Would you be happy about this?

[RaindropsKeepFalling]

We've just been informed of which class ds1 is going to be in next year (Y2). His allocated teacher is going to be off on maternity leave for terms 1 and 2. So for term 1 they're having a teacher who has been covering another maternity leave this year. Only she's not specifically a Y2 teacher, and is emigrating at the end of the year anyway so is probably going to have other things on her mind. Then they get someone else, as yet unknown, for term 2 (are they going to get anybody good for just 1 term?) and finally get their own teacher in term 3 - although I know she's already said she doesn't plan on going back full time. So we're probably looking at a job share and 4 teachers in total for the year.

The 2 Y2 classes (30 kids each) only have 1 half-time TA between them - so no great amount of continuity from that angle either.

Really can't see this working well. ds1 is very able, but can end up becoming disruptive when he gets bored if he's not given sufficient challenge, and with all this chopping and changing it doesn't bode well.

Please tell me that someone's had this sort of scenario before and it's worked out ok?

(Have namechanged because I'd probably be indentifiable from this scenario.)

I too would be very worried about this scenario.
Are the other parents equally concerned?
Have you considered speaking to or writing to the head to seek clarification of the situation?

no primary teachers are 'specifically' a certain year teacher so I don't see how her not being specifically a year 2 teacher would make any difference tbh.

DS's teacher went on maternity leave and was replaced by another teacher, I know it's only two teacehrs, not four like in your case, but so far it has worked out really well and bothj teachers are lovely and completely dedicated to the children.

Reminds me of the year when dd ended up with a different teacher for each of her English lessons in Yr. 2.

Unsettles a child even if they're fairly stable imo.

Difficult one to resolve though.

DS has had a version of that scenario this year. It hasn't been ideal, but hasn't been disastrous either. He's been upset when teachers he likes have left, but he is progressing and enjoying school.

not ideal, but I wouldn't assume that the one emmigrating won't be professional - despite her personal circumstances.

It depends on the teacher. THis happened to DS#1 in yr3. Had a lovely teacher to start with then she went on mat leave, 2 job shares for a term until one of the job shares went on mat leave herself and was replaced by a series of temporary teachers. It was awful and it had a big impact on him but he was struggling with school to start with.

It depends on the teacher. THis happened to DS#1 in yr3. Had a lovely teacher to start with then she went on mat leave, 2 job shares for a term until one of the job shares went on mat leave herself and was replaced by a series of temporary teachers. It was awful and it had a big impact on him but he was struggling with school to start with.

Depends on the teacher. Ds has had job shares and coped really well.

i wouldn't worry too much - it's SATs year and with my cynical head on, they ain't gonna let some teacher's baby bugger up their test results...

this year ds1 has had 4 teachers as the one he started with went sick... they had no idea how long she would be away for, a week or a year, so we had a term of dithering before they replaced her with a job share (a 2/3 day turn about) - not ideal, but not a disaster. it was the parents who made it worse tbh, by arguing about it in the playground in front of the children, who up until that point were fine...

hope it all works out

No one is specifically a year 2 teacher, good Heads get them to change. A job share can be very positive, but it is a shame that they can't find someone to do 2 terms.

As others have said it depends on the teachers/school. Due to a number of reasons, ds2's class has had 3 teachers so far this year, not including supply teachers. If someone had told me back in September that this would happen I would have said that it would be a nightmare, particularly as ds2 has SN. Instead it's all worked out well IMHO.

The key seems to be communication between the various teachers and how they do the handover. Ds2's teachers have been good at making sure that the next person knows exactly what is going on and which level each child is at. The more able ones continue to be given more challenging work, and those who need extra help are still getting it.

This is not good.
When DS1 started school there was no reception class teacher, so a whole year was made up of the dep head who was also the head of senco (and doing too many jobs to be any good at any of them) and a whole load of part time teachers. Never a week went by with just one teacher, it was hell.