Reception advice

[Deedle]

Hi all,

We have just found out that a very popular TA in reception class will be leaving next week, there was a line in the weekly newsletter. I have been told by concerned parents that she has raised issues with the head about the standard of education and issues with the NQT in the class, nothing has been addressed and that she feels this is her last alternative. She does not have a job to go to. Another TA is off sick at the moment. They are both experienced, wonderful TA's who love their jobs and the fact this has blown up has devastated us all.

We are meeting with the head next week and was looking for some advice about how to proceed. I know something has happened to make her resign but how to we find out what it is? Are resignation letters covered under the freedom of information act? The school is not long out of special measures. Morale has dropped again and I am genuinely worried it will slide again. It is so complex. I am obviously worried about teaching standards but do not have the EYFS knowledge to know the right questions to ask. Any advice would be be gratefully received.

A TA is not an expert in methods of teaching. I would be wary of TA criticising a teacher, NQT or otherwise.

Look up the widget for EYFS teaching. It tells you what a reception classroom should look like at all the levels. Teaching is tricky in reception because its about the environment, the use of language by the teacher, how they promote the child's emotional and social development and their maturity. A good reception teacher will encourage independence in the children and set up the classroom to be used as such. Part teacher, part developmental psychologist but then the development matters framework was written by developmental psychologists.

I think it very unlikely that the reasons or letter will be divulged. You all should avoid listening seriously to playground gossip. Are you happy with what is going on from your dc point of view? You should focus the discussion on concerns that the classroom is potentially under resourced and how the school propose to manage the change and minimise disruption.

I don't mean to say anything about this TA but while parents may talk to them a lot and feel they are the warm, cuddly characters who know it all. They aren't the teacher who can appear removed, slightly less approachable in some cases. With new teacher's what can sometimes happens is that the TA feels she rules the classroom and a newly qualified teacher wants to stick her own marker down and they class. I was a TA for a while before I thought and some are the tricky and feel they own the school and not these blow in nqts.

I hate typing on phone. Excuse spelling etc.

How to proceed?
What do you think you can do?
People leave jobs all the time and like a pp says a ta is not an expert on education
I don't know why you feel it is any of your business tbh

My daughter is in the class, morale in the school has plummeted again. The teachers are all stretched to breaking point. This ta, is very well qualified and an ex teacher herself, has not resigned to go to another job, nor has she publicly questioned the teacher. At the end of the day an NQT should be being supported in their first year of teaching so I don't blame her, but her guidance network. There have been a number of small things that make me nervous than when added up together do raise questions. We are told everything is fine but am beginning to see cracks. An example is in 5 months the teacher has read with my daughter once.

The 2 TA's have been wonderful, I understand they are more approachable but it is odd that within 2 months of her going full time 1 experienced TA is off with stress and the other has resigned with no job to go to. Or it could be a giant coincidence and I am worrying about nothing!

So the nqt is new and full of new ideas and new knowledge about the needs of children in the eyfs
The tas are old school and not up to speed with the importance of a play based curriculum
That might be your answer
The eyfs is very different to the national curriculum and lots of older teachers do struggle with it

No parent helpers for reading?
They don't do guided reading with the teacher?
Have books changed?
A teacher, at whatever level, should feel supported with two TA's in the classroom.
I would be concerned about the relationship between the TA and the teacher. The TA should be able to manage and class and be asked to do things while a teacher leave to do guided reading with a group. alternatively the TA. In reception it doesn't actually matter who they are reading with and the TA's have a lot more responsibility - doing observations, leading groups, reading with struggling readers, key workers responsibilities etc.

Why is the TA not supporting the nqt more if she is that capable? I would say it is a breakdown in the relationship and she has decided she can't work in a classroom where she is being put in her place. Sometimes being a TA is awful and you get asked to do the most mundane things but when I started teaching sometime ago I was really reluctant to ask my rather dominate TA to do anything (filing, tidying, stocking) until I realised I was doing it all myself, spending hours at work everyday and eventually made myself ill. It was both of our faults because she gave off an attitude and I didn't want to challenge her. Eventually I handed her a timetable (several times) and when she kept not keeping to it I would just ask her repeatedly whether it was done and made her a tray where I piled the work. She may not want to work with the teacher but the teacher is more valuable and she is the one who has to go. It would be a similar situation with a head. You don't get on with a head well then you go because they are in charge and can get another teacher.

