If a primary teacher was moved from year 6 to year 3, is that a demotion ?

[Lardlizard]

I thought the better teachers were kept for the start of school and the end
And the not so great ones in the middle ?

[HarveySchlumpfenburger]

@FlippinNoah

Oh no! I teach Year 4 so must be crap. But then again, we only do colouring in.

A few years ago my role was different in that I covered PPA in years YR - Y6. I must have been a dead good teacher then.

Depends if you are primary or junior school really. If it’s a primary school, then you are much closer to the top than the bottom. If it’s a junior school, it might be time to rethink your career choice.

[Pangwin]

[quote BessieSurtees]@Lardlizard
the teacher is known for having favourites and is very full of themselves

You want it to be a demotion because you don’t like the teacher and your DC is not going to be one of her favourites and you wanted mumsnet to back you up.[/quote]
Bingo!

[GravityFalls]

I only teach sixth form so I must be the absolute best!

(I’d crumble in two seconds in a EYFS classroom...massive respect to all primary colleagues.)

[Scarby9]

As PP say, the Y6 teachr may have requested the change, but I was coming on to say what @LikeaSnowflake said.

Sometimes it emerges that because a Y6 (or Y2) teacher has been in that year group for a good while and is very effective there, other teachers in the key stage may not be supporting the children's progress sufficiently through the previous years. It doesn't 'show' outside of school because the teacher of the oldest class makes up the difference, but it means the children (and the Y6 teacher and any TAs) can have a last year that is tougher than it needs to be. The other teachers, who have never taught in Y6 because that is Mrs. X's domain, may not fully recognise the expectations and Mrs X may moan but get on with it.

When Mrs X moves to Y3, she knows the key things children need as a bedrock and foundation to build on through KS2. Mr Y moves into Y6 and learns the urgency to secure particular skills and knowledge, but takes with him his understanding of how the underpinning knowledge is acquired. Win win! (Although it is a massive shock to the system moving across or between key stages if you have been in one year for a few years, and it does take a while to adjust your speed of teaching and expectations).

The other possibility is that there has been a new HT in your school in the past couple of years. As PP has said, it is more normal for teachers to move year groups regularly, so a new HT may have inherited a tricky and less than ideal situation with Mrs X as the Y6 teacher whose position may not be questioned. The new HT may have acted immediately, or they may have observed for a year or two, but now is the time for a shake up.

Whatever the reason, it is not a demotion!

[raddledoldmisanthropist]

This teacher is known for having favourites (which I can understand) But also for being very full of themselves

You seem lovely OP. I assume you want to know if she's been demoted so you can be extra supportive?

[LittleBearPad]

My DD had a previously year 6 teacher as her year 1 teacher. He looked knackered for most of the autumn term 😂 but he was great.

I’ve always assumed the headteacher and teachers like to change year groups for personal development reasons or to just mix things up so life doesn’t get samey. I’ve never assumed it was because some school years were easy!

[Scarby9]

Oh yes, and to back up what @GravityFalls says, a very effective and highly regarded music teacher from one of our local secondary schools has been deployed one day a week to teach music in the linked primaries. She has fallen apart with the behaviour management and keeping the children engaged and involved in her sessions and willl be joining the Primary NQT Behaviour Management training coming up. These are good classes with no noticeable particular challenges in terms of behaviour; but very different to Secondary.

[Pangwin]

When I used to teach I moved year group regularly, mainly because it was a small village school so class sizes varied from year to year, partly because other teachers didn't want to move around, and partly because others did want to move and I wasn't bothered which year group I taught (although I wasn't keen on doing Y6 tbh). The YR and Y2 teachers refused to move out of those years. I found moving year groups very useful for my own development and I believe it made me a better teacher.

So I did Y4, Y3/4, Y1, Y5, Y4, Y1, Y3/4, Y3, Y1. Had I not left teaching at that point my next class would have been Y5.

[DominaShantotto]

Year 6 can tend to burn people out after a while as well - between SATs and tweenage dramas - it's a lovely year group, but it brings its own pressures and emotional load. Likewise early years - I was chatting to one of my kids' teachers (probably the most superb person I've seen in front of a class to be honest as well - I'm in awe of how good she is at what she does) about it when she was moved from Reception to further up the school - she just wanted a change, and a bit of a break from the physical nature of being up and down lying on the carpet engaging with little people, and has loved the move in year group. I joked about how many parents had she had congratulating her on being promoted and yep, there were a few!

I've worked for one head who moved people around year groups to force them to clear their classroom cupboards, or there might be a particular group of kids coming up with some needs that they know they have a staff member with particular strengths or interests in and want to tap into... or, like in my own kid's school - a teacher with a child in the school so they move them around to avoid them teaching their own child's year group as they move up the school (we're unusual that we've got a fair few teaching staff living in-catchment.

