What % of your child's school teachers are leaving next month?

[var123]

And how much is too much?

DS2's primary is one form entry and is currently looking for 3 (yes3!) teachers. As always, its the good ones who going.

Luckily DS2 is leaving too, but some of the remaining parents must be wondering what to expect. Ditto ofsted whose visit is overdue now. I think there is only one teacher left now who was there the last time Ofsted visited.

[MrsTedMosby]

Ofsted due anytime - school is in special measures. Since it became an academy it's just gone even further downhill.

Not a good advert for converting to academy status!

[var123]

MrsTedMosby - that sounds awful. What's causing the school to have such a high turnover?

Has Ofsted visited recently?

[MrsTedMosby]

DC's school is a 2 form entry primary.

This year (from September till July) they will have lost 24 members of staff!

9 teacher (3 who didn't even last a term!)

9 TA's (2 who didn't last a term)

3 office staff

1 caretaker

The Headteacher

The Deputy Head.

None of these are maternity leave. 1 is retirement.

Yeah, it's shit. Not happy. (my DC is on his 4th teacher this year!)

[FinallyLearntToBudget]

Var re My parents simply got me to school on time, in the correct uniform and nagged me about homework

Yes - that was just like my parents! (Not even the nagging to do homework though, as I was a bit of a swot and didn't need it. Not sure how I'd have coped had the internet been around though. I find it so distracting!)

[Clutterbugsmum]

Out of 20 teachers and 21 TA's, 3 are leaving and we have 5 new teachers starting in September.

[ChocolateBreakfastBalls]

Since January DS1s school has lost over half it's TA staff, due to budget constraints apparently. No teachers left that I'm aware of yet, but the entire office staff of four and the caretaker are also leaving this term. New head started in January, she seems very good but the last one was there a very, very long time and a lot of change is now happening all at once.

[WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes]

We get told the staffing arrangements for the folliwing year in one letter to the whole school about a week before the end of this term. If someone is leaving it will say in outline why, eg going to a new school, you can sometimes read between the lines (eg Ms X is leaving for a new school in town Y, we wish her well we wish she wasn't going but understand why, Ms Z is also leaving thank goodness ). In year changes are only notified to the affected classes. All the rest (more detailed reasons for leaving, teachers leaving in classes where you aren't affected, not coming back after maternity leave etc) is just word of mouth amongst the community.

[scottishmerlottish]

The Head is going.
We are to be notified about the New Head.
School ends in 48 hours and no notification as yet.
Not good (actually it IS as the outgoing Head is appalling, but worried who new one will be as we live in an area with a small selection of rubbish Heads whom they rotate according to the severity of Complaints about them, ie if it gets tooooooo bad they just shift one for a couple of years...).

As for actual teachers - the only two good female teachers are going
There are only two good male teachers.
Neither of my kids have any of the above next year. Again.

[var123]

Surely parents always knew what their child's teacher's name was? Even in the 70s or 80s?

Then they'd know, from other parents, or by having older children further up the school who teaches the next year etc So, there is an expectation of who will be teaching your child next year, assuming single form entry.

The school announces in newsletters who is leaving, and sometimes who is joining. When the newsletter doesn't say what the new arrangements are, you know that either the headteacher doesn't know themselves (worrying) or they know but realise the parents won't like it (even more worrying!).

Its not like there are hundreds of teachers, maybe just 7. So, it is not hard to count the couple of names who are leaving and divide by 7 (or 14 for two form entry) - hence the %.

The odd teacher coming or going for normal reasons e.g. promotion, retirement, relocation, maternity etc might be disappointing if you thought s/he would be good for your child. However, when a third of the teachers clear out at the end of each year for two or three years running, it does suggest that there may be another explanation.

If there is a problem with the school, and its making its way into the staffroom, then its likely the parents will know about it anyway because an overbearing HT (for example) is probably difficult with the parents as well as the teachers.

