Teachers secondary age daughter helping in primary one class

[Fashion83]

Our DS is in primary 1. (Scotland - age 5, almost 6). He is in a council ran school. We are privileged to have so many PSA’s (teaching assistants) in the school so the children get quite a bit of small group time with one adult. However this week on a video posted to a parent app the teacher was showing us a group who were doing a literacy game with her daughter who I think would be around 14/15/16 years old. Assume she is off on study leave. Am I right in thinking this is a bit strange? Since when did teachers take their children in to help. Unless she wants to study teaching but perhaps let us know?

As an aside, said teacher is part time & the deputy head teaches our son and his class on a Friday which I was quite happy with however I could count on my hand how many times she’s been there in class over the past 2 terms and they’ve had another teacher. No issue as such but we as parents haven’t been told which annoys me. AIBU to expect to be told?

Thanks.

The teacher DID let parents know, on a video app from the classroom. Are you sure it's the teachers own child, or did you assume?

In secondary schools, it's usual for every S1 pupil to be teamed up with an older pupil , a "buddy" or befriender who helps them settle in. Encouraging older pupils to take responsibility, develop social caring skills. The older pupils also welcome in older people from the community for meals, company, skill sharing and history.

My grandkids told me the whole of P7 (small village primary) has just spent a day at the High School they will move to in August; they played basketball, had talks, school dinner, saw the classrooms, gym, library and facilities, met some teachers. Making big school more familiar to ease the transition.

There's a very big cross-over of communication and support between Scottish secondary schools, the primaries they serve, and the whole community they live in.

Thanks all. My issue is a really don’t think it’s work experience. I should have said before she’s had her daughter there. I am not concerned about my sons welfare atoll I just want to point that out but do feel it’s quite unprofessional. I find the school VERY laid back. No desks in early years (I appreciate learn through play), no jotters only small white boards, no homework in any year group other than reading. I guess it’s just how it wasn’t formalised that’s annoyed me. The same with the depute head on a Friday. That’s fine but just let us know! Consistency in P1 is needed l I feel.

Yeah, I did work experience in a school, in my mum's friend's class (7&8 year olds). A couple of times I did a game with the kids or an easy activity. They enjoyed having someone different.

I wasn't left in charge of them for a whole day or anything, it was literally 5 minutes while the teacher watched.

Several of my friends did the same. I don't think it's strange at all.

What do you mean "how it isn't formalised?". Formalised with who?
The school have a plan, you don't need to know every in and out.
If this is your first child, buckle up because you're in for a bumpy ride!

Homework at primary has no evidence it actually has any impact on educational achievement. I'd be glad if my dcs primary didn't do it. OTOH literacy and reading are the biggest indicator of a child's success (beyond socio economic background).

I used to go in and hear readers and help my mum out 🤷‍♀️

You’re being quite ridiculous to be honest. EYFS don’t need desks and homework is also pointless in primary.

The fact that the video showed her with a group says she is being helpful and supportive of the children. If she’d been stood on her phone or taking her mum’s attention, I could understand your upset.

You don’t need to know that the DH won’t be teaching or that there is an extra helper in class.

It sounds like the school isn’t a good fit for you. You’ll need to either change schools or change your thinking, neither of which will be an easy thing to do

Yeah I don't think this school fits with your expectations and that's ok.

What you have described is absolutely completely normal in alot of schools.

Just because you don't understand how a school is ran doesn't make the people in the school unprofessional, it just means you don't understand...

Look on the schools website, each year group should have a section fully explaining the curriculum and expectations...

This is very odd. A 15/16 year old is more than capable of helping to do some literacy tasks with P1s, bet the class loved having another person to work with! There is no obligation for them to tell you of anyone in the classroom. Would you be annoyed if it was a parent helper?

My daughter came to help in my class when her school had an INSET day. She is now a teacher herself. It's quite normal.

My daughter did her work experience in her first school, I don’t know if they told the parents, I doubt it?

She is off to Uni in Sept to study primary education.

Sounds entirely normal primary school behaviour to me.

Out of curiosity would this happen in a private school? My sister (who is overseas) pays a lot for her children to go to school & has never had anyone in the class helping without being told?

I used to go and help in a local infant school during free periods in the 6th form. I loved doing it; the children loved having extra people around.

The only time there was a slight issue was when I arrived back covered in paint after one of the little ones had dropped a pot of paint right in front of me and I was liberally splattered.

My next teacher promptly asked what had happened... it was actually her daughter that had dropped the paint. 🤣

No idea if it would happen in private. You do tend to get more day to day information from private though. Perhaps you should try private.

Yes. The school above was a local private one. They really encouraged extra help from our 6th formers.

Schools don't generally communicate staffing details to parents. We have been told this year when the TA changed permanently but other things we have figured out from who is in the class at pick up or DD telling us. I go in once a week to hear readers but the parents will only know if their children have told them.

I find in general at school there is an expectation that children will share a fair amount of information, which leads to some confused stories at times! The school tells us the key bits but are too busy to share everything. They will communicate it all to the children themselves.

Is your child unsettled by the changes? If he is, then it's worth raising with the school that he benefits from knowing in advance. If he is OK with it, then I would let it go.

My mother was a headteacher and I spent must of my teenage study leave and wed pm in 6th form at her school. I became a teacher and headteacher.

totally normal

It could be work experience or just in a voluntary role. No, they don’t have to tell you, why do you think they need to? It’s a non issue that you’re making a fuss about.

Oh and yes, it does happen in private schools. I really don’t get what your problem is.

I think you need to remember school is not early years child care. They don’t have to inform you every time there is a slight change of teacher for whatever reason - yes if it’s long term but not if say a depute needs to cover for a day or so or whatever.

also I used to do work experience in my mums school. I also used to help out at school events etc, it’s quite normal.

I know someone who works in an international school that has a linked primary and secondary section and on their Facebook page last week there was a section about y8 students writing books for infants and going into the class and reading to the little ones. Small children love older children (and a 14 year old might as well
be 100 to a 5 yo) and the secondary school kids are often a very good help, due to being keen and not too old to get down on the floor, throw themselves around the playground and generally join in!

My DDs went to two private schools and there were often senior girls helping out in primary. I seem to recall they had a scheme where girls (both girls schools before anyone asks where the boys were) were attached to particular primary classes and regularly spent time with them.

I went to a school where they would bring in sixth formers, church volunteers, parents etc to support in various roles. The message was that we are part of a community - the classroom isn't this siphoned off thing separate to the rest of the town, we're part of it! The teachers (and yes sometimes their kids and even their partners), the dinner nannies, the caretaker's dog, the football coach who hired our playing field after hours, the eccentric lady over the road who bakes cakes for the fete.. are all part of it.

My daughter volunteered weekly at our primary as part of her D of E award. Might be that?