Colleague not pulling their weight

[Shadowboy]

I am a HOD. I have a colleague who is in their second year of teaching. We teach A level only at a sixth form college. I am really struggling with my colleague who can’t seem to do more than the bare minimum. Students are complaining that they don’t understand the content on the colleague’s side of the syllabus. I’ve told the faculty head and principal numerous times but they tell me to chat to the colleague about it and that the colleague is new to teaching so it’s bound to feel one sided. But I’m shattered- doing all the extra work- prepping for my side of the syllabus and the colleague’s. Dealing with the students, alongside doing normal HOD things- basically everything. My subject is small so there are only two of us teaching it but I am responsible for close to 200 students and the outcomes at the other end. Would you continue to forward complaints from students to faculty head or just keep dealing with it and take it all as part of being a HOD? I feel like I’ll be known as the moaning myrtle if I continue.

I would do both.

I would respond to student complaints myself but copy in the Head of Faculty every time for their information.

In my line leadership meetings I would have an ongoing list of issues that I was picking up and ask regarding setting targets etc if it wasn’t working out.

It sounds very difficult indeed.

How did their first year of teaching go?

HollowTalk I don’t know as they did it elsewhere. In a school.
It’s difficult for me as I’m personally fed up but I’m worried if I complain it will look like some sort of anti colleague complaint. The colleague is nice enough but so incredibly lazy.
The principal asked me if I met with them socially.... I think that was a backhanded tactic to work out if I just simply disliked them I think.

I feel trapped into doing everything.
I spent 40 min emailing a student ‘talking’ them through a project they didn’t understand because it wasn’t set up properly by colleague. This happens weekly....

It's just not on and the results are likely to be very poor, so you want to make sure you complain forcefully enough now.

It's not a matter of disliking them! They are letting students down and giving you much more work to do.

I wonder why they didn't stay for longer in the school? Shame you'll probably never know.

I think you have to stop doing stuff for them. When a student complains or doesn’t understand something you need to speak to the colleague and refer the issue back to them to deal with. They need to be sorting it out not leaving it for you to deal with. The same with planning. If you aren’t happy with the standard of their planning or teaching then tell them how it needs to be done and then check it. If you keep stepping in and doing stuff for them then the HOF and principal have no real reason to deal with the issue. Set targets and offer guidance but don’t take on their work.

As a HOD your role is to support the colleague, but they need to be aware that they are not pulling thier weight and how to improve. I wouldn’t keep emailing every complaint, but I would spend a term trying to support - set up observations, put weekly meetings in place etc and if no improvement is made then set up a meeting with your line manager to discuss more formally, with the evidence (emails, observations, stats etc). Good luck!!