Prepare yourselves, this post will be difficult for me to tell you as I endured a five-week placement at a very difficult school which I am prepared to name. I also learned more about the exploitation of myself as an asset for an agency. I am still processing what happened but I’m determined to stop other teachers from falling into the same situation.
I have moved back to London. When the schools reopen after summer you may have no work for a day or two and the SGP contracts that guarantee me consistent pay are not in effect at these periods. I am told there is a school willing to hire me and my agent has told me that if I do a week there they are happy enough but a month would be great.
I went to the school in Alperton at the start of September for two days of introductions and getting to know the staff. Everyone seems friendly and genuine. I am told that I am to take a year 1 class until the previous teacher returns from maternity leave. I’m happy because I get access to the planning process, the one thing I am looking for from the position.
I am to be the class teacher and I’m on the website as the teacher of that class which I thought unusual as I heard I was there on a short-term basis. I am paired with an experienced and helpful TA and for the first two weeks we organize assessments and teach the children the rules of the classroom as they make the change from Reception to Year 1. The other year 1 teachers are welcoming and kind and include a new teacher. They do not know I am an unqualified teacher and when told, their facial expressions betray no outrage or any emotion at all, professional people for sure I think.
My students are chatty and fun but have to get used to rules very quickly. I also have 3 students with SEND. One of these children is non-verbal and the others have low attention spans and prove very challenging to teach as they need lots of focus in order to exploit their potential. I love my new class as it’s the first time that I have started a year as a class teacher.
One thing I am aware of is the lack of any interaction with the leadership of the school, traditionally anywhere I go I meet the heads of the school just to welcome me there or members of the school leadership team (SLT). One becomes my regular source of contact as they try to integrate me into the ethos and ways of the school.
It was after the third week that I noticed the demands placed upon teachers in this school to perform herculean tasks by being active non-stop until the close of school and getting little time to have lunch or go to the bathroom. The school is in trouble financially, with the increase in salary but below inflation rises, schools that spend up to 90% of the budget on salaries have to take drastic measures, one is the looming axe of many of the Teaching Assistants, these stalwart and hardworking people are asked to take a pay cut on already horrific salaries or be let go. It’s tough for many of them and I suspect that the school SLT has positioned some of them in challenging classes to see if they are adaptable enough to survive the purge. My SEND TA is in a year one class after serving in a year 5 position for many years, they are old, and doing this makes no sense.
In week three we find two cockroaches walking around the class, I’m gobsmacked as I assumed the school would shut the classroom but no, they have taken the option to downplay the incident as a one-off. In the following weeks more came out of the shadows, a clear sign of infestation but still the school decided on containment rather than being transparent and warning the parents of the children to save its reputation.
By week four I am there in the class from morning until 5-30 – 6 PM every day trying to show the SLT my dedication to being a professional teacher. I noticed that I still haven’t met the headteacher or had one single compliment that I am doing a good enough job. I was informed that the teacher from maternity wants to come back on a part-time basis and will be part of another class and that the role of the full-time teacher was possibly mine. I’m overwhelmed to be considered for the post, my hard work was paying off. I contacted my agent to ask about how long I am there or any update from the school and I’m told there is none available. I thought the mention of a longer-term role would have been mentioned but alas nothing and I’m left feeling perplexed.
The horror begins in week five and many things start falling into place. The demeanor towards me from SLT has changed, it is easy to sense. I cannot get through to them on the phone, no callback or they have meetings. I have a few challenging behaviour children and I try to get the SLT involved to help but they avoid me. I cannot fathom what has transpired over the weekend. I’m involved in making SEND referrals for three children with the help of a good member of staff and told to present it to the parents for their approval to get their children more help. The wording has to be harsh in order for the powers that be to get involved but the parents aren’t happy with the wording and so hold off signing for now. I ask myself why aren’t the SLT helping me out with this task as they know the parents. On Monday I met a teacher in wells of tears because they had just been dressed down by a member of the SLT whom I now know is unliked by everybody because of the way they deliver bad news.
Things unravel very fast over the last few days of week 5. First, my fantastic TA was injured in school after slipping on a wet floor that was not marked, the school is panicking because the member of staff could claim injury. The SLT became unavailable because of the incident but also because of an incident in week four where we took the children out of class without a risk assessment or the parents knowing. With my TA out of action and no replacement available I realize the full extent of my situation, I plan, print, mark, and glue everything myself trying to find time in a day when I am already busy making my respect for my TA all the more admirable.
Out of the blue, the SLT informed me that they were looking for a full-time teacher to take over my role after half-term after giving me no inkling of this beforehand and then asking me if I would work until said time, I had a test for the SLT to pass, if I said yes and they simply said thank you I would stay but if they continued with their horrible attitude I would leave. I said yes and they walked out quickly. I decided then that I would leave the role the next day but would prepare the work for the teacher coming in on Monday, why should the incoming teacher be made to suffer I said to myself.
I was reeling from the blow of not keeping the class and felt I had earned it by putting the time and effort in even when things were bad. I stayed professional but the long hours were taking a toll on me and for what I got paid, a very small sum of just over £100 before tax I felt as if I gave value for money. Perhaps it was the school’s plan all along or negotiations broke down with the agency but I felt I deserved an explanation.
I informed my agent that I would not return for the final two weeks and the school subsequently avoided all communications with me on the final day. I was sad to leave my kids but felt I wasn’t being treated with dignity and respect. My Year One colleagues were supportive always and I thanked them for their help and inspiration. Crocodile Skin is the title because in this business you have to always remember despite the smiles, you are a resource to schools and agencies and nothing more, than a number, a statistic on a computer. My agency tried and failed to convince me that I had to stay in order for my SGP contract to be valid but I had signed a contract that stated it was eligible from September forced them to recant, they were seething for sure and I got no response other than to say they would pay me what I was owed. That last part stung, I always thought my agent would have my back but all they care about is their commission that comes from my hard labor. On my last day, another cockroach was found and still they hid it from the parents so I intervened and called the authorities, a lowly supply teacher has more moral courage than staff with decades of service. I did it not out of petty revenge but out of a sense of moral duty.
In 5 weeks I worked every day until 6 pm with no thanks or any praise on minimum wage in a very challenging environment doing my best all along and to be treated like this made me feel that despite the challenges of modern education human standards of compassion still existed. How wrong I was, lesson learned and I hope that when you read this you will think twice about doing this job.
I still dream about becoming a teacher and now getting my QTS certification is my priority so I can find a school that shares the same values as me.