Tracker opinions please - y2

[Garrythebuilder]

Hi All, incredibly outing to all concerned so have name changed (thanks motherland), and I hope you will forgive my intrusion but I want to know how common our setup is.

We have a child in y2 at school. Teacher is pregnant and (understandably) now she is in trimester 3 cannot be face to face. School’s solution is that she will teach via video link with TA in the class. This arrangement in place for whole of summer term.

As parents we are quite unsure that this is the best setup for children, but understand it may well be the best setup for school and teacher. Teacher is excellent and well liked by all (including us). School are not doing anything illegal, but they are also not easy to speak to about this matter.

Just wondering whether other schools are having to do similar or whether other solutions have been found? Is this happening in your school? If so how is it working? Are there any other pregnant teachers where the school have found a different solution?

And finally, as teaching professionals, what do you think about the arrangement from a child perspective? Can you see it working? Have you experienced it?

And obviously the title should say teacher opinions 🙄

Our school has done similar when necessary. I don't really see the issue if a TA is in the room and can lead a lot of the activities, manage behaviour, etc. I'm sorry you can't seem to find it in you to care about the health of your child's teacher for a temporary period of time.

Bit harsh. Where have I said that I don’t care about the teacher? I fully support the teacher in their need to not be at school.

I’m simply questioning whether one whole academic term (i.e. 30% of the whole year) entirely online is something teachers would be comfortable with.

As a parent I don’t feel comfortable but I’m not an expert. The school are not easy to engage with about this, and believe me plenty of people have tried.

We had a CEV teacher who taught pretty much the whole year remotely. There were two experienced TAs in the classroom who were fantastic support. It wasn't ideal but it worked.

Interesting @spanieleyes, would you mind sharing which year group this was please?

And when you say it worked … would you say it worked well? Or that the basic acceptable standard was achieved? Do you think the children would be disadvantaged compared to their peers, eg in a multi-form entry school?

If they go for this solution, they know the children will be getting good teaching, albeit online.

If they don't go for this solution, the alternative may not be a good teacher. Maternity cover sometimes goes to people who can't get full time work for good reason.

Plus, this solution will save the school money, which they can then invest in your children's education.

It actually sounds like a pretty decent solution, in my opinion.

Thanks @Stevenage689. That’s pretty much the argument the school have gone for, and it is not without merit. I can see that an excellent teacher remote could well be better than an unknown teacher coming in.

We are a few weeks in now, and some of the children are struggling. Mine is more or less ok, but he’s very loyal to his teacher. Other children are starting to not want to go to school etc.

I work remotely as a commercial manager for an international company. I know it is very hard to lead a team and do business virtually; I can’t imagine teaching virtually is easy.

That's fair enough - they're trying it and it's not working for the children, which is a different issue to whether it might theoretically work. So I would focus on that when you approach the school - ie. What impact it's having on your child. It's not your place to suggest an alternative, but it is important to highlight what impact this arrangement is having on your child.

It’s really difficult because I think at its base level this is actually a feminist issue also. Teachers can’t be face to face in the third trimester, and nor do I expect them to be. But I rather suspect that unless she actually goes on maternity leave (and I have very strong feelings that women should not be forced on to mat leave just because employers can’t keep them safe), I think the school can’t access funding for a replacement. Or at least that’s what I imagine might be the central issue.

I recognise that teachers have had a really awful time, and have been repeatedly shat upon by government, whilst enabling the country to limp along. I fear this might just be more of the same.

And I am actually very conflicted, between wanting to support the school, really wanting to fight the teacher’s corner (I really really rate her, she’s possibly the best teacher I have ever encountered), and wanting to advocate for my child. It would be so much easier if I could just turn a blind eye…

I can see both sides, but as an experienced KS1 teacher I really don't think it's ideal for Y2 children to be taught virtually with only the one TA in a class of probably 30 children. I know it was the situation for many classes during lockdown, but at the moment it seems odd, especially for a whole term!

So much teaching at that age needs individual questioning, modelling, prompting as you move around the classroom. As a teacher you use your experience to constantly gauge understanding, scaffold some, support others with additional resources, mix up groupings, feedback verbally constantly as you teach etc The TA can't be expected to do all that, and a virtual teacher would struggle, however brilliant they are. There will be groups of children who would normally have had additional support and interventions from the TA, which presumably isn't happening if they are in charge of everyone. And who's doing all the prepping of physical stuff (Y2 will be resource heavy) and the marking? I feel sorry for the TA.

We had a similar situation at the end of last term and into this one and despite a very stretched budget we appointed a maternity cover teacher a term early, and the pregnant teacher carried on with the planning alongside the cover, and worked on other projects from home. As a parent, I wouldn't feel confident or happy with your current situation.

I’ve been deliberately vague about TA numbers. There is more than one, but the others are attached to individual EHCP. The school are including these TAs in their ‘provision’ but the parents of those with EHCP are unhappy with this impression.

I believe teacher is doing all planning and marking. She is conscientious and dedicated. The TA leading the session is also really good. But I Skyped a secondary school recently for work and it was very very hard compared with being in the room.

I think the school can’t access funding for a replacement. Or at least that’s what I imagine might be the central issue.

Unfortunately this is it. There is no money to put another teacher in there, because the original teacher is not sick, she is working, and nor can she be asked to go on sick due to her pregnancy, as that's discriminatory. What your school is doing is considered good practice in the situation at the moment. I doubt any board of governors would look well on a head who paid two teachers to do the same job. We have had the same situation in year R, arguably that's harder to manage than year 2 and has been more of a burden to the TA, but there it is, and until we are in a situation where pregnant teachers are again safe to work in person during the third semester, there is no way around it.

Thanks @Barbie222 so really just another way the needs of women and children are being overlooked in relation to the pandemic 😔

Good for the school - I was expected to work and so was another primary colleague at a nearby school in our third trimesters when rates were in the several hundreds per 100,000. It's not ideal but I expect it is better than supply, especially in the summer term.