Experienced teacher and the workload is just ridiculous

[BG2015]

I'm in my 28th year of teaching and apart from 2 maternity leaves I've always taught fulltime. I'm experienced and not easily phased but it never seems to get any easier, the workload is relentless.

I teach in KS1 and the lessons we have to cram into a day are ridiculous. These kids are 5 yet there is no let up.

I teach in a good school, with a realistic SLT. I've taught there for 22 years and I'm looking to retire in the next 2-3 years but a colleague and I were talking today and saying how ECT cope is beyond us. No wonder so many leave.

Slowly falling out of love of teaching.

I'm secondary and a head of department - totally feel your pain 😔

So much to do and not enough time to do it.

Lots of need at our school- SEND, disadvantage so it's hard.

Plus behaviour of some is really difficult at the moment.

Everyone looks shattered at the moment and we still have 2 weeks to half term.

I absolutely feel the same. Timetabled to the hilt, no chance to do any development work but as head of faculty expected to be doing it. Constant comments about ‘of course you’re doing x y z’ when of course I’m not because there isn’t any time, and it feels like it’s all smoke and mirrors because surely they know that?! Desperately can’t face the idea of staying longer term but feel trapped

We had a staff meeting about our subjects. We all lead a subject in our small rural primary (some people have 2/3 subjects) and in the staff meeting the head was talking about Ofsted and I just sat there thinking......I don't give a flying fig about my subject or bloody Ofsted.

It's hard enough teaching Mon-Fri, dealing with parents, planning for the next week, looking for lost cardigans etc etc

I really can't wait to leave.

Yes feeling similar. Just back as classroom teacher after being out of class since covid. Wow it's got hard. Totally sick of the entitled parents and my yr5s seem disinterested. I used to look forward to ppa but now find it stressful and hard work. Too much to fit into school day. I've got 30 years until retirement.

I could have written your post almost word for word. Over 30 years teaching, Y1 bog standard but very experienced class teacher and subject leader in a small Primary and my workload has never been higher.

It would almost be bearable if I felt the provision I have to provide was appropriate but it's not - it has become a crammed full, watered down Secondary curriculum model that is developmentally so inappropriate for the 5 and 6 year olds I teach. I despair every day and am counting down the days to retirement unless things change (unlikely). And I teach in a lovely friendly school with a supportive and kind SLT team, who try their best but Ofsted requirements (we're in the 'window') simple can't be avoided.

@thebookeatinggirl
The curriculum really is a problem isn't it. I race against the clock from 7.15 am when I start prep to 5.30 when the building shuts. I race through the ridiculous curriculum, where I throw knowledge at children in the hope that some of it sticks. I breathe down their necks to ensure they respond to marking adequately so that my books pass muster. I do all the obligatory proscribed programmes ( of the day, song of the week, poet of the month) like a crazy game of donkey kong. Meanwhile so much important stuff - the softer activities like handwriting, reading get parked on the side.
And they wonder why school refusal is such a problem (from kids. And teachers!!)

I'm primary. ECT2. The kids are disrespectful, rude, disinterested and knackered, the parents not bothered. I'm year 3 and I have one in pull ups, at least 8 with SEMH, 2 that regularly fall asleep. No TA. I'll be working all weekend. Chilling tonight but it's in the back of my mind. No available support from outside agencies. We are all walking round like zombies. Asked a colleague how they were. They burst into tears.

Advice about behaviour support, suggested sticker charts, pom poms in jars etc. We are talking about emotionally abused children that are waiting for a never ending early help waiting list.

I feel all I say is, "come on, what are you going to write next, stop talking, you've only got 10 minutes before playtime, stop messing about blah blah"

Everything is a rush.

That's the worst thing - lack of time.

PPA is split into two one-hour slots per week, support staff arrive at 8.50am so no time to talk, interventions or pre-teach in assembly slots.

There's too much to cover and zero time!

I'm in a mid-senior role in secondary but I echo your thoughts. I work 13h days most days and then some more at weekends, yet it's never enough.