The NQT would probably be better off with an inexperienced person who wants to do TA to get into teaching who she can train up how she wants.

I think I was the one who mentioned the head and I meant that if a TA doesn't get on with the teacher - the TA has to go. A teacher doesn't get on with a head - the teacher has to do. I don't think deedle talked about going to the head?

You are talking playground gossip though - which is in general by people who don't know anything about teaching. Regardless of what your daughter say, they have been known to lie and be evasive little ones, how is she doing? Is she happy. settled, enthusiastic about the new things she learns, progressing. Everyone is stretched in a school - in this day and age with no money - they just are but like parents going through a difficult time it isn't necessarily projected onto the children.

What exactly are you planning to ask the head? The reasons surrounding her departure will not be discussed with you. I agree with whoever said it is most likely relationship issues between the TA and teacher. There could also have been some subtle or not so subtle bullying from the TA towards the teacher. You will not know and the outgoing TA is unlikely to give real reasons anyway. Sounds like anyone coming in will be a breath of new life to the school anyway. Don't get drawn into playground gossip regarding the politics of the school.

People don't normally put why they are leaving in resignation letters anyway
Its a letter giving notice of the persons intention to leave

Just reread your OP. So the TA had concerns with the not and raised them with the head. Possibly went along the lines of "I'm a qualified teacher (who is choosing not to teach!) and I would have done reading writing and maths with 4 year olds. This (most likely younger) nqt has breezed in and just lets them play all day. Heavens they're not learning anything! The education standards are slipping!I know best have done it for years. Etc etc"

Oh yes I am sorry that is extreme. She is a TA after all. Invaluable if they are good but not as good as a teacher, and only as good as them; just as a teacher is only as good as a head. I am sorry to be blunt but you don't own the school or the people working in it. You cannot see a resignation letter and you won't be told a single think about why the TA wants. The only thing you should ever see a head over is developmental issues with your child and concerns about your child's education which have already been raised with the teacher but nothing has happened.

Thanks guys I hear what you are saying and will think on it, as you said it is easy to get pulled into playground gossip. I have arranged to meet with the head as from next Friday there is no ta in the classroom at all, unless it is taken from elsewhere in the school where it will cause them to be stretched too thin. They only started advertising for a new ta on Friday so we will have gone from 2 full time TA's to none. They only told us last week despite the fact she handed her notice in a month ago, so they obviously did 't advertise until they told us. Leaving it a bit late in my mind.

Lack of guided reading, no supervision, children left in the bathroom by the teacher who was supervising them at the time, no communication on progress, despite requests to the latter, Learning journeys not being updated. As I said small things in themselves, that add up to larger concerns when viewed as a whole.
I will take a deep breath and chill out about the whole thing. It's my first child in school, the communication has been so poor we have no idea about what they actually do in school and and has been said children are not always the most reliable historians.

P.s the ta may be experienced but she is young! She hasn't been in the school forever so promise you isn't a dinosaur :)

MincePieDiet the fact is the OP doesn't know if the TA has concerns about the NQT or if they have raised the issue with the head. The OP knows that the playground gossip is that the TA has left for this reason ... it doesn't make it a fact!

I would be very surprised if anyone gave their reason for leaving as concerns with another member of staff when writing a letter of resignation and a head teacher certainly wouldn't share this information with parents or other staff.

They can't permanently replace a ta on sick leave. I'm not sure where the info you list is from , anecdotal or your dc experience? Communication is usually via parents' evenings , probably shortly after they started and a review of EY goals towards the end of the year. Maybe you don't have realistic expectations? Could there not be other reasons for the second ta resigning ?

Other parents who volunteer, issues raised by myself and other parents witnessed by ourselves. Parents evening was a good report but we were not able to see any samples of work done, work sheets or anything.

I know schools are stretched, maybe I am unrealistic. I don't think I said permanent sick leave, just off with stress. As you say we will never know the reasons but there is something that has gone on. The whole staff are devastated, in tears. Morale is at an all time low. Just worried and don't quite know how to help.

As in one ta off with stress, one leaving. They are only replacing the one leaving permanently.

I'm not convinced harassing the head will be seen as supportive! You need to separate the fact from hearsay.

She loved her job, loved the kids, has no job to go to. She is obviously devasted :(

Really ? I'd be surprised at her being so and leaving mid term with no external reason.