Sudden teacher departure

[Contraryish]

I received an e-mail on Friday afternoon telling my that my daughter's Y5 teacher had resigned for personal reasons and she would have a new teacher as of today. He had only been in the post since September, and apparently stressed that he had very much enjoyed teaching the group and regretted having to leave.

My daughter came home later on and told me he had told the class he had got another job.

Does this add up? Can a teacher resign with immediate effect without giving notice? Is it possible that he has been asked to resign and therefore not asked to work his notice? Or is it more likely that the school have known for longer but not mentioned it until the last day?

To a certain extent this is idle speculation, but I think if the school had had concerns about his abilities / conduct / whatever, I would want to know.

For the record, I've never met him. My daughter likes him, but says she hasn't learnt much (but she always says that, she knows it all anyway!).

Teachers are supposed to only hand in notice at certain points in the year. They are; October half term to leave at Christmas, February half term to leave at Easter and May half term to leave in July. They can do so at different points at the discretion of the HT.

Not working notice is very unusual but I don't think you have the right to know why. He might have been supply so not have had to give notice or he could be ill and didn't want to say that to the class so just said he had a new job.
If it is that he's been sacked then the school has done what they need to to make sure the children are getting a good education and as they haven't told you anything else it can't be a safeguarding issue.

Hope her new teacher is fab!

Thanks just. I'm pretty sure he wasn't supply as his appointment was announced ages ago, he came in to meet the children last year, etc.

But my thinking is pretty much in line with yours, although his departure seems unusual, we don't have any rights to pry. My husband is all for going in and demanding answers but I don't think that would achieve anything.

Hope the new teacher is good too. I do have slight concerns about the calibre of teacher they can get in at such short notice, but it's just a question of keeping our fingers crossed for now.

To a certain extent this is idle speculation, but I think if the school had had concerns about his abilities / conduct / whatever, I would want to know.

Do you really think if he'd been put on capability and subsequently resigned, you should be told that??

I don't think that you have any right to know about his personal reasons for resigning. What difference would it make to your dd's education?

I know, I don't need to know about his personal reasons. I sincerely hope that he is fine and there are no major issues. I'm just wondering whether the 'resigned for personal reasons' is a fudge because it's not what he told the children. It doesn't quite seem to add up.

But I'm not going to say anything to the school. I just hope she gets on with the new teacher and it's onwards and upwards from here.

I think that I would consider myself lucky that the mismatch had been identified early in the school year so that your daughter has a good chance of having a good year 5. Much better than him hanging on and being unhappy or him being incompetent and wasting a year.

Don't worry there are lots of fantastic teachers available at short notice. Definitely don't go in, it's none of your business. Looking forward to the rest of the year is a much better plan.

He's not actually going to be telling the children the truth about his personal reasons. He's probably told them that he had another job to avoid answering awkward questions.

Thanks all. Should, that's a good point about the mismatch (if that is what it was) being picked up on early. Here's hoping it's plain sailing from here on in.

The only explanations I can think of are: he has ill health, has a seriously ill relative/partner, there has been some impropriety (unlikely) or he's got a part in a West End show/film/on a TV talent show/the apprentice etc.

Most likely one of the first two - but more interesting if it is the last.
I'm far more surprised that they seem to have a permanent replacement at such short notice, without a long spell of supply. (I'd be curious as to whether they have a personal connection to the existing staff.)

mummytime I shall keep my eyes peeled for reality show appearances!

I've just reread the e-mail and it doesn't actually say whether the replacement teacher is permanent, just that he is an experiend KS2 teacher. Time will tell.

Ahh that sounds more likely - either a great agency find or someone the Head has twisted the arm of to come out of retirement. (Or they have been amazingly lucky - DCs school in the past got a teacher who had just returned from abroad, and could offer him something before anyone else could - he was an excellent teacher.)

Mummytime DD1's teacher left just after October half term last year, with 2 days' notice, to take up an acting part. We all assumed it was his big West End break but it turned out to be a month-long stint in an obscure theatre above a pub Shame as he was an excellent teacher but obviously his heart was elsewhere and as PPs have said, better for it to happen early on in the year.

OP there was a bit of upheaval until just after Christmas while they trialled a new teacher (short-lived) and they got another of their floating teachers to fill in during that time too, but it all settled down and worked out pretty well eventually.

To a certain extent this is idle speculation, but I think if the school had had concerns about his abilities / conduct / whatever, I would want to know. I don't think that's any of your business seeing as he's only been teaching your dd for a month, and won't be teaching again.

I would suspect that it is personal issues, and he said job as it's much easier to say that to the children, because if he'd said "personal issues" he would then have them asking for more details.
If he was leaving for a job then I'm sure the letter would have said that-even if it was in a totally different direction they'd play up the "wonderful opportunities"!

There are only two occasions when I've known that happen with such short notice and both have been illness, one MH issues (he came back) and cancer treatment. Both times it was said "personal issues".

You're right in that the reason for his departure is none of my business. I'm not planning to investigate. As I've said, I wish him well but had never met him.

The new teacher is an ex-retired supply teacher who's been drafted in until Christmas. There is also going to be a new head at Christmas, so it's a bit of a state of flux for my daughter. But she'll cope. At least it's not a more critical year for her.