Dealing with a difficult colleague

[BG2015]

I teach in a small primary school, been teaching 23 yrs. Still love it and want every child I teach to get the most from their education.

A teacher joined us 2 years ago and is due to come back from maternity leave soon. She worked for just over a year before going off. We are a very warm and friendly school, very tolerant and understanding as a staff. She has struggled to fit in and many of our support staff have noticed how strict she is often unnecessarily.

She's in the direct class above me so I did and will continue to have quite a bit to do with her in September.

She was an NQT when she started with us but in her late 20's and had worked in schools before. Very confident, sure of herself and actually a very good teacher.

The kids in her class made progress but at a cost to their emotional health as she wasn't always very nurturing with them. There were numerous complaints from parents that she had been quite unkind to their children - I'm not sure how this was dealt with by SLT but they were and are aware that this particular teacher can be quite overly strict.

My class are moving into her class in September and they are quite a sensitive bunch. They are one of the nicest classes I've taught and I'm so worried about them moving up.

I'm hoping she may have mellowed since having a baby but I very much doubt it.

Any advice?

Honestly she sounds good for preparing them for secondary if you are in upper primary.

Her results are good, the kids are learning. Not all teachers are the same and it's good for students to realise this.

No we are in KS1.

Kids going into her class are 6 years old.

As a class teacher you just have to suck it up. It is not your business. If she is as strict and unpleasant to children as you say she will be found out eventually and parents will complain. But that is for SMT to sort out, not you. I say this as someone who is passing on a sensitive but behaviourally challenged class to a relatively new teacher. I have tried to give pointers, advice etc but she already knows it all and says they’ll be fine. Done my bit now.

I know there is little I can do. There have been loads of issues regarding this teacher which I won't bore you with but making a 7 yr old stand facing the wall for 35 minutes whilst the other children play during golden time and a parent saying her daughter started wetting the bed during the year just upsets me so much.

Why would you want to be so unkind to someone's child?

I disagree with PP that it has nothing to do with you. Of course it has. These are children in your school! Raise your concerns with your line manager. If her practice doesn’t fit with school ethos and behaviour policy, then it needs addressing. Perhaps she needs additional training to develop her skills in this area.

I would definitely raise concerns with your line manager. Those two instances are really worrying. Did the parents complain at the time?

It’s a long way from ‘isn’t very nurturing’ to what you now describe. If a parent has mentioned that their child has started to bed wet in response to harsh treatment it is your duty under safeguarding to pass on this information to your child protection lead. Have you done this?

The incident with the child facing the wall - the parent complained to the head but I don't know how this was dealt with.

The bed wetting was told to me by another member of staff, who had been told by the mum. I did tell the relevant person and have done on other occasions also if I felt appropriate to do so.

I didn't want to really post any specific incidents but obviously I needed to in order to voice my concerns. I was trying to be diplomatic with my language.

The teacher in question was ill with pregnancy related symptoms for 4 months of the year so I do believe that SLT skirted around the issue. As I suppose did I to a point.

I do think that she needs challenging more now as this cannot continue.

You need to go with your gut then. It’s hard I know. Support staff shouldn’t be bringing this to you but should be reporting it themselves. Your SMT may be going easy as she gets good results but this should never be at the children’s expense.

I've been teaching at this school for 17 years, we've never had a member of staff like this before so it's a bit weird.

I suppose I feel like I would be going to my head/SLT ' telling' on another member of staff but I do believe if it continues then it's my duty to speak out.

It's one thing being strict but another being cruel on purpose and getting a kick out of it.

I have a parent helper who doesn't even know this teacher that well and she has hinted that she's already got a reputation from talk on the playground . It's not what our school is about.

Ah OK your later posts paint a slightly different picture than your OP. (understandably!)

I'd become a little more strict with your class to help them transition. If you know she has high expectations, prepare your students.

However some of the incidents sound like huge safeguarding concerns. Perhaps she will have softened slightly having her own child?!

That's what I'm hoping. They are a very able class but also a bit needy.

There are also quite a few strong parents in the mix so she needs to be very careful. A TA did confront her last year regarding how she spoke to a child and she backed down and then totally over compensated so I think she knows some of her methods/ways of dealing with things are not right. If it goes unchecked as she continues teaching she will become a real concern.

@Teachermaths why on earth would a super-strict and mean teacher prepare children well for secondary?

I'm a secondary teacher, and I'm all glitter and unicorns, me. Spend an inordinate amount of my time nurturing and listening to problems. My classes don't say Yes Miss when I do the register, they give me a number between 1 and 10 to let me know how their day is going. I mean, I'm not a pushover, but I don't want secondary school represented as the scary place that doesn't care!

Sorry, didn't address the OP. I'd be worried too and I'd definitely speak to someone on SLT about my concerns. I don't know if I would at secondary but with so much contact time at primary it's a real worry.

If you had a serious concern about the safety of the children in her class, you should have shared it already with the Head. If she is a bit strict, that’s a style thing and you should stay out of it.

There are also quite a few strong parents in the mix so she needs to be very careful.

This isn’t the issue. She isn’t managed by the parents.

So she more or less just did her NQT year before going off? Who was her NQT mentor- how did they tackle the issues? It sounds like she needs to develop her class management skills and support to do so. Is she receptive to support?

Iheart

Great that atmosphere and relationship approach works for you. I don't have time to spend listening and nurturing on a daily basis. I expect pupils to behave.

I'm not super strict, more warm strict. Most of my colleagues are the same. Secondary isn't all scary horrible strictness. But it's certainly less fairy and glitter than primary. Mostly because you don't see the students all day, and because there's so many if I got a rep for listening to all their minor gripes I'd never get anything done.

This teacher does sound a beyond just a hit strict though.

wonderpants

Yes she did her NQT yr then went off in the autumn term on maternity. She put on a show for her mentor/ SLT and did very well in lesson obs. She got good results and is a very organised, efficient teacher. But SLT obviously had some complaints from parents and are aware that she isn't very nurturing in her manner. How they dealt with her I don't know as she would never admit that she was wrong or failing in any way.

I have recently had a very frank discussion with my head about her and he is hoping her style of discipline/ manner has changed.

What he will do if it hasn't remains to be seen but I shall be informing him of anything I see or do as professionally as I can.

Strict is great if you teach upper KS2 but not in KS1, it's a different type of teaching.

6 & 7 year olds should not be frightened of coming to school.

It sounds personal, not professional.

Why was the head discussing her with you?

hercule

THAT is my whole problem. I don't want it to be personal, but going and 'telling' on another member of staff is something I've NEVER done. I've worked with teachers I don't like as people but have respected them as colleagues who are doing a good job and working towards the best for the children.

It's very difficult when you're trying to be professional but another member of staff is doing something that you view as wrong. It's very subjective, as posters have said above some strictness is acceptable in certain situations.

@Teachermaths fair enough. For the record though, I also expect them to behave! I dunno, I'm maybe like a slightly muscly unicorn?

BG2015

If you think she is putting the children at risk, put in a safeguarding concern. Separate all of this from her “putting on a show” or what might happen next year or parental complaints or what she will or won’t “admit”. Simple question: in your professional judgment, do those children (hers, not yours) need a different teacher? Is she putting them at risk?