Part-timers: how many days do you work a year?

[lilypotter]

OK, so there are 190 teaching days a year. If I work 0.8 of a full-time role, then by my calculations, that's 152 days (have deliberately left out the additional Inset days I do, as it complicates the issue, as they're always on Mondays, which I don't officially work).
I've just counted up how many days (Tues-Fri) I will have taught this academic year, and it comes to 157.
Can anyone tell me how that is possible, before I make an arse of myself by possibly pointing it out to my HT?

[DrownedGirl]

Directed time is hours rather than days

This might help you check?

www.teachers.org.uk/files/PT-Teach-Guide-Update-09.doc

[Doowrah]

Watching with interest as you work exact same days as me.😌

[Ni58]

Half weeks at the beginning or end of a term? Bank Holidays don't count as teaching days? I work Tues - Fri as well so I know how you feel!

[noblegiraffe]

Do you have a day off a week?
I teach 0.6 and don't have any days off, so if I counted up my teaching days it would be 190.

[LilyPotter]

Thanks, drownedgirl, I've looked at that (made my brain ache, on top of report-writing another Inset on my day off ), but as a primary teacher teaching 4 straight days, I'm not sure it makes any difference?
And does 'Directed Time' still allow for up to 4.30pm? I know there was talk of it, years ago, but unsure what happened to that idea. Never made much difference to me as I'm usually at school until 5.30 anyway.

[LilyPotter]

So, noblegiraffe, you presumably have time off within those days? That's a pain, surely, to have "trapped" time like that, isn't it? And presumably, calculating a % of directed hours would be preferable under those circumstances.
I would have thought that my situation was more clear-cut. But if I'm missing something, then I need to know.

[Nuttypops]

Do you work in a job share role? When my job share partner and I shared a class, 0.5 each, we used to swap days as necessary so we both worked the right number. Otherwise with the random days off, which were more likely to be Mondays, she would have worked more days than me as I worked Monday's so would have the days off. The end of term dates may have something to do with it as well, eg. If term starts on a Tues and ends on a Fri, you would work more because you wouldn't have your 'day off' during the first week as it would be part of the holidays.

[LilyPotter]

Well, that gets complicated, as we overlap - she does 2 days a week, but she doesn't gain from my loss, if you see what I mean. She works the correct number of days (0.4 of 190), although benefits, I suppose, in that she's already working all the Inset days (whereas I have to use my days off for them), and she also gains from any Bank Holidays Mondays.

[LilyPotter]

And I suppose the next question is: what, if anything do I do about it? Do I mention it to the HT, and if so, what result could I expect?

[noblegiraffe]

If you and your job share already overlap, could you change it so your overlapping day is Monday?

[DrownedGirl]

Directed time for 1.0 fte is 1265h and there should be a time calendar to include meetings and parent evenings etc

It averages out at 32.5h pw x 39 weeks
6.5h per day
A normal school day is probably something like 8.30-3.30 less 1h lunch - so 6h
195 x 6 = 1170h
That would leave 95h for meetings and parents evenings

If you are .8 you can
Pro Rata it down

Directed time = 1265 x .8 = 1012h
4 days pw x 38w plus 5 inset days if you work them all is 157 days x 6h is 942h leaning 1012-942 or 70h for meetings/parents evenings

So for you to work out if you are losing out, you need to get the time quota for your school and add up all the time you work, and see how it compares with .8 of 1265h

Often, pt teachers who do all INSET days even if it's not their usual day,
Will end up being paid an extra day if they have already worked all their hours

In my experience, pt teachers are often women, who, having had a bit of a fight to reduce from FT, then don't really stand up for themselves if hours creep up

[DrownedGirl]

www.teachers.org.uk/files/Directed-Time-Calculator.xls

[DrownedGirl]

www.teachers.org.uk/files/Workload-A5-7037.pdf

[DrownedGirl]

You could ask your head for the directed time workings for the FT staff and for yourself

[LilyPotter]

Wow, thanks for all that.

By "time quota," do you mean what counts as a full day? We start at 8.50 and finish at 3.20, with an hour for lunch. Do morning breaks count? Is any allowance made for any time before/after the school day? Obviously, most teachers are on the premises long before the day begins, but I thought we had to be there at least 10 mins before, for instance.

[noblegiraffe]

Your school should technically have a breakdown of all these hours and you should know exactly how many INSETS, meetings and so on you are required to do.

In reality most schools just hope no one asks, and fudge it if they do.

[clam]

Well, on that site drowned linked to earlier, it said that no one can be expected to attend Inset days on days they don't usually work. But in 20 years of being part-time (from 2.5 days to 4 days) I've attended every single one, and they've almost always been on days I don't work. But I think the rules have changed recently.

[ElegantDream]

No, the rules haven't changed (although academies make their own rules up).

You don't have attend.

I've always worked on days - one year, I got a day off otherwise it would have been a day too many.

[jellyfrizz]

I was working as a 0.6 job share. My job share worked Mon - Weds and I worked Weds - Fri.

I worked out that this academic year they would be working 109 days whereas I would be working 117 days.

I left before doing anything about it as it was an awful place to work in many other ways. I decided to always negotiate having Monday as a working day if working part time from now on!

Have you asked your union for advice? Might be a good starting point.

[LilyPotter]

Seems a bit heavy to go through the unions. Mentioned it directly to the HT who was suitably shocked/mystified and said she'd look into it.

[ElegantDream]

The unions aren't there just go through - they are there for advice. The question asked here is one they could answer easily. A quick phone call to them and you have your answer to do with as you wish. Same as asking in here, really, except they have the correct facts in front of them.

Glad you are getting it sorted.

[jellyfrizz]

Seconding ElegantDream, your union would be able to answer the question. Your head needn't even know you've spoken to them.

It's not 'getting the union involved' as in union speaks to school. It's just finding out the facts before speaking to you head so that you know where you stand legally just in case your head thinks it easier/cheaper to give you the wrong information

[ElegantDream]

exactly. Totally agree with that point and why I like to know I have my facts correct!