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Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

Primary education

Dh has removed dd from school today

89 replies

purpleturtle · 25/01/2007 10:56

Dh helps in dd's class on a Thursday morning - just for the first hour or so. Already this week we have spoken to the class teacher (also deputy head and SENCo) about dd's unhappiness at school. TEacher has been pretty dismissive, and tbh there is probably a large degree to which dd is just going to have to lump it. She struggles in the large group environment, and is academically ahead of most of the class.

So anyway, dh was so unimpressed with the bad behaviour of the class, and the supply teacher's powerlessness in the face of the bad behaviour that he told her he would bring dd home today, and the teacher said she totally understood his reasons.

We await contact from the class teacher, when she's out of a meeting, and the headteacher, when she's actually back in the school. And this is supposedly one of the very best primary schools in the city.

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Hallgerda · 25/01/2007 10:59

No advice, purpleturtle, but all the best to you.

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PandaG · 25/01/2007 11:03

Flip me PT. No advice, just good on DH for doing what he thought best for DD. Hugs and prayers!

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purpleturtle · 25/01/2007 11:10

Do you think it's too much for one person to be class teacher, deputy head and senco in a large infant school?

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admylin · 25/01/2007 11:12

Well done. It also makes you dread to think about what is going on in schools all day, if your dh hadn't been there he /you would not have found out, atleast not for a long time. The whole discipline side of the education system needs thought over anyway. In our school here in Berlin my 2 dc are of a minority that respects the teacher and does as they are told because I always taught them they had to, but they are in such a minority - I find it very sad.

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purpleturtle · 25/01/2007 11:16

I findf myself wondering whether it's completely normal, and I wouldn't be bothered about it if we weren't aware of it. Although dd is troubled by it too.

Have of course made a friend completely paranoid now - her ds is in that class, but she isn't able to help out like we are, so she feels she has no grounds on which to complain/comment because she doesn't actually see what goes on.

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admylin · 25/01/2007 11:27

When is the next parents evening? (do they do that in UK, collective ones?) so the subject could be brought up infront of all the parents? I know alot of parents at my dc school have no idea what goes on there because they work and their kids go home alone ( yes 6 and 7 year olds go alone in Germany!)

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Ladymuck · 25/01/2007 11:46

What year is dd in?

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purpleturtle · 25/01/2007 11:50

It's Y1, Ladymuck.

They don't do collective parents' evenings like that here, admylin. Lots of disgruntled conversations in twos and threes in the playground; and probably some in the staffroom too - I know there's 2 sides to this.

Still waiting for contact from school.

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purpleturtle · 25/01/2007 11:51

The teacher's POV is that this is a "very difficult class" - "all the staff say so". However, dh helped last year in reception, and didn't think the reception teachers were finding it a particularly difficult class.

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sandyballs · 25/01/2007 11:52

Blimey, sounds awful. WHat kind of bad behaviour?

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admylin · 25/01/2007 11:54

That's a shame as it often helps to see what opinions come across at those evenings and you see ALL the parents and not as you said those little groups. Maybe it would be worth suggesting? Atleast you would find out if the majority of parents are for or against better or more discipline.

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purpleturtle · 25/01/2007 12:03

The (29) children were supposed to be sitting on the carpet area, while the teacher took the register, established who was having packed lunch/hot dinner, and moved into some whole-class numeracy.

Most of the children were ignoring the teacher - either because they were deliberately disrupting the class (and all the more so as the teacher failed to control), or because they were distracted by what was going on around them: moving around the carpet and the wider room, jumping up and down, wrestling, talking, shouting at the teacher, deliberately defying her - stand-off confrontation. There are some 'usual suspects', but this morning, children who are usually well-behaved were joining in the bad behaviour.

In the end, the teacher gave up even attempting to teach. Forty minutes after the start of school, nothing had been taught, and all that had been learnt was bad behaviour...

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GrumpyOldHorsewoman · 25/01/2007 12:19

I can't begin to imagine how difficult it must be to try to control 29 five and six-year-olds. When the disruption starts, it's all too easy to lose control of the rest. I think you are right to question whether the teacher has too much on her plate with being dep head also. Also, I applaud your DH for taking action, maybe something may now be done to correct the worsening situation. I think they need my sister. She's a ferocious primary teacher who takes no nonsense. She was highly commended in an ofsted report, and the class she was teaching at the time was known at the school to have been one of the worst they'd had! Naughty classes need assertive teachers.

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cat64 · 25/01/2007 12:32

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sandyballs · 25/01/2007 12:47

It does sound awful, good on your DH for taking action.

I do think you need to be a certain type to teach and this supply teacher obviously isn't.

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bandstand · 25/01/2007 12:51

why aren't parents allowed to help out?

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batters · 25/01/2007 12:51

This reply has been deleted

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purpleturtle · 25/01/2007 12:53

The usual class teacher admits to struggling with this class. I don't believe this is an ineffectual supply teacher, but a general class discipline issue. In a normal week, the class teacher is out of the classroom for 2 days because of her other responsibilities as well as her government regulated prep time.

When she is there, she sits on the class so hard that they miss out on all sorts of things. Decent PE seems to be the first "privelege" to be revoked for bad behaviour. Then on the days when they have a supply or cover teacher - usually one of two, known to the childrne - the class erupts, in reaction to the pressure they are under at other times, which I think is a simple reflection of the pressure the class teacher is under.

Dh did not leave school without explaining why. He went to the office and explained there. The class teacher/deputy head was in a meeting, and therefore unavailable. The headteacher was off site, and unavailable. Neither has yet contacted us today.

I absolutely agree that it must one of the hardest jobs there is. I couldn't even begin with a group of 5 year olds. Even well-behaved ones. But surely it doesn't have to be like this?

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Piffle · 25/01/2007 12:55

PT sometimes you have to take extreme measures to get your concerns taken seriously at a higher level - very sad but true.
My ds is 13 and at a top performing grammar, however in English the new teacher has no control and 20 detentions a lesson are given out and this is still ongoing 6 mths later. DS and a number of other kids are seriously unhappy. Now parents are complaining in droves and we are still waiting for action.
I hope there is a solution in there for you and your dd.

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batters · 25/01/2007 13:02

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purpleturtle · 25/01/2007 13:03

With 20 boys in a class I would have thought PE an absolute necessity!

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Piffle · 25/01/2007 13:11

Yep no brainer - refuse them physical exercise but expect their behaviour to improve
Ho hum

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purpleturtle · 25/01/2007 13:19

Headteacher has just rung. We have arranged to meet her on Monday morning.

Planning to go shopping this afternoon - to see if we can get ourselves accosted by a truancy officer .

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Hallgerda · 25/01/2007 13:22

I don't think you've got a hope, purpleturtle, unless you're prepared to wear a hoodie.

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purpleturtle · 25/01/2007 13:24

Dh is actually wearing one. Really.

Need to do something to stop my mind churning over all this stuff.

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