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.

Four out of about 18 (not sure about job shares in ks 2). Two are at that stage you'd expect movement. Two openly (well, one subtly and one very openly) dislike the newish head. Nor sure who is at fault tbh!

One is retiring (out of 7). After something like 30 odd years at the school!

Zero percent (the same as most previous years -2 teachers have retired in the last 8 years)

One of dds best teachers was a nqt. She was still enthusiastic, she wasn't weary of the job or tired of the beurocracy (sp?) and she was a damn good teacher too. She did a brilliant project with them.

Dds primary lost a head teacher and 3 teachers last year.

No teachers, TA's or other staff leaving.

I suppose technically one, but she has been covering maternity leave and original teacher is returning.
In the last 7 years 1 teacher has retired and one went on to be a HT elsewhere.
There are only 4 classes + nursery though

we are 1 form entry, but currently have 2 extra bulge classes, so total 9 classes.

3 leaving
1 maternity leave
2 TAs going
1 part time teacher probably going too.

This is not an indication of bad school. In our case, just the opposite. They are brilliant teachers, who have done really well and been trained up by the school through good staff support etc.
2 are moving on to promotions. 1 form entry school doesn't offer middle management positions (eg head of early years)
1 is moving to another place with her husband's job.

Turnover is much more common these days, as teachers think about their career and need to get different experience.

2 going on mat leave
2 TAs leaving
1 long term supply teacher leaving.

What % of full-time class teachers and headteachers need to leave over three years (say) for the school to be a completely different place (and for alarm bells to ring about what's happening there)?

In DS's single form entry primary, this time 3 years ago, there were five excellent teachers in Ds's school.
Year 2: still there
Year 3: leaving next month
Year 4: left last year after 10+ years in the school (reason given to parents: she was fed up having to defend the indefensible)
Year 5: fantastic teacher and now the fairly rubbish new HT
Year 6: leaving next month after 10+ years

Plus 2 early retirements and a NQT who didn't even stay for a year.

Surely, that must raise some questions with someone?

The tone of the school is set by the head and SMT.

A high turnover of teachers isn't ideal, but it is not necessarily a cause for concern.

Whenever there is a new HT, there is shift of staff, just because change stirs people up.

The issue isn't so much who is leaving, but who is replacing them?

The reasons the teachers are leaving is a cause for concern though, surely?

If they have simply been knocked out of their comfort zone by the internal promotion of a colleague then that's one thing. However, if they are being asked to take on more and more work whilst the school continues to steadily decline then that's another.

I am glad this isn't my worry. It feels like my son's year are grabbing the last seats in the lifeboats from the Titanic though!

It depends though. Has there been a new head (last couple of years). Sometimes long standing staff feel that change is a criticism of their ways and struggle to adapt to the school being different to how they feel is 'right' Not always, sometimes it's a sign the new head is awful. But sometimes. Particularly if the exiting teacher has a reputation for 'doing things their way' (one of ours is like this. Great teacher, kids love her, but I can see why she and the new head have butted heads).

Declining stnadards would be a bigger worry for me.

The new HT is a lovely, gentle person but I suspect there's a wide stubborn streak there too.

The newsletters have recently started to justify things that parents must have been complaining about.

The letter that was sent home explained the reasons for the two teachers leaving. It said that one of the teachers is moving for a promotion to a neighbouring single-form school. That sounds fair and she merely wanted promotion, but then I saw the advert for the job she's leaving and its exactly the same as what she's going to, including the SLT-type responsibilities.

The teacher in question is really good. She gets good results in the SATS, nurtures each child in the class and tends to go above and beyond the job description. Also she's an incredibly gentle, nice person. I just can't imagine that the HT is glad to lose her, or that the chances are good of finding a replacement who is better.

None. One left last year to retire and came back part time because she missed the school so much . Our school has a very low turnover of staff and people only leave to go on maternity leave (and come back), retire, or relocate beyond commuting distance.

The negative side of that is that there are rarely vacancies... I'd love to work there.

No idea yet, we haven't been told as parents. We're a training primary school though and also have a high complement of ta's so turnover is usually in excess of 10% I reckon.

What we do know is that our head will also be taking on additional duties as a part time nursery head due to a recruitment crisis, with the deputy stepping up to full time duties meaning we need another part time teacher. One teacher will also be going on maternity we think (she hasn't formally announced a pregnancy but it's getting very obvious and the children all appear to know anyway!)

It's not always a bad thing teachers moving on.

My dcs' old infant school was a good case in point. It was an excellent little school with a very experienced head but being small, had a tight budget and also couldn't offer teachers much career advancement. The Head's strategy was really clear: take the best NQTs and invest a lot of energy training them up, then encourage them to move on for promotion after a few years.

The TAs were often more mature and there was a much lower turnover among TAs, which helped provide continuity. My children (who all have v different needs) all thrived at that school.

It did mean there was often grumbling among the parents around July time but by October they were usually singing the praises of the new teachers.

I'm in London and schools seem to generally have a high turnover.

We have a deputy leaving to emigrate. Not sure who else, if any.

I really worry about there not being enough teachers in London very soon. Aside from the decreasing number of trainees and people leaving the profession, it's so expensive to live here for younger people.

3 of 7 teachers left last year - all replaced with NQTs
1 of the 3 new ones leaving this year - replacement NQT has been hired.
2 TAs on Maternity this year - not being replaced.
1 TA on long term sick - temp replacement.
1 teacher on long term sick - temp replacement.
I'm admin covering for maternity and there is no way in hell I'll stay past my contract (like the HT and staff, don't like the job, the low pay, the moaning parents, the problem kids, the minuscule budget, the culture or watching the stress the teachers are under).

None. Out of 12. We are so very privileged to have our DCs attend a truly wonderful pre-prep. The teachers are all greatly valued and respected by their Head, their peers, the parents and the children. I'm sure in return this makes it a lovely and rewarding place for them to work.

At the school I teach in, no-one is leaving (apart from one going on maternity). We have a very low turn-over of staff.
At dd's school-we haven't been told yet.

Well at my academy primary, by the end of the year we will have lost 9 members of staff, including the head and assistant heads, plus several TAs!

We haven't been told yet but they usually lose a few at the end of each year.

We have one going on maternity, one relocating, one NQT on temp contract moving to a permanent post elsewhere and one due to restructuring of nursery. So 4/7 but not worrying reasons.

We also have one teacher who started at Easter, replacing a retiree (struggled to cope with extra pressure new head brought) and 2 who started in September (head and one other).

So... in September, there will only be one teacher who has been at the school more than 12 months, and the SENCO/acting deputy.

Sorry var I forgot about this thread! Yes, one of the people only started last September. And yes. It is an unpleasant place to work. Am name changing now!

It only needs one teacher to leave to change the whole dynamics of the school.