Parents working in school

[Schoolquery2017]

Our son's school appears to be employing solely parents to work as TAs / one to one support. I'm not keen as confidentially isn't kept leading to lots of gossip at the school gate. Am I being unreasonable?

I know schools have to pay to advertise jobs in Green Sheets and so they often advertise locally to save money and of course the parents will apply as they can take and collect their children and only work term time.
What sort of stuff is being said?

All school staff - including volunteers - are taught about confidentiality when they start.

If you hear or have heard any staff member sharing confidential information about a child, please report it to the head.

That's interesting about the confidentiality, is it a formal agreement, a legal requirement? It's general chat about who does what on the playground and academic ability, haven't heard anything about our boy (yet) and it's nothing major but does t sit right with me.

Are they discussing it with other parents who also work at the school?
There's no problem with that as they would both be bound by the same confidentiality rules if it's a private conversation but if it's within earshot of other parents then that's not ok.

I am a TA at my children's school. The confidentiality is part of the contract and stipulations of the job. We do not talk about children outside of the school environment and then only to the relevant people. We may have a moan in the staff room if the children are acting up (ie this week leading up to half term!) but never in the hearing of any children and definitely not in earshot of parents. Quite unprofessional!
I would speak to the head or deputy and they can then have a general awareness chat about confidentiality.

They are chatting to their friends, who predictably chat to their friends and so on... Glad to hear this isn't the norm.

At my school, one of the parents saw something confidential and then told the parent of that child.
The child's parent then asked me about it (as I work with that year group) and I had to deny all knowledge. I can't discuss anything that goes on at school with parents, they have to speak to the teacher.
Obviously if its something good like a child has handed in great homework or mastered a tricky maths lesson they've been struggling with I can tell the parent they've had a great day but if their child has had a fight or done something wrong, then the teacher deals with it.
The TA should know this.

I will also add that the confidentiality also covers volunteers as well. If parents come in to help read or so, they still must adhere to it. No talking about the children's ability. This will have been explained to them right at the start.

Please report to the head.

Thanks everyone, I will have a word tomorrow. perhaps the correct procedures aren't in place.

It depends what they are saying. Telling the parent of a child they work with that they did great in gymnastics is very different to gossiping about misbehaving or academic achievement.

You are not being unfair it would definitely come with certain bias and judgementsee its human nature.

If they're talking to the parent of the child then that's fine, nothing wrong with saying X did well in maths today, or he was playing with Y & Z at playtime. If she's talking about other children then that's not ok.

They definitely should not be talking about anything to do with school activities, individual pupils, etc. Of course, it doesn't mean that rogue unprofessional people don't exist. I know of a case locally where a preschool assistant told lots of gossipy mums which person had reported one of them to social services (for genuine and very concerning reasons). Nothing was done about it.

My son had a 1 to 1 who was a parent in another year. She was absolutely brilliant!