Complaining about a teacher - would like some advice

[muffinmonster]

DD has asked me if I could complain to her school about one of her science teachers (she has two). Her grounds for complaint are:
? poor teaching - teacher shows them powerpoints and gets them to take notes. (I asked what else she would expect, she said worksheets etc. - he is giving them information but not getting them to engage with it, I think is what she means).
? he has only done one practical so far this term (I don't know what would be normal, though)
? he sets very little homework
? he ignores them if they ask questions in class
? he has a very strong foreign accent which makes him difficult to understand.

(I'm particularly doubtful about complaining about the last one - on the other hand, if the children can't understand what he says it's hard for them to learn)

To put this in context, DD is in Y10. She has already sat two GCSE modules and will be sitting two more in January, one of them in this teacher's subject. She is putting together a revision timetable as I write and says she is 'furious' looking at the list of topics as she feels they haven't covered any of them properly.

Schools complaint procedure in the first instance is supposed to be to complain directly to the teacher involved but that doesnt' seem appropriate here; I'm thinking of contacting the head of Science. My questions are:

(a) are these reasonable grounds for complaint, and
(b) what can I reasonably expect the school to do?

(I'm trying very hard to be reasonable!)

[Minx179]

I would complain about the teachers accent; and have previously done so myself. It has nothing to do with racism.

DS complained he couldn't understand his maths teacher. The teacher would stand at the front of the class and explain the subject, then have to go round each table and explain again, as his accent was so strong the children could only understand him when they were face to face.

We complained, as I believe did a number of other parents. DS got a new teacher the following week. Unfortunately a lower set then got the foreign teacher.


Presumably in shortage subjects it is better for some schools to employ somebody rather than nobody.

[bossboggle]

My neighbour's son got his whole class together and went and complained to the head about a particular teacher - they thought they were not getting the standard of teaching that they were entitiled to - they were in year 10 too and they stood their ground sensibly and put across their argument well and the head teacher agreed and they were given a new teacher in that particular subject, a more experienced teacher when the other teacher was given another class lower down the school and help in improving their teaching so that they were eventually ready for a GCSE class. Good luck.

[breatheslowly]

I would complain about the accent. Teachers are regularly observed by colleagues and it won't be too hard for the school to investigate to see whether this is a real issue or one that pupils are focussing on unjustifiably.

[muffinmonster]

Has taken me a while to report back on this, but here goes:

After I posted initially, things went from bad to worse. As a result, a group of Y10 girls, including my DD, went to the Head of Science to make a complaint. He was quite receptive and told them he would see what he could do. I decided this would be a good time to add my voice so phoned him a couple of days later, armed with a list of bullet points put together after re-reading this thread.

He listened, but didn't listen, if that makes sense - that is, he was quite ready to acknowledge that there is a problem, but didn't really give me a chance to say all I wanted to - so I didn't even get to mention the accent! He did promise that he would observe a class and then get back to me.

DD came home from school a couple of days later to say they'd had the best biology lesson in ages, as Head of Science had sat in on the class. She was worried he would think there was no problem because the class had been so well-behaved.

HoS then got back to me promptly and said he is going to take DD's biology class from now until they sit their biology module in January and try to help them catch up. His own unfortunate class will be getting Mr Useless - how long before their parents start to complain?

So I'm reassured that our complaints have been listened to and taken seriously, and I feel that the HoS can't really do more than he is doing - but they still have a problem science teacher and I don't know what will happen after the biology exam in January. We'll just have to cross that bridge when we come to it.

[GnomeDePlume]

I would certainly raise the concerns with the school. Had to do this for Maths. My intial approach was via form tutor (this was the approved method in the school). The form tutor then involved Head of Year, Head of Maths and also the specific teacher.

My concerns were taken seriously and acted upon.

Keep the focus on how the various issues are affecting your daughter:

• your daughter does not feel that she is getting sufficient learning material to allow her to engage with the subject
  
• your daughter is concerned that she is not carrying out enough practicals
  
• your daughter is concerned that she is not being set sufficient homework
  
• your daughter feels that her questions are ignored
  
• your daughter finds his accent difficult to understand
  
  By keeping it specific this is then not an attack on the competence of the teacher but an expression of concern about your daughter's realtionship with the teacher and therefore the subject.
  
  Good luck, poor teaching can be so dispiriting.

[TheFallenMadonna]

Well, he might well have been sacked by then, or well on his way anyway. Sounds like capability to me...

[DanFmDorking]

1. Keep a diary of what your daughter says about the lessons, date and time and what was said.
   
2. Write to the Head of Year (or Headteacher) about the problems. It needn?t be long and rambling just short and to the point. ?My daughter is not making any progress at school because ??
   
3. At the end of next week, check with the school to see what has been done. Ask them what progress has been made regarding these problems.
   
4. If you are not happy that the problems are being addressed then take it up with the Headteacher again. Ask what progress has been made regarding the problems.
   
5. You may choose to approach one of the Governors about the problems ?I?m concerned about ? I want to make sure that I?m going about this in the right way?. The Governors should just check that the correct procedures are been followed.
   
6. How the school addresses parental concerns is a measure of how good the school is.

[Francesca22]

I would also contact the Head of Science to express concern and find out if there is a chance of moving to a different teacher. What is good is that your DD cares enough to be concerned about what is happening and what you don't want is for her to lose confidence or become demoralised. I would invest in revision guides for whichever board she is taking and would also start asking around about a tutor in case you have no luck with the school. As other posters have said, schools often find it hard to deal with teachers who are not performing even when they know there are problems.

[GnomeDePlume]

MuffinMonster it is good that the HoS has come back to you. The thing now is to keep up the pressure. If there is any backsliding then be straight back onto them.

This isnt nagging this is holding them to account. At the end of the day if they see that you wont give up then they wont (in the end).

[seandovey4]

my 16 year old son has got autism and is always misunderstood at school his teacher is always saying seans been rude or naughty once he said the words sausages sausages and the teacher told him off in the meeting teacher said she got affended because she is a muslim we are not racist at all recently my son asked if he could go to the toilet teacher told him no finish your work and go at break also teacher kept my son in at lunch time to finish his maths and wasn't allowed to have a break my son was sent home with exam assessments to finish at home also my son did say teacher told his friend who has cerebral palsy to pick his feet up which I think was bad people with cerebral palsy struggle to walk all I here is my son picked up a chair and threw across the class very exaggerated and slammed door in teachers face again made up .this teacher clearly doest understand autism sean comes home upset I did notice scratch marks on his arms

[Stillunexpected]

OP you have posted on a very old thread which was about a different topic to the one which you are posting about. I suggest the best thing would be for you to start a new thread as people will probably not read to the end of this one to realise you are posting about something new. However, very briefly I would say that it is very normal at secondary school for teachers not to allow pupils to go to the toilet during class, particularly if there is a constant stream of requests. Sixteen year-olds are expected to be organised enough to go at break/lunch/between classes. Also normal if work is not finished in class to keep students in at break or to send the work home. How is your son going to keep up otherwise?

As your son has autism, the school SENCO should be involved and I suggest you request a meeting with the teacher and SENCO together. It sounds as if the teacher doesn't have an understanding of your son's needs but equally throwing a chair across the room and slamming doors is unacceptable. Why do you say this is made up? Were you there at the time?

[Independentandproud]

Go in and discuss, no sense in not doing so since it definitely will not get any better with inaction. IME the HoS will look like he does not agree with you but then will have a quiet word or even pop in. DC was a bit suspicious when deputy head turned up to watch a lesson after I had mentioned it in passing at teacher meeting. Actually, DC was quite embarrassed and accused me of making a fuss!