No qualified teacher in class for two terms

[Belinda61]

My dd is just finishing her first term at primary school this week. She's settled in really well but we have just been told her teacher is leaving as of the end of term and they have no plans to replace her. The class will be looked after permanently by TAs. I understand that they are well qualified TAs, but that seems an awfully long time to be without a qualified teacher.
I've phoned the department of education and they told me that this was perfectly legal.
Has anyone else found themselves in this position? I'm so worried about her education suffering if she doesn't see another teacher until September, she's just starting to learn to read and write and generally lay the foundations for future learning. But equally changing schools just after she has settled in seems unfair (and that's if I can get a place for her elsewhere).
Does anyone know of any legislation or best practice guidance out there that I can use to back me up when I raise my concerns with the school?
Apologies if this is a repeated thread, happy to be pointed back to another one, but the only ones l could find were a bit out of date.
Thanks!

[superram]

Where are all these teachers looking for work? They are not applying for jobs in my good leafy surburban School. We had no applicants for some posts last year and appoint antipodeans mostly by Skype.

[Lowdoorinthewal1]

Running a successful EYFS setting requires a HUGE amount of work 'behind the scenes'. Presumably teachers who have sacrificed their salaries to be TAs were hoping to get away from this.

[MaisyPops]

Norestformrz
Depends what subject and which area.
I have friends in the south west who fijd primary jobs hard to get because people get a job in a school and stay there.

Other areas you have good schools advertising 3 or 4 times for the right candidate. A school near me has advertised 3 times for MFL and had no suitable candidates apply. They had limited applicants because of the shortage. They were qualified teachers but had either been out for years so no idea about reforms, not done a level, not done GCSE or just weren't that good when teaching their lesson.


The other thing is most people don't move jobs in January (notice in by october half term). It's the quietest job window in my experience. Most schools will wait until January and advertise for September start and just get through until then as best they can.

[Lowdoorinthewal1]

Greenshoots/ mrz- you may just be describing your experience of different areas.

I used to work in the Fringe pay area and we couldn't get people for love nor money. Going to recruitment fairs to find overseas teachers during the summer holidays and buying people just from their one page CV to prop the staffing up for September was a regular thing. It was desperate.

Now I work in the West country. No problem with recruitment, always a good choice of people even at non-standard times.

[BluebellTheDonkey]

I feel sorry for the TAs actually, that's a huge workload and expectation on rubbish pay. I am a TA in the mornings and HLTA in the afternoons and it has been made very clear that I am not expected to plan, mark or assess. Everything I do is discussed with the class teacher. I understand your frustrations as a parent, it is not a good solution. Poor management.

[Whinesalot]

But if they've done the fast track training they will have qualified teacher status. I've met some excellent ones tbh. Some of them may have lacked an actual degree but they were excellent teachers.

Obviously it depends on the individual. I would wait and see tbh, before you go in all guns blazing. Maybe the TA knows your dd and will actually be better for her that a cheap NQT with no experience. You say she is beginning to make progress. See if that continues.

[SuburbanRhonda]

I rarely suggest this but I would be looking for another school. After one term - even two - at this age, she’ll settle into a new school quickly.

[sayhellotothelittlefella]

Hi OP. Maybe show the school the article below from the Evening Standard and inform them of the possible consequences to your child's education. I would be very unhappy in that situation.

[Norestformrz]

Or this

[user789653241]

This is very depressing thread.
Overworked teachers, lack of respect for teachers from many parents and children(quite clear from many recent threads)
No wonder teachers are leaving. Yes, there maybe many great qualified teachers out there, but maybe they don't want to teach anymore, under these circumstances.

[HidingBehindTheWallpaper]

The rules were changed a few years back. The unions kicked off but nobody else seemed to notice.

And here is the problem. Teacher strike about ‘pay and conditions’ because that is what you are allowed to strike about but what the real concern is is children’s education. The real concern is the slow dismantling of the education system through privatisation. The real concern is teachers spending all their time on data and analysis rather than actually teaching. The real concern is that children are being reduced to little more than a number.