It is always amusing to find someone who's been in year 5 or 6 for a good few years sent to cover an afternoon in nursery or reception though and how absolutely drained they are in the staffroom afterwards that "THEY KEEP ON PATTING ME LIKE I'M A DOG!"

You do tend to end up with year groups you prefer doing more than others though - for me year 2 and 3 are my least favourite... I love year 4 and year 1 the most. Year 6 when you know them can be lovely... year 6 post-SATs on supply... no fucking way!

[PurpleDaisies]

[quote TheRuleofStix]@PurpleDaisies where does anyone say that??? [/quote]
I was told I was wasted in primary because I was too clever. Don’t get me started on what people have said about choosing to work in SEND.

[napody]

@growinggreyer

If a nurse is moved from paeds to geriatrics is that a promotion?

[Iamnotthe1]

It is odd but there are some parents who do genuinely think the teachers can only teach certain year groups. In one of my previous schools, a teacher was moved from Year 2 to Year 6 and a group of parents complained, stating that she couldn't possibly have the knowledge she needed and was "only a KS1 teacher" and wasn't capable of teaching in KS2.

That being said, considering it as a promotion or demotion is wrong but there can be strategic reasons for moving people. In some schools, heads do put who they believe to be the stronger teachers in certain positions. Equally, it used to be quite common to put a member of SLT in Year 3 because they'd be spending more time out of class and Year 3 was seen as less impactful.

There are many different reasons why this change could have been made. However, unless there has been a significant drop in results in the last couple of years, it's unlikely to be performance-based.

[OverTheRainbow88]

@NaughtToThreeSadOnions

Yes sorry, I’m glad I know what the biscuit no comment means now, as often thought it was unkind when someone asked something and I thought people we’re responding by calling them
A doughnut!

[Stinkyguineapig]

My DS had a new teacher to the school in year 5.at parents eve I was asking her about her old school, where she had moved from etc, and she said she was looking forward to teaching year 5 because it was more enjoyable for the pupils, without the pressure of SATs. The teacher he has now in year 6 has definitely been in year 3 and 4 before.
My DD had the same teacher for year 4 and year 6 and then the teacher moved to year 3, so there is definitely a lot of mobility between years in that school. The infant school though has had the same reception teachers for at least 10 years.

[Feenie]

I'm going to go against the grain and say that I've heard in my school Y6 teachers get paid slightly more

Total and utter cobblers. You heard wrong.

[Meredusoleil]

@Feenie

I'm going to go against the grain and say that I've heard in my school Y6 teachers get paid slightly more

Total and utter cobblers. You heard wrong.

They've told me themselves. That they were given more money as an incentive! I'm just repeating what they said. Every school is different. No one wants Y6 in my school and we have real problems with R & R. Please don't accuse me of being a liar. I was as surprised as you are tbh!

[Italiandreams]

I have to say the toughest year I taught but the one I learnt the most in and improved my teaching the most was year one. It is great teaching in different year groups, massively improves your teaching.

[spanieleyes]

I taught in a small school for several years, with mixed age classes. One poor year group had me as their teacher in year R, Year 1, Year 2, Year 5 and Year 6! Thankfully they were lovely

[Knittedfairies]

Many years ago I moved to a brand new primary school; open plan, state of the art. (The architect was very proud and we had no end of people tramping through to admire his work in the first term or so). Anyway, the teacher's desk was built in so the teacher's back was to the class (?) and with the knee space on the right, tight against the wall. I queried why my desk was smaller than that of a junior teacher. Apparently infant teachers were smaller... and according to this thread, not so good at their job.

[Knittedfairies]

... and left-handed.

[bettsbattenburg]

@PurpleDaisies

Us primary school teachers are all really thick. Year 6, year 3, it’s irrelevant. We have to teach in secondary to be doing proper teaching.

Threads like this make me want to kick people

Actually it's moving to secondary is a demotion because they can only teach one subject, at primary you can teach the lot.

waits for jack of all trades, master of none comments to come flooding in



Can I have a biscuit now please miss?

[PheasantPlucker1]

I teach high school and Alevel. I had a reception age child in lockdown. Honeschool did not go well.

Anyone who is able to teach phonics is a genius

[hedgehogger1]

Oh so you just don't like her and are looking for some gossip to slag her off with. No definitely not a demotion!

[CaptainMyCaptain]

Absolutely not! Some teachers prefer/are better at working with younger or older children it doesn't mean they are better or worse per se. Some head teachers like to mix it up every so often.

[hedgehogger1]

I get year 13 on my timetable every year. It's coz I is the best innit