic maths before they move on.

It also matters to Y5/ Y6 teachers, who do not, with SATs looming, have time to help struggling pupils as much as they would like. Especial as cuts mean they are very short of TA hours.

If she is genuinely ill the HT will have regulations to comply with as well as simple human compassion one would hope.

This sounds like a witch hunt to me, based on unsubstantiated playground rumours. Let the HT manage her, how do you know she's not seriously ill and sending the kids to HT when they're naughty might be part of the school's way of supporting her at a really difficult time? How on earth can you possibly know that "all the children in her class" are falling behind?

sorry to sound dense but if year 3teacher sick wont they have cover teacher mopst of time anyway.

After my experience dont listen too much to hearsay.

Mine had awful year 1 teacher and fell far behind luckily she liked her.

But year 2teacher I was told she was best teacher in entire school.

sadly neither myself or dd got on withe her so left 1 term into year 2.

The other class 2/3 forver had change of teachers every year.
They year 3teacher was temp contract and scholl seemed to change teachers classes very frequently and do any job shares.

I know people in junior class whos teacher was never there and they fuming its been rubbish year for them and they lost the head.

We left as dident like the uncertaintly, the low attainment and sats results in juniors.

I would advise you wait and see and if problem next year go see head if you happy with year 2 teacher. Tke it schools single intake so just one class per year?

OP I really think you to take a step back. Surely you don't yet know this Teacher will be in year 3 again next year? If do you are worrying about nothing.

Also you can't go to the Head and say "I heard Mrs Teflon is crap and don't want her teaching my child" based on some playground gossip, you will sound like a loon.

If an entire class was making little or no progress the Head would be aware and the Teacher would be receiving support to correct this. If the school is as good as you say, they won't just be ignoring it.

Obviously there is a chance everything you are saying is true, but it's just as likely to be untrue. Give her a chance and make up your own mind about her. Being off sick is not the crime of the century.

"year 3 is the dumping ground for crap teachers"

And on what factual basis do you make that bollocks remark?

"year 3 is the dumping ground for crap teachers."
What a twattish comment.
I work in a junior school and can tell you straight away that our year three teacher is probably the most capable and professional woman I've ever worked with. We use year three to establish rules and classroom expectations. To ease them into the technical language in Maths and English that they will experience for the next four years. It is a crucial year.

I cannot bear clueless people making really, really stupid sweeping statements.

My dd's year 3 teacher is bloody excellent!

I have to agree that there is little point in worrying now. I wouldn't assume her being off sick makes her a bad teacher, she may well actually be sick! And that is not to say she still will be next year. My dd's class teacher has been off since October, but I know she is ill, it isn't her fault! Unfortunately we had a stream of subs, but the current one seems to be content to stay for a while, luckily. The disruption is unhelpful, but can't really be helped I guess.

There is a new head in the school, and since he came in there has been unusually high levels of longterm sickness, but I am assuming it is genuine until told otherwise!

My ds2 year 3 teacher is one of the best teachers in the whole school.

Hi littlemissnormal:

I'm not sure whether Y3 is a dumping ground for weak teachers or not. Technically it's quite a critical year, as it is the transition to Key Stage 2 and often the demands on children and the level of work start to increase. I think the reality is there will always be a year in primary school which is weaker than the rest and in your situation you can predict Y3 is likely to be that year.

So the questions I would be asking yourself are this:

Is this teacher otherwise reasonable and the children like her?

Does this teacher bring other strengths (brilliant at art/ drama but rubbish at maths/ science)?

Is there something you can do at home to help ensure reading, writing and arithematic continue to progress? (workbooks as learnandsay suggests) perhaps or potentially signing up for on-line support in maths (which we've used to great success - there's lots mathletics, maths whizz & we use mathsfactor - just google them).

I understand your worry and I suspect you may well be in an area where at the beginning of Y6 there will be entrance exams which can be very competitive, so you're feeling the pressure - but it is possible to have dire teachers and low standards (and trust me we have dire teachers & results at our school), and still get your kids through.

If in general your feeling is that the teachers your DC will have post Y3 have a good or even fantastic reputation and if otherwise you are happy with the school and your child is happy socially, then it may be worth monitoring the situation in Y3 closely and trying to ensure you do a bit extra with your DC whilst they are in Y3 to help keep the ball rolling.

The important thing is to ensure that interest in learning and doing work is maintained, and that isn't just down to the school.

HTH

sorry should be arithmetic - have poorly DD1 home today and have little or no sleep.