Am I being managed out?! Can’t believe this is happening

[ErinReagan]

I’ve had Reception or Y1 for 23 years. It’s truly my vocation. Been in the same school for 13.

Was asked to see (new) HT when we came back from Christmas. I am ‘too comfortable’ and she is moving me to Y6 in Sept.

I am heartbroken. I really am. Moving me to Y1 would have been one thing but Y6 just seems petty.

Yesterday she asked if I ‘would mind’ working with the woman who will take over EYFS during my PPT. I really do mind to be honest.

Again, if I was looking at Y1 I wouldn’t mind, but I’m so worked up about Y6 I can’t think rationally.

[wonderstuff]

Can you have an honest conversation with your head outlining your concerns?

[HollowTalk]

It's so important that kids have a good start in their education and it sounds as though you are doing that really well. It just doesn't make sense to move you away from that and to put you in a situation where you're out of your depth, without any training or knowledge of that year group, in a year where SATs are taken.

I'd love to know the head's reasoning behind this.

[happystory]

At the uni my daughter was at there were 3 different teaching degrees you could do; early years, lower primary and upper primary... proving that they are very different indeed. I don't blame you for feeling upset.

[underneaththeash]

Just find another job - most areas are crying out for teachers.

[Emeraude]

Saying that she is doing it because you are 'too comfortable' is nasty and to announce it so early sounds like a blatant attempt to manage you out. Contact your local union rep and I agree with PP that you should be taking notes etc.

ABSOLUTELY take everything from the classroom that is yours when you leave, and do not have your PPA time directed!

I've worked for a couple of bullying and insecure heads and every one of the more experienced staff who stood up to them, outlasted the heads' removals. (I was one of the less experienced who ducked out ASAP!)

[NarwhalsNarwhals]

I would be upset too. My school ask where we want to be every year and move some people round but I can't imagine them ever putting a reception teacher in year 6, they are totally different roles!

Rather than being managed out though could it be because they are having trouble recruiting anyone and all they could find was someone who wanted EYFS and they assume after 13 years you are committed to the school so aren't likely to quit?

[Oulu]

Did you put your concerns about your ability to deal with Y6 to the Head? What did she say?

[Foxyloxy1plus1]

Ask to go on courses
Ask for an experienced Year 6 TA
Look at the current Year 6 and see if you can spend time in that classroom.
Research the Year 6 curriculum
Take home anything you have brought in from your home, but remember that things that are generated on school computers, for example, belong to the school.

Change is scary and although you are vastly experienced in EYFS, I can see a rationale for the head wanting to change things around a bit. Not convinced that a move from Year R to Year 6 is the best idea, but the head has to deploy staff in the way s/he feels is best.

I think you should look as though you are willing and do some preparation, but look out for other posts too, if you feel so unhappy about it. You never know, you might enjoy it!

[FuzzyAtmosphere]

The other thing, and it sounds very petty, is that a lot of resources in the EYFS base are mine. I have spent money of my own as well as bringing in my own children’s old playroom furniture and toys.

Not petty at all and make sure they leave the classroom when you do.

I would also tell the parents you won’t be the YR teacher after this year. Hopefully a few of them with make their concerns known - both those who will be having younger children joining and hoped you would teach them, and those whose children will be older and will be aware of your lack of Y6 experience.

Things aren’t going to look good for the new HT since one teacher has already left and you probably will before long. It’s also not going to be good of the Y6 results are poor as a result of the HT’s decision to put an inexperienced teacher in that class.

[ErinReagan]

I was completely lost for words when she told me tbh. She also did the classic ‘just a minute’ before the bell went so I couldn’t have time to formulate an answer. It’s not really sunk in yet but these lists are very helpful.

Thanks everyone

[ButtonMoonLoon]

I would start looking for other jobs, start by subscribe to your local teaching pool and local job adverts. If you start now then you may have an exciting new opportunity in time to give notice at Easter. I wouldn’t want to work for somebody who makes as big a decision as this so unilaterally without any consultation at all.

[Lanaa]

This is rubbish OP I can see why you would be concerned. Try and look on the bright side. You may not think it but you're more than capable of teaching Y6. It's an almost compliment - heads will only put the best teachers in Y6 the stakes are too high to have someone in there who will make a mess of it.

[ErinReagan]

My problem is that I am so stubborn. If I’m going to do something I’m going to do it really really well.

[SoloMummy]

I'm afraid that I have seen this happen too frequently as a way to manage out usually expensive, experienced longer standing staff members.

Unless you have an old style contract that states you're employed as an early years teacher then you have no choice.

But would advise you revird verbal conversation with ht via email summarising what was said. Making sure you put into email what support you need and is agreed. So that any performance issues that become alleged can be countered by what hadn't been provided etc.

Good luck.

If look for another job myself.

[ButtonMoonLoon]

Oh, and YES to taking your resources home. Or at very least labelling them and putting a comprehensive inventory together of what belongs to you.

[WaterSheep]

She also did the classic ‘just a minute’ before the bell went

That is incredibly shitty.

[fridgegrazer]

This too comfortable bollocks really annoys me - why is it better to be uncomfortable? Do people really produce their best work when they are under stress - especially when they are working with children? Why is this a good idea? This notion of keeping people on their toes is insulting to all the training, experience and dedication people have.

