Please Help!

[Oakley77]

Hi,
I'm not sure where to start really. I am the current EYFS lead at a primary school, with an attached nursery, in an academy. We had Ofsted last week and I was bascially told not to come in (I work part-time) and the new reception teacher will talk to the inspectors regarding early years. I thought this was very strange but I have had a fair share of problems at school and am leaving at Christmas. Anyway, long story short, we didn't get the rating we wanted and the head of the academy asked me to pop in and see her this afternoon and said that if the report reflects early years worse than the previous report, she will take me down capability. I asked her why the reception teacher was given the job to speak to Ofsted and I wasn't given a chance to present all of my action plans, reports and data analysis etc. She just told me to call my union because I may not teach again if this happens. I also happen to work with a TA who does not and cannot fulfil her role and I have had to report this to SLT (who have laughed at some of the things I have reported to them). The TA has left the front door of the nursery open and a parent has walked in, she has got the wrong child ready for home-time and opened the door to the wrong adult, has left a nursery child on the field after lunch playtime, has been accused of manhandling a child (this was brushed away) and the list goes on. She is the reason I am leaving because I fulfil the teacher role, TA role and EYFS lead role. And, to top this off, the informal but very threatening 'chat' happened today.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

Union, union union

This happened this morning and I joined this afternoon. I hope they will be able to help as I've joined after the problem

I’m going to repeat it: Union. Union. Union.

If the union won’t officially represent you, ask the school union rep for their advice. They are likely to be experienced in similar matters. If they can’t help, I’d seriously consider paying a lawyer.

And never, ever step foot into a school without union representation again.

I'm a union rep. I can't represent you for an issue that occurred before you were a member.
You might have access to legal advice as part of your domestic insurance.

I have legal assistance with my home insurance so if the union can't help I will phone them. Thank you

Get hold of the union asap!! Just be glad you’ve only got a term left in this school.
The headteacher seems like they are very weak and incapable of doing their job.

@good96 the OP can't go to the union as she joined after theincident. That's like trying to get house insurance after your home has burned down.

The comment that was made about you not being able to teach again is nonsense! Please dont worry about that. However do not go into a meeting alone. You are entitled to take a friend or colleague to any disciplinary meeting. Ask for her comments to be put in writing so you can respond to them and for any future meetings to be minuted and agreed by all participants. Good luck!

Hi, thank you for your reply. I was just asked in for a chat, that's what they said, just a chat. Nothing else and so it caught me totally off guard. However, this won't be happening again.
You have put my mind at ease in relation to the never teaching again.
Thank you

Head is trying to find people to scapegoat for a bad ofsted when the responsibility lies with them. Horrific behaviour and an absolute abuse of power.

With a term left to go it is hard to see what the head could do. To go down the capability route they would need to give warnings and highlight areas of concern. Then they would have to create a support plan with timescales for improvement. It takes a long time to fire someone via capability.

Why bother if you are leaving anyway!

Good you have joined the union. At the moment, there is no issue, only a grumpy head, so if one does come up it is after you have joined.

Also, speak to HR, either the LA or the MAT, and get them to provide you with the information that you need regarding timescales and due process.

This one is hard - try to enjoy the summer break as much as you can and not worry about it. Nothing is going to happen before September - DON’T check your emails.

Nothing has 'happened' yet. There has been no 'incident'. Posters telling you otherwise are incorrect.

All that has happened so far is that you have had a verbal conversation with your HT who has made some vague off the record threats about capability. You have had none of this communicated to you in writing and no official procedures have been instigated against you. This chat is just that - a chat. It may go nowhere, it may go somewhere. But it's not an 'incident' and nothing has happened so far as the union would be concerned.

As such, if your HT were to commence capability procedures against you in September, then the union absolutely would be able to represent you now that you're a member. Don't worry about that.

I'm delighted that you're leaving as this school sounds horrifically toxic.

From September, make sure every email correspondence with your HT or any other SLT member that is disparaging or critical in any way is forwarded to your personal email so that you have a safe record.

Any 'chats' with the HT - make sure you have another member of staff with you. Refuse to continue the conversation if this request is denied and leave the room.

Follow up any conversation with the HT with an email, bcc'd to your personal account, summarising what was discussed and agreed going forward, so that there is a written record of what has been said to you.

Make sure you have records of everything you have communicated about the TA and everything you have done to report the situation. Any emails you have sent, again, forward to your personal account. Create a dossier of evidence supporting you, just in case you need it.

At the end of the day, as others have said, capability is a long process and it will be utterly pointless to instigate capability procedures against someone who is already leaving in January. However, the HT may want to do this to make it look like she is doing something to address the Ofsted report. You could become her scapegoat and she could make your life very unpleasant if she chose to. So you need to make it just as difficult for her in return. Refusing to meet with her, ever, for anything, unless you have advance written notice informing you of what the subject of the meeting will be, and a union rep with you. Minuting every meeting and sending these minutes to her with union rep cc'd. Asking her for evidence of every claim she is making against you, and so on and so forth. Fight fire with fire. She'll soon give up.