But whenever teachers strike all you get is moaning from the likes of the Daily Mail (and some people on here) of ‘bloody teachers, forever on holiday, knocking off at 3, what am I meant to do with my children all day?’

[eddiemairswife]

I remember when John Major was PM he suggested that ordinary mums with no qualifications should be able to teach in infant schools.

[Charmatt]

If a maintained school has made reasonable plans to employ a teacher but cannot recruit a suitable candidate, they can put in place other plans to support a class with unqualified teachers.

This applies to maintained schools as well as academies

I have supported several maintained schools in special measures before and this has been an acceptable way forward when recruitment has been difficult. LA officers are now providing this advice to maintained schools and, in my experience, Ofsted and the DfE have not objected.

[Strictly1]

Last time I advertised I received one applicant! This is very common where I work. Getting a teacher is like searching for hen’s teeth. There may be unemployed teachers in some areas but not where I work. Getting a decent supply teacher is just as bad. Retention and recruitment is the number one worry for Heads here.

[Roomba]

DS2's class teacher was seconded to train teachers at another school just before this year started. DS has had a TA taking his class all term. Qualified teacher was due back after Christmas but is now staying on at the other school for another term, but at least DS will have a different, qualified, teacher after Christmas (another last minute decision, poor kids don't know if they're coming or going).

The TA has been great actually and appears to have done a really good job with them all (apparently she's starting a PGCE next year), but it did worry me a lot that this can happen indefinitely in Academies.

[Greenshoots1]

The stupid thing is getting a TA to cover a teachers job can cost lot more in the long run, because TAs are paid by the hour, and teachers work well over twice the hours that a TA does, so unless TA is working below the minimum wage the teacher is often cheaper.

If you are a TA and asked to work extra hours please please please, I beg you, insist on overtime for every single hour, to do otherwise is morally wrong, and erodes the whole education system further and further, although it can be presented as "not letting the children down" it is actually letting them down far worse than refusing to carry on without being paid.

Just ask yourself if you actually think the children deserve to be looked after by properly paid staff.

[yellowsun]

The SENCo is the only teacher who must have a teaching qualification legally.

Is there another reception class? I wonder if they are expecting another teacher to carry the class while the teacher does the planning etc. Madness.

[BewareOfDragons]

TBH, I would take a couple of highly qualified HLTAs that are tried and tested in a school rather than settle for a 'qualified' teacher that we weren't convinced by at interviews... Perhaps the school has been unable to find an appropriate teacher and would rather use HLTAs until they find the right teacher, which IMO would be the wise course of action.

Teachers are leaving the profession in droves for a reason, and this is one of the results. Low pay and high demands ...

[Wait4nothing]

We have multiple unqualified teachers at a local LA Primary school - even days as much on their staff display.

[CrossFreelancer]

I have to ask the question. If the TAs are covering the class, who is doing the planning and more importantly, the assessing? TAs should not be doing this. There would be no time in their day for this. It would also be unfair to expect TAs to do assessing for many reasons.

[BubblesBuddy]

I would ask how big is the class and who is supervising the TAs? I cannot see how they can do the work of a teacher but if there is a teacher supervising, that may be different but still not acceptable.

Moving schools is tricky. How do you know this will not happen elsewhere? Another suggestion - is it a non teaching Head? Does the Deputy have a class? If not, they have to do some teaching to help out. Hard but necessary.

[ElizabethBennettismybestfriend]

There are experienced unemployed teachers out there but schools don’t want to appoint them because they are too expensive.

[Greenshoots1]

as I pointed out, employing a TA who is paid by the hour can work out as more expensive - TAs must and should stand up for their rights and insist on full overtime payments though.

[Lollipop30]

Some TAs are far better than some teachers. Judge the person not the title, the class will still gave to progress and be taught properly. If anything it may be under more scrutiny.

[rosettesforjill]

Would just like to back up all the comments about how dire the situation is with regard to primary teacher recruitment. It's my job (not for an agency) and I have excellent schools with lovely heads and children who haven't been able to get teachers for January and are likely to have to rely on supply until at least April unless something close to a Christmas miracle happens. I'm terrified that the situation will be even worse when my DS starts reception in 2019...