Part time teacher

[Steelojames]

Hi all
I'm going part time, down to 4 days a week.
I'm very curious as not been confirmed yet, what the timetable will be like.
I'm aware I'm still entitled to PPA however at 10% is that likely to be down to the exact hour?
What was your timetable if you were pt? 3 mornings, 4 afternoons and PPA for example....
Also will I still have the stress of 5 days?
I'm adamant I will not be working on the day off so I can spend time with the kids etc.
Any feedback is appreciated.
X

[mineofuselessinformation]

You are not guaranteed four days in a block, so speak to your hod about it.

[CharleyDavidson]

I've worked 3.5 days and 4 days over time. I now work 4 full days but used to do 4 mornings and 3 afternoons.

If you can manage your timetable with your job share person (who ideally would also cover your ppa to cut down on the number of teachers your class have and to maximise the time you both spend with your class) then it can cut down on stress. I don't teach particular areas of the curriculum, although others we do share. Good communication is important. If your partner teacher is only in school when you aren't then it can be v difficult. Much easier if there's at least half a day when you are both there and can plan/communicate any pastoral or behaviour updates.

I put into my request for part time that I wanted to do 3 and a half days, ideally Mon to Thurs lunchtime and it was accepted, so unlike some, my hours are in my contract and I can't be swapped around. One part time friend only has the percentage of her working time specified, so has been on many different patterns and worked lots of different days. I know in secondary that it's more down to the timetable, but beware of trapped time.

My PPA, depending on which headteacher was working it out, has been a) worked out to the nearest minute (8.50 til 10.12am for example) or b) rounded up a little bit to make it more sensible for the class in terms of changeover time. It could be a certain number of 'periods' in secondary I suppose.

[noblegiraffe]

Primary or secondary makes a big difference.

I'm 0.6 in secondary on a fortnightly timetable and I am teaching every day, but different bits of each day depending on whether it's week 1 or 2. I have lots of trapped time and PPA is just slotted into some of that trapped time so sometimes I'm at school being paid for my free and sometimes I'm still stuck at school for an hour between lessons but unpaid.

I still work evenings and at the weekend.

[goingmadinthecountry]

I work 4 full days in primary. My PPA is normally one afternoon though I seem to have been overlooked this week...
Wednesday is my day off, though there is a bit of flexibility and our HT is always happy for jobshare/me to swap days if we have commitments. My jobshare is great and does the other PPA in school too. I sometimes work on my day off because it frees up the weekend and I don't have any children at home during the day. I love being in a quiet, empty house! Occasionally I've done the Wednesday as supply - extra cash is always good! It helps that I work with a great team.
It suits me perfectly.

[PansOnFire]

I work 4 days in secondary, the extra day with the DC is great but its difficult to orchestrate at busy times of year. I have a Wednesday off, I stay late on a Tuesday so that I'm prepared for Thursdays and I don't log into my emails once I get home on a Tuesday.

I'm contracted to work 0.8 and I'm lucky enough to have my time off in one day but this isn't always the case. I feel like I work 5 days in the 4 without all of the input, I stay up to date with minutes of meetings etc but its not the same as being there and getting the information so I often feel out of the loop. As its the only compromise possible so that I can spend more time with the DC I take it.

[Haggisfish]

I work 4 days only on 0.8 contract- am entitled to 2 hours ppa a week which I get. Expected to attend 80% of meetings on days that I am in. My head very good at trying to accommodate peoples needs (some prefer to work 0.8 over five says with at least one free a day). Still check emails every day and work almost as bloody hard as full time.

[Wolfiefan]

If you are secondary you may well not get a day off. Sorry.
You also need to consider parent evenings and meetings and Inset. My school would insist I came in for those things on a day off. Bloody