Light duties on maternity leave

[Leodensian36]

I work in a school and am
Expected to teach several lessons a day as part of my work which often involves standing. I am eight months pregnant and only have a few days to go until I start my maternity leave but I am really struggling and want to work but don’t feel I can teach lessons. I went to management with my concerns and whilst they made out they were caring they said I had to continue teaching or else start my maternity leave early. Is this right as I am sure an employer should make a reasonable adjustment?

[wowbutter]

They can only force you onto mat leave at 34 weeks,should you be signed off ill at that time with a pregnancy related illness.
If they won't give you light duties, get your GP to say you are only fit for light duties. Less classes, the ability to sit and rest every X minutes etc.
How many weeks is 8 months 34-36? Orless? I hate the month system, I can never work it out.

[Moanyoldcow]

It's a bit of a grey area, but it you are too unwell to work within 4 weeks of your due date for a pregnancy related reason then your maternity leave starts automatically and they could argue that this falls into this category.

I'm not being facetious, but if your job is to teach, and you don't feel able to do that, what would you like them to do?

[PotteringAlong]

What do you want them to do? Teach, or start your maternity leave (and I say that as a teacher). They’re not paying you to sit in the staffroom.

[Hoppinggreen]

Are you a teacher?
If you are a teacher and are unable to teach then I don’t see why the school would want you there.

[Leodensian36]

just speaking from experience at other employers...they are caring and provide light duties...eg something where you are not standing for hours on end. Most teachers I find have terrible absence records so won’t be lectured to by one about whether I should be in work or not.

[scurryfunge]

Is it standing that is causing you problems? Any reason you can't sit?

[SleepingStandingUp]

What kind of light duties do you want? Its a reasonable question.

Can you sot down whilst you teach?

[PotteringAlong]

You don’t have to stand up for hours on end to teach. What does your risk assessment say? Mine have always said I am allowed to sit on a chair / perch on a desk whilst teaching, even though it wouldn’t usually be allowed.

[Steeley113]

I’d say if you’ve only got a few days you need to push through or go on mat leave.

[SleepingStandingUp]

Just reread. Just start your maternity leave .

[GorgonzolaForever]

I went on light duties at 30 weeks as a teacher. It meant I was no longer required to do the 3+ duties a week we usually have to do. I was struggling with not having regular breaks. I was expected to keep teaching but they understood that I would be sat down more in class and walk around less. I teach reception and would think carefully about where to place myself for each lesson and once I was there, I would stay there until the end of the lesson. EG I'd get cushions and sit on the carpet to do small group work but not get up and down at all. Or I'd move my comfy chair over to a table and help a group there. Kids came to me if they needed to, obviously. My TA was very helpful. What age do you teach?

[GorgonzolaForever]

I assume you want to push on so that your maternity pay doesn't start until your due date, as you'll be on holiday? Push on! You can do it :) how many days left?

[flowery]

What adjustment did you ask for? Any reason you can’t teach sitting down, or only stand for short periods?

[imokit]

Are you kids old enough that you can teach from a desk and get them to write on the board and do all the lifting and moving around?

[seven201]

I'm a teacher and had an awful pregnancy with many medical complications. I was signed off early so my maternity leave kicked in but in the lead up I got the kids to come to me or I wheeled myself around the classroom on my office chair! I teach a practical subject at secondary so did have to get up and do demonstrations etc. The kids were really good at carrying stuff for me. There was no mention of light duties, reducing my timetable or removing my break time duties. If they had reduced my timetable they'd have had to pay a cover teacher and me, so fair enough not to do that.

It was exacerbated by my many hospital appointments eating up all my ppa's so I didn't get to do any planning or marking in school time at all. I should have been signed off sooner as I was a mess really. I lost out on quite a lot of money starting mat leave so early but I needed to. Do whatever you feel comfortable with.

[PeasAndHarmony]

Am employer must make reasonable adjustments to support you.

Reasonable adjustments might be letting you teach sitting down, no lifting or no playground duty while you are pregnant.

Your employer does not have to make adjustments that are not considered reasonable e.g sitting in the staff room whilst someone else teaches your class.

You need to tell your employer what adjustments would help you so they can consider them.

If you can't teach then you need to go off sick and/ or start your maternity leave.

[Mammyloveswine]

I'm 37 weeks pregnant and teach nursery... I was off on Monday as was hospitalised overnight due to possible Labour... everything stopped and I asked the doctors if I was ok to go back to work. I wouldn't expect to be taking out of my class but I'm just taking it as easy as I can until next Friday e.g. asking support staff to help, sitting on a chair instead of the floor... if you genuinely can't cope by making reasonable adjustments in your day to day teaching then you may have to go off on maternity...

[flowersWB]

You don't need to stand to teach. I taught for the final two months from behind my desk with my feet elevated. I was a very established teacher with few behaviour issues though. If you need to be a presence at the front to manage the classroom you could sit on the front desk? Pull it forward a little to separate it from the group...

[gobbin]

I taught full prac music lessons from my ‘pregnant stool’. It was an old low science stool that had a slightly sloped seat and was very comfortable.

21 years later, I still have my ‘pregnant stool’ in my room and refer to it as such - the kids love it 😂

When I retire, I’m taking it with me.

[gobbin]

There was just one day towards the end when I woke up and thought ‘I’m too knackered to go in’ so I didn’t. Pushed through til the end, went off at 38wks and had DS at 38.4

[ourkidmolly]

The op is not a teacher so impossible to give advice really as we don't know her role. She was also quite clear that she didn't want to be lectured to by teachers with their dreadful attendance records so all that well meaning and kind advice is wasted I'm afraid.

[Discusting]

Arrange your classroom in a horse shoe and sit in the middle on a wheelie chair- it’s how I made it through the last 4 weeks of pregnancy!

[Discusting]

Oh and “several lessons a day” in my school it’s 6, hour long lessons a day. No “light duties”, although a memebet of my department did kindly offer to my break duty for me for the last few weeks.