Sadly I think she is trying to cull older and more expensive members of staff - I would look elsewhere but remember they don't have to match your salary anymore, but still worth looking. Otherwise the worry is in a year's time she will looking at capability.

[LeekMunchingSheepShagger]

I think you’ve been told this early in the year in the hope that you’ll jump ship op. No head would put their SATs results at risk like this.

I would call their bluff for now. Request a meeting, list all the training and support you will clearly need, plus the time out of your own class over the next few weeks to shadow/observe in KS2. I recon if you can hold your ground for long enough the head will back down.

On the other hand it won’t hurt to start looking elsewhere.

[Changedusername76]

I wouldn’t have thought they would move you to year 6 if you were being managed out as it’s too important a year with the Sats. A school can’t afford to have a poor performing teacher in year 6, so I would have thought that they must think that you are good enough. X

[thickwoollytights]

You need to talk to your union rep. This is appalling staff management

[MaggieAndHopey]

She sounds like a proper arsehole. I agree, speak to your union rep in the first instance.

[ThursdayThings]

This is a compliment I'd say! Heads put their best teachers in year 6.

[SorryDidISayThatOutLoud]

You say you are very stubborn. Well you need to be. You absolutely must contact your union rep. What they should first of all say though is - have you tried to resolved this yourself. So that's what you need to do first. Arm yourself with your lists of what training you need, the facts about how and why you specialise in EY and then ask why the huge jump from one end of the school to the other. Be honest and say you are unhappy about it, but if you have to do it then you need training courses.
Let the head know that all the personal stuff in the room is yours and you will be removing it in July when you move classrooms, so she needs to be prepared to replace what is needed with some of the school budget.
Whatever is agreed, put it in writing via email with a read receipt.
At no time make it look like you are refusing. But you can say you're not happy.
Then tell your union rep all of this.
Then start to look for other jobs.
What do the other teachers say about the move round? Thing is, even if the head comes to her senses, you'll never trust her or feel safe in the position you are in again really.

[Inertia]

To be brutally honest, I'd say yes, it probably is a bid to manage you out- but as a cost-cutting measure, not as a genuine reflection of your skills. If you are on UPS you are expensive, and I'd imagine the head thinks she can recruit an NQT to teach reception and save thousands. I don't think the public at large realise how deeply school budgets have been slashed under this government; the 'extras' such as TAs for children without without EHCPs, access to school counselling services, school-funded extra curricular activities etc are long gone, and all that's left now is to force out more expensive older teachers.

It's something I've been thinking about myself- I'm an older primary school teacher on UPS. Our current head values the skills that more experienced teachers bring, and I don't think he would deliberately manage somebody out (our class sizes mean that a formal teacher redundancy would be unlikely). However, he plans to retire in the next few years, so I fully expect an attempt to manage me out when a new headteacher arrives and needs to cut costs.

In your shoes, my first step would be to speak to your teaching union- they'll be familiar with this, and will help you phrase your response in the most effective manner.

I don't think it's reasonable to expect you to give up your PPA time to support the incoming teacher, and actually I don't think the HT should be asking you to do this- again, your union can advise.

I would consider composing a written (emailed , so trackable- screenshot and store a copy off the school system) response to the head and chair of governors- run it by your union first though.

I would raise the following points of concern:

• In order to act in the best interests of the school and the children you teach, you feel duty bound to point out that your qualifications, skills and experience best serve the children in Early Years/ Key Stage 1. (What does your contract say BTW? Were you taken on specifically as an EY teacher? If so, this might give you more clout.)

• As previous posters have suggested, you could outline the training you will need in order to support the move to Year 6 teaching.

• With advice from your union about suitable wording, I would say that you need to use your PPA time to support the learning of the children currently in your class, so you do not have time available to coach other colleagues. However, if the head is willing to make additional non-contact time available, you will be able to both coach the incoming reception teacher, and undertake similar coaching with the outgoing year 6 teacher.

• I wouldn't sneak your own resources out, I would be absolutely upfront about the fact you've provided them- you don't want to be accused of theft. You could say that you need to make them aware that many of the resources in early years were provided by you at your own cost, and the head will need to factor in the cost of replacement items when she draws up her budget for the new financial year in March/ April.

As above, I'm afraid there is a strong possibility that she's trying to make life so uncomfortable for the more expensive teachers that they look for new jobs in other schools to stay within their specialism.

If you don't leave, Year 6 is a high-stakes bet for her. Given that the new OFSTED framework looks more deeply at curriculum and less intensely at results, she may be willing to take a potential hit on results for a year in order to put you onto capability procedures,and manage you out that way. (Apologies for being brutal).

Alternatively, she might be thinking of moving you to Year 4 to replace the outgoing teacher so that she can move an NQT into Early Years, betting that you won't want to move to Year 4 either, but presenting Year 6 as the scarier option so that Year 4 seems like a more acceptable compromise.

[chocaholic73]

There is a huge shortage of teachers so start looking around. It really does seem a strange strategy to suddenly put an experienced EY teacher into Year 6 when SATS is so important to how a school is perceived.