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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.

Send DC to school I work at?

6 replies

SearchingTheSkies · 04/01/2024 12:39

I'm currently preparing to fill out my DC's primary school application.

Primary school 1 is a feeder to the secondary I work at, which has the best reputation locally. Has anyone taught at the school their child attended? Would love to hear of experiences. Thinking back to my own secondary experience, I'd have probably hated my mum teaching there, and this is putting me off putting the feeder primary as one of my choices.

My other primary options would feed into a secondary that is regarded as just 'ok'. So could still be an option.

Any experiences/thoughts welcome!

OP posts:
Busyhedgehog · 04/01/2024 15:18

DS is at my school and it's not been a problem at all. He's always been at my school, ever since starting nursery. I work at an independent school, though.
If your child is only about to start school, you are worrying about something that's not going to happen for several years.

SearchingTheSkies · 04/01/2024 20:02

Thank you @Busyhedgehog Glad it's never been an issue for you and your DS.

OP posts:
lanthanum · 08/01/2024 12:41

How important is feeder primary in the admissions criteria? It may well be that they'd get into one or both of the secondaries regardless of which primary they're attending. If so, you might not need to worry about secondary at this point, or one primary might leave the choice for secondary and the other not.

Size of school affects how easy it is to avoid your child. I worked in a large school where it was very easy for staff to avoid teaching their own child. I even know of one parents evening appointment where the teacher was completely unaware that the parent was a colleague! It can also depend on subject - if you're the only music teacher, you'd have to teach them, and if child is an active musician it could be difficult. If you teach maths, it's probably always going to be possible for you to teach a different set (although one of my colleagues asked to teach her son's (top) set on the grounds that then she was less likely to be disciplining kids in his form who might take it out on him).

You might move job before your child reaches 11, in which case this isn't worth worrying about now! If not, and your school is not near home, you need to consider whether your child joining in year 7 would then tie you to being there another five years - I know one person who was itching to apply for something new, but was stuck because her child was at her school and would have to move if she did.

With recruitment the way it is, more schools are adding in a "staff children" criterion to their admissions policy. If your school does that between now and then, then being at one of their feeders may not matter.

It may also depend on your kid's character. It's probably too soon to know that, but by the time you're actually applying for secondary, it should be clearer.

Some schools have more staff kids than others, just due to geography. Where there are more, they're probably more adept at dealing with it. Are there any staff kids currently in your school? Those families would be good to talk to.

Some families operate a system where the non-teacher parent leads on all interaction with the school, so that contact is forced down the formal routes, rather than "having a quick word". That gives some chance that the child feels there's the same distancing between home and school as other kids have - rather than "mum knows every time I'm late with homework".

SearchingTheSkies · 10/01/2024 14:01

Thank you @lanthanum for such a detailed reply. Lots to think about.

To answer your questions, my secondary prioritises kids from feeder primaries over kids of teachers, so if she didn't go to the feeder primary it would be less likely she'd get a place at my school. Not completely out of the question though. However, the other secondary would likely still take her as we live close by and it doesn't have feeder schools, just operates on distance.

I teach a core subject and it's a large school, so it's unlikely we'd meet often. We have an unusual last name though, so it would be obvious we are related.

Lots of teachers' kids attend, so not an unusual occurrence. I think it would probably be fine. I'm now wondering what the impact would be of attending a non-local primary... would she be the odd one out? She'd probably attend hobbies back in the town we live in, so wouldn't get to see school friends regularly. I've got a couple more days to mull it over.

OP posts:
ColumboTheBestDetective · 11/01/2024 19:53

My experience is similar to @Busyhedgehog . I taught at the primary school both my DSs went to - they're adults now, but the worst they can say for the experience is they each called me 'mum' once (and nearly died!) and sometimes at home put their hand up to ask to go to the loo! 😆

They're both very well-adjusted young men, despite their mother embarrassing them hugely in their younger days (😅) and one of them is now a primary teacher himself (despite me trying to put him off... I'm not sure I'd choose teaching as a career again now, but that's a different discussion for a different day 😳)

OP, it's basically what you make it, in my experience. It's not for everyone, but as long as you know you are being professional, and not giving your DC any preferential treatment, then they will survive. (In my case, I actually found myself being much 'harder' - not in a bad way, just in a 'fair' way - to my own DC, just to head off the accusations of, "But it's her DC, he gets treated better than mine...")

They haven't held it against me - at least, not much 😂

junebirthdaygirl · 13/01/2024 21:48

I taught all mine at Primary with no issues but l am not sure it would have been the same at Secondary for me. One of my ds went through quite a rebellious stage in school and l would have hated to be on the staff as it was awkward enough at Parent teacher meetings until he came through. He has dyslexia and reacted against the school due to his own frustrations
But if its the best school around l would go for it and hopefully it will work out fine.
Yesterday in lreland at The Young Scientists Exhibition..quite a prestigious competition for the whole country the guy who won the highest prize was the Principals son so they obviously have managed it well.

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