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The staffroom

Whether you're a permanent teacher, supply teacher or student teacher, you'll find others in the same situation on our Staffroom forum.

Does this workload sound fair for primary?

6 replies

daisiesdahlias · 26/01/2023 13:01

A couple of years ago in my first teaching role since qualifying I worked at a school I thought was lovely. Nice staff and lovely class. I took some time off to have a baby and looking at going back to work, the same school is hiring again. But now I think about it I wonder if the planning requirements were normal or not great? Since this was my only job so far I'm not sure

This guidance was all given to me in drips and drabs by the other teacher in my year group, nothing from SLT:
Maths - Make own lessons using white rose but not allowed to use white rose directly, must adapt
English - Vague 'Talk for Learning' approaching which I haven't been trained on. All lessons made from scratch ourselves.
Humanities & science - Make from scratch using twinkl or just use twinkl directly (I hate this as find them so boring)
PSHE - Subjct lead has a term overview doc which has a bullet point of about 5 words describing the general topic to be covered each lesson. I then make lesson from scratch.

Ostensibly the other user group teacher and I shared planning but her maths and english planning was so brief I couldn't call it a lesson, she's been there 10 years and kind of winged things so I couldn't work from her 'plans', and other subjects she was 'planning' she often just didn't do, said to use a twinkl lesson, or came in right before the lesson saying 'ok let's do this'

I felt like all I did was plan every lesson from scratch! Is this just what it's like in primary, or was this not good? Wondering whether to apply to same school again

OP posts:
Margo34 · 26/01/2023 13:59

Did you not look back and reuse the planning from the previous year(s) and adapt as you go?

The only schools I've worked in that rely heavily on paid schemes are single form entry schools but that was just the overviews really, not every single lesson planned.

Margo34 · 26/01/2023 14:01

Planning does get quicker and easier the longer you teach and the more familiar you are with year group objectives, too.

Bleese · 26/01/2023 22:59

Yes, normal in my experience.

Bleese · 26/01/2023 22:59

Yes, normal in my experience.

Bronzeisthecolour · 27/01/2023 10:13

Completely normal

2reefsin30knots · 27/01/2023 17:04

Yes, normal and in a different school you might have to hand in planning and have it scrutinised (which it doesn't sound like is the case in your old school) so it could be much worse.

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