How many temporary teachers.......

[Edit]

are too many? DD now has temporary (sick/maternity) cover teachers for four of her academic subjects. Should I be concerned (she is Year 8?) Is this usual - do schools appoint lots of younger cheaper staff who then want to start families and if female, are then off, leaving the children to cope as best they can?

Leaving aside the fact that I was quite expensive when I went on maternity leave...

You can't sadly predict these things, short of asking wholly inappropriate questions about a woman's reproductive intentions. Nor can you anticipate long term illness. We shuffle our timetable as best we can to deal with things (I am teaching in most of my free periods to cover an a level class), but exam classes are generally the priority, which is I realise harsh in year 8. Maternity covers can be excellent though. It is the ongoing sickness that is more of a problem.

Thanks for your replies. It rather grates that we are paying £14 grand a year for this at a "leading London day school" ....

what would you want the 'leading London day school' to do - sack the teachers on maternity so they can replace with other staff? Not employ females of child bearing age? It is always going to happen whether you pay £14 grand a year or if you go the the local state school

"do schools appoint lots of younger cheaper staff who then want to start families and if female, are then off, leaving the children to cope as best they can?"

Really?

Schools are not allowed to ask "are you going to start a family" when interviewing female staff. It's illegal. Also illegal to only employ men, strangely enough.

It is often the way that classes are shuffled when this happens, to ensure continuity for the exam years as a priority.

Are the cover teachers any good? I think the colleague who covered my second maternity leave is a better teacher than I am, to be honest. She was so good the school kept her on afterwards, even when I came back.

I started at my current school as a maternity leave cover, after my own maternity break. I am now HoD.

My dd has had several teachers for some of her subjects and it does annoy her as the continuity suffers.
Whether you are paying privately is neither here nor there though. All children deserve the best education.
I do sometimes feel that at her school "cheaper," younger teachers are employed as opposed to older, and let's face it, less likely to get pregnant staff.
Once the staff on maternity return though my dd does seem to get back on track again with her learning.