Yr 1 teacher resigned mid year - how to support DC with education?

[VestaTilley]

Hello,

Hoping for some advice please. DC is in year 1 at an outstanding primary. The newly qualified teacher has handed in her notice and will leave in December. A new teacher hasn’t yet been recruited. I know it can be harder to hire a good teacher mid-year, and I’m worried about Jan-July being a bit of a write off.

The school had a recent Ofsted and was “outstanding” in all categories bar education (irony) which was ranked “good”. The Head is well regarded and I hope will ensure a good replacement, but I wondered if anyone can recommend things to do at home to help DC keep up and if there are any curriculum milestones that ought to be met by the end of the year?

We do normal things at home like practice spellings, read together each day and some basic sums, but if any teachers or parents could give advice I would be grateful. Little Wandle is the reading scheme (DC is stage 4).

Many thanks indeed.

The Head Teacher will ensure that she is taught. I would concentrate on being upbeat and positive about the change of staff, and not letting on that you are concerned for her education.

Your child will be taught regardless of who teaches them. My child rarely had the same teacher at the end of the year that he had at the start. In year 5 he had 3 different teachers. It didn't affect his education and got manly 7,8 and 9s at GCSE. Don't worry

I wouldn’t worry! They may end up with a more experienced teacher as well….

Have faith in the school's ability to recruit the right candidate before you start panicking.

Far from being the end of the world, there are often excellent, capable teachers looking to move from schools where they are not valued or are put under too much pressure/scrutiny. If the school has as good a reputation as you say, there will be teachers jumping at the chance to join even though it is mid-year.

You may even get someone far more experienced than the current ECT (newly qualified teacher). Whoever they get will likely do a more than adequate job, even if they are agency staff on a temporary contract until the end of the year (you as parents won't be privy to this information, but even if they are hired from an agency they will likely be looking to impress to earn a permanent contract). That's how I got my current teaching job. I left my previous role at Christmas, thoroughly pissed off with how I was being treated. I joined a supply agency who, after a term of adhoc daily placements, found me a school looking for a teacher to cover a class for the summer term. I loved the school, they liked me and asked me to stay on permanently. That was 6 years ago. Similar could easily happen here. There are so many unhappy teachers out there who are looking for a change mid-year.

Whatever happens, it will not be solely left up to you as parents to make sure they're achieving end of year expectations!

This happened to my middle child and, although the school lost a new teacher they were willing to invest time in, the supply who stepped in was fantastic and very experienced and they asked her to stay for the rest of the year. So don’t assume the rest of the year will be a write off.

Thank you everyone! All helpful points and useful advice. Many thanks indeed.