Lessons not being taught by teachers

[robd]

At my son's secondary school, the maths teacher has been off for several weeks. Initially they had a cover supervisor for a week who literally just sat there whilst they did easy worksheets. Then they had various other teachers from around the school who again just handed out easy worksheets.

This is not the first time this has happened - if ever a teacher is off for an extended period of time, they do not get qualified staff in to cover. This is his GCSE year and I feel that the school are not taking the valuable lesson time he has seriously.

Is this just happening at my son's school?

No. Cover supervisors are much cheaper. I would phone the school and complain.

This is not acceptable. Many schools use cover supervisors or other teaching staff for the first few days of absence (3-5 depending on the subject). Though many c/s are far more competent/capable than you describe.

But after that the SMT should be taking steps to ensure some continuity of cover for the students: ie employing a supply teacher to cover all the lessons of the teacher on a medium/longer term absence.

As a parent I would contact the school immediately and query this, especially (but not only) because this is his GCSE year.

I must admit this is a really surprising post and you should contact the school - not least because they are breaking the law.

Teachers now only 'rarely' cover and then only in cases of 'unforeseeable emergency'. There is a workload agreement that guarantees this.

If your son's teacher has been off sick for several weeks, that is a 'known absence' and other staff cannot be asked to cover. Are you sure they aren't using supply staff?

Supply teachers would teach. Cover supervisors look after the class-it is the cheap way of doing it and only acceptable IMO for the first few days.

After a few days a supply teacher's pay is covered by insurance so it is inexcusable not to have one in to cover.

It's only paid by insurance, if the school has insurance.... Not always the case, sadly.

I'd be on the phone to the school in the morning too.

Sad to say though, that if you shout, they will probably move your DS into another class and those that don't shout, will be left with unqualified/cover/non subject teacher.

I'm a cover supervisor. One of our Maths teachers has been out since the beginning of the school year: my colleagues and I covered the first few days of her absence with work set by the Head of Department, and since then she has been replaced with a subject-specialist supply teacher. This should be happening at your son's school too. Complain!

FYI: If your son has cover lessons whose only content is ludicrous hand-outs, the department with the absent colleague is to blame: cover supervisors aren't allowed to set work or plan lessons. I would advise you to complain about the maths department while you're at it.

At ds's school we were told that he might have fairly frequent cover supervision because he is in Year 7, and qualified teachers are deployed to teach the GCSE students who would feel the lack of a teacher more.

As you say this is your son's GCSE year then I would definitely say something.

I would have hoped times had changed since when I did A Level German with no German teacher! She disappeared off after half a term, and the school didn't replace her. We were supposed to 'teach ourselves'. Yeah, right. And, it being yonks ago, none of our parents said a word.

Gramercy - I don't think that's an acceptable policy either.

The workforce remodelling agreement made with the unions stated that cover supervision by staff who were trained and experienced, but who were not qualified teachers, is acceptable FOR SHORT TERM ABSENCES.

Most schools interpret this as the first 3-5 days only. It doesn't matter what year group they are in, they still need qualified teachers.

I was a c/s for 4 years. I enjoyed the role and it worked well in our school for occasional absences (courses, meetings etc, and short-term illness). But that doesn't mean I believe it's an alternative to qualified subject specialists for longer-terms absences.