Should I alert the head teacher?

[Citytocountry1]

Our children attend a typical village school , 62 pupils so small numbers, but also small building meaning blended classes. Since our eldest entered year 3 this year and is now in the “big classroom” we are becoming a bit concerned with some things of the things she talks about. However this week and last week in particular it feels like it’s gone from a few disruptive children in the years above, to all out chaos. She has come home saying things such as “so and so threw a table, and ripped the whiteboard off the wall” “ another child hit another child in the face” and various other scenarios of things she didn’t witness not talk about when they were in year 2.

Today and yesterday various children have been crying and staff appear very stressed and we found out his teacher walked out of the classroom yesterday leaving them alone as they couldn’t manage it anymore. My child told me this. I then got a text from another parent who I trust implicitly telling me their children said school was scary today. We have no permanent head Teacher which isn’t helping.

what would you do? Do I alert the teacher who apparently walked out of the worried my child is having or go straight to the temporary head who leaves in 6 weeks time?

I can’t see it getting better. I would also move my child

I would be reporting your concerns to ofsted.

You can't you have to go through the head and then the governors first.

This is not going to be fixed quickly, whatever you say when you meet with the interim head.

I would move schools quickly, especially as there might be no option to do so if other parents are feeling the same.

Tiny village schools often attract lots of kids with SEN.My sistwr teaches a class with 3 year groups and two thirds of the kids have SEN.

Funding is a big issue for smaller schools and we are seeing more of them close here as a result. With such small numbers they can't all balance the books anymore. It's sad really but it's the current Funding crisis causing the problem. Years ago a small school would be a good option for a lot of kids. Now I think larger primary schools with bigger intakes are actually coping better although they are all having to cut support staff as budgets are tight and with more SEN children in main stream education it's not helpful.

This is a good point. You often see on here people recommending small schools as being more nurturing. And perhaps they once were but now with the loss of so many TAs for financial reasons there are not enough adults to do everything that needs to be done.

Agree
urgently approach head

Agree
urgently approach head

Urgently! How's she going to manage that?

Agree
urgently approach head

Since op posted on 3rd Nov it wouldn't be all that urgent by now!

No, don’t do this 🙄!

as others have said, approach the head first and have a conversation about your concerns. You sound like a reasonable person who is able to be respectful and listen to the head. If the situation doesn’t improve and you want to go further, then use the school’s complaints procedure.

Kicking off with all guns blazing, and complaining to ‘everyone and his dog’ is not the solution.

I would work on identifying a way to get child to school ten minutes drive away. Is there a local online platform to see if parents pool together for a minibus etc ?

Issues like these are exceptionally difficult to navigate in small schools because the resources nor the environment help.

I also am sceptical of children of such different ages being a positive learning experience.

Hi all just a little update as I can see some more people replied, sorry about that I didn’t realise!!!! So the temp head (who has now stayed on until end of this term) was very good.

They acknowledged that the teacher admitted it happened, that they felt completely strung out that day and it was absolutely a mistake not to be made again etc etc. teacher also spoke direct with me afterwards. I do feel so sorry for the school and the teachers. They are trying bloody hard to navigate the obstacles in their way to smooth running days. It’s a small old building with not enough space, a bit, well a lot, run down, and rural but at capacity due to another couple of village schools closing down and pupils transferring across. Not to mention the more challenging pupils they are managing with little resource help and basically no space inside at all for managing sensory overload issues.

unfortunately the other school did inform us they were full for the year group we need, and put us (and I heard also in the playground another family talking about waiting to be moved there, as that school offers breakfast and after school clubs too as ours doesn’t) on a waiting list.

I’ve also volunteered to help out at school this term and maybe next by swapping my Thursday at work for a Saturday (there are no parent volunteers at the school as everyone either works full time or has other priorities, they are down another TA after one left at Xmas, awaiting my DBS check) , not really in a checking up sense because I’ll be busy actually helping children do an art class but also just to help take pressure off by being an extra pair of hands.

I just really wish I could wave a magic wand and give the school and teachers what they need to have a better environment

thanks again for all the input I really didn’t want to speak to any school parents about this and cause more issues

Wow, well done you for being prepared to help. That's really admirable.

I’m working in a rural village school now having previously worked in inner London and I am quite shocked at the needs of the children. My TA keeps being taken to cover other areas and it is so hard without an extra adult. I have a lot of special needs in my class. It’s very eye opening.

Speak to the head. Don’t bother the teacher unless you can do so very diplomatically.

I feel like maybe if I do other people might try and help too. It’s only temporary help but hopefully it will help a little bit even if all I do is clean up the art stuff!

I’m sorry to hear you are a teacher facing this issue in your school. I hope there is a solution