That is one big difference from my childhood - parents interact with the school much, much more. My parents simply got me to school on time, in the correct uniform and nagged me about homework. My parents never once had to ask the school to give me harder work (for example) but I've had many conversations with my DCs teachers trying to find a solution to the work being too easy for months on end - insufficient differentiation they call it - see i even know the lingo!

[Nameforsexboard]

Finally - don't you get a letter with the teachers for next year and a "goodbye to x who is going to do y," type comment on it?

I'd find it unusual not to know. I'm a teacher though and I guess particularly interested in what goes on in school. I flirt with homeschooling.

[DoraGora]

You might now know what's going on in the staff room. But, the head announces staff changes to the parents. Well, our school does, anyway.

[WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes]

I suspect my mum did know to this level of detail (70s), she's the sort of person that remembers people very well even if she didn't really know then, and we lived in a small town where everyone kind of knew each other. Same for me, my DCs go to a single form school in a smallish town, I'm on the PTA, most of the TAs and some of the teachers I also know outside school, it's just part of being in the community together.

[KenDoddsDadsDog]

None of them.

[FinallyLearntToBudget]

Genuine question, so please don't all round on me. But how do you know so much about what's going on in your children's schools?

Percentages and everything! My parents would never have known (or been interested?) to this level of detail.

Has parenting really changed that much since the 80s?

[Elibean]

If its always the good teachers who leave, I would definitely question that. And specifically, think about why they are leaving - eg: dds' school (two form entry) only only one is leaving (she's moving to be with her boyfriend). Our deputy left a few weeks ago, as she was head hunted to be a Head and the time was right for her. Both nothing to do with not loving the school they were in.

[listsandbudgets]

3 form entry.

Losing one TA to retirement and one year 2 teacher because her husband has got a job abroad and she's going with him ... its Australia so not exactly covenient for commuting

Generally DD's school seems to have a very low turn over of staff

[PenelopePitstops]

I think you might find a lot are simply leaving teaching!

I work in secondary and 15 out of 60 have resigned, 7 are getting non teaching jobs and 2 have no job to go to!

[var123]

How much is too much though? 1 good teacher leaving (whatever the reason)? Or 2? Or is it ok as long as half the teachers stay?

Or is that the wrong question and I should be asking what's the minimum replacement? Would it be ok to replace with a teacher who will turn out to be not very good for whatever reason?

[Emochild]

3 out of 19 plus the head retiring

2 are leaving teaching, 1 is going to be an assistant head at a different school

3 teachers have been recruited, head is a vacancy

[DooWhop]

Just 1, she has a leadership role locally and is fabulous so I'm thrilled for her.
Sadly all 3 male teachers left over the last couple of years and they were so good, I like a male teacher at primary level, they seem rare here. It was thanks to the twatty male head at the time.
DS heading into year 6 anyway.

[WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes]

We won't get told until the children have their moving up day the week before term ends. The rumour mill is busy as usual, but in previous years all rumours have generally been wrong. One has just gone on mat. leave and another went in Feb, other than that no idea. There have been a lot of changes in the 7 years my DCs have been there, some good, some not so good, but they have a solid group of very experienced TAs who provide a lot of continuity. A lot of the changes have been due to non-returners after matetnity leave.

[shouldwestayorshouldwego]

Just totted it up and there are only two (now PT) teachers left who were there when dd1 started. In that 6 years quite a few have come and gone in a year or less. TA team fairly stable.

[shouldwestayorshouldwego]

Oh plus HT left a few months ago and a deputy leaving.

[shouldwestayorshouldwego]

Between this year and last year 100% of the junior school teachers will have left, plus more on mat leave in infants. All three dc due to have new teachers in September.

[tumbletumble]

My DC's school is one form entry. None of the teachers are leaving, but one is pregnant and will be going on maternity leave in October and one is moving into a specialist music teacher role, so there will be two new teachers (both NQTs, one already working at the school this term as part of her training).

This time last year there were three leavers (two retiring and one moving to a different school), which made a massive difference to the staff profile as they were all very long term staff members.