Teacher allocation in Year 8

[redskytonight]

DS started in Y8 yesterday. He came home with his new timetable and … he has not a single teacher that taught him last year – they are all brand new to him. And, slightly oddly, for 3 subjects (where he only has 2 or 3 lessons a fortnight) he actually has 2 teachers splitting the lessons between them – so he has several teachers that will only be teaching him for a single lesson a fortnight!

I understand that GCSE and A Level years get priority in terms of timetabling (and DS’s school runs a 3 year KS4), but am really surprised at this high level of teacher “turnover” – is this usual?

To pre-empt questions
– DS recognises most of the new teacher names, so they are not new to the school, and equally, as far as he knows, none of his last year’s teachers have left the school!

• DS’s school doesn’t set (except maths) so DS is still being taught in the same class as last year.

I think that is pretty normal, particularly in Y8.

And great that none of them are new/his old ones haven't left as turnover is generally pretty high

Normal. It really doesn't mean the staff he had last year have all left! A core dept (English, Maths, Science) in an average sized secondary will have 10-15 teachers. An options subject (history etc) will have maybe 4 or 5. The split classes will be (probably) shared between part time teachers, or to accommodate a level and gcse timetabling. Try to see it as a positive, as he works his was through the school he'll get to know more staff, feel more comfortable, more staff will know him.

Oh and most heads of dept (me included when I did it) will deliberately mix up the staffing so that classes don't have the same teacher year on year. It means that they get to experience different teaching styles, don't get overly reliant on one staff member and then get stressed three years down the line when they leave, and no one class gets stuck with the shit teacher for an extended period of time. (Sometimes there just is a shit teacher!)

Means he's more likely to know most of his teachers when he starts his GCSEs.

don't get overly reliant on one staff member and then get stressed three years down the line when they leave,

Hmm, DD was dancing for joy when she found out she had the same History teacher as last year - she's loved her from the first lesson - but I can see there is a heartbreak down the line.

I was surprised by how many of DD's teachers were the same - especially as I was expecting her to move down a set for Maths - of course could be that teacher also teaches a lower set. So I guess all schools are different.

totally normal.

Y11 dd has fewer 'new to her' teachers than usual this year - English, maths, geography, history, French. Of those only that maths. English & history haven't taught her before, the history teacher is new to the school. Oh and she has two maths teachers (three lessons a week), last year it was three (four lessons a week).

Generally they can expect to have mostly different teachers every year.

We change teachers for maths every year except Y10-11. Kids prefer different teachers' teaching styles so it's good for them to experience different things. I'm crap at the creative stuff which another teacher is great at, some teachers do a lot of group work and so on.

Also, as a teacher if you've had a nightmare bottom set, or a lovely top set, it's only fair that someone else gets them next year!

Yes, another vote for normal. Dd has just gone into y9, and has the same maths teacher but the others are all different I think. (Think her old Spanish teacher is now teaching her French!) The only time I'd expect some continuity is going from y10 into y11.

DS has just gone into year 8 and also has none of the same teachers as last year. Form tutor has remained the same but she isn't teaching them for her subject this year though she did last year.

Perfectly normal for years 7-9 to change teachers each year.

Year 10-11 they tend to stick with the same subject teachers, that is if they stay.

It's normal to change subject teachers every year, unless you are in the middle of a GCSE or A-level course.

Also normal to have two different teachers for one subject.

Totally normal to have totally different teachers and also normal to have two teachers for one subject.

Completely normal, what would you expect to be different, and why?

Adding my voice to 'normal'
I'd also say a good thing - different dc 'take to' different teachers, and thrive with different styles. It's good to ensure all dc in a class get their chance to really enjoy lessons. Obviously if your ds got on with maths teacher MrsA and made good progress, it's disappointing to change, but if your ds really clashed for some reason with English teacher MrB, you'd be delighted he wasn't going to have him again.

Certainly normal. There will probably be teachers whose timetable needs to be filled and that will probably be why there are different teachers for non core subjects.

Schools shuffle teachers around so pupils have the opportunity to work with different teachers.

Should add that DS is going into Y8 too! He said that seeing the Y7s made him realise how tiny they were last year - about a 10 cm difference!

Normal to have new teachers. At DS's school English is taught by two teachers; one is in charge of teaching composition, grammar, and other written work.
Literature, reading & comprehension is taught by a different tutor.