And yet as we see on this forum, the efforts we go to are not sufficient to meet the needs of our kids and keep parents happy at the same time.

I think at every key stage, the curriculum is stuffed so full. There is no slack for spending more time on a topic if students struggle, or for taking time out for enrichment, or even slack if you lose a week of school due to snow, or similar.

And yes, schools have become responsible for so much more than they used to be.

Students can't get assessed for ASD, students can't access mental health support, social care will only get involved in an absolute crisis. Everyone else seems to be able to say their waiting list is too long and they can't help- but we have to pick up the pieces.

@Postapocalypticcowgirl yes to lack of help from other agencies.

I lead curriculum rather than pastoral but do have a form. I have a family who have a child with significant disability which is hard enough. On top of this, the child doesn't sleep and gets up, which means the whole family is disturbed and he isn't safe to be left.

They are lovely but struggling, yet there is no support for them at all.

The curriculum is definitely over stuffed at every level.

And somehow, there just isn't enough time to do all aspects of the job well 🙄 as a HoD, it's tricky even getting into lessons on a regular basis as there is so much to do!

Not quite in it as long as you but 10 years deep. Not to mention the expectations of doing clubs and having to lead multiple subjects in primary where you are expected to be an expert in the area, simply because you were told to lead it, whilst having similar subject knowledge as all other teaching staff with no real time to allocate on subject leadership and own professional development in the area.

Op I absolutely feel you! I'm a ta in year one and we are just running around ragged trying to fit everything in! All these kids really need is some pshe and listening skills!! But we've got to fit in so many subjects, it doesn't even give time to teach the core subjects in an interesting way, it's just get the evidence down and move on!

I used to love my job but not anymore.

In my Year 1 class many of the children don't listen, they are so needy. Lots of the parents question staff and what we do.

The kids arrive at school and I collect homework folders, reading books, sort out lunches and by midday I've taught phonics, English, maths and guided reading. This morning I barely spoke to my TA as we were just on a whistle stop tour through the morning.

I've put a countdown on my phone - 45 months to go.

Today I have one free and have to plan my next 7 lessons, mark 22 tests, write 15 UCAS references and meet my trainee.

This week, I am losing all bar one of my PPAs and "frees".

Two to cover, two to a drop down day.

I have whole-school responsibilities I'm being pressured for, but every day after school I have either meetings, parents' evening one day, or have to deliver Y11 revision. I cannot even plan my own lessons properly right now, let alone carry out my whole school stuff with virtually zero time.

Bring on the holidays; I'd like to say I'll be spending them sleeping, but I have a load of medical appointments and car maintenance during that time!

I've moved from EYFS to year 2 this year and the change of pace is crushing my spirit. No time to consolidate learning and yes to the constant breathing down children's necks to make sure they're working every minute because we don't have time for them not to. And then I get stressed when they act like children and play with the maths manipulatives instead of showing me what I need to see to move the lesson on.

I don't know what other career I could go in to without taking a massive pay cut which I can't afford right now so my current plan is to try and find a role at a different school back in EYFS where although there are different challenges there is some acknowledgement that you can go with the pace of the children

And breathe!! We made it to half term!

We had a staff meeting after school yesterday (normal for us) and I looked round - everyone looked absolutely shattered!!

We haven't got much planned over half term but I am looking forward to being able to just decompress a bit!

I hope everyone enjoys their half term and manages to get some rest.

Lucky you, we still have a week to go. ☹️

@BG2015 oh no!! Poor you!

Our next half term is 8 weeks long 🤯🤯

28 years here too, but in secondary. I went back ft to a new school last year after years of pt work. It's a great school, and last year was doable, but I picked up a TLR for this year and it's been enough to tip doable into not doable. New Head is part of the problem.

Our next half term is 8 weeks long

Ours too. We don't break up until 22nd December . I'd so much rather have more holiday time before Christmas than after!

Plus I'm running a week-long foreign trip in November...

We're going to Tenerife on the 23rd December for two weeks. I can't bloomin wait. I just seem to crawl from one holiday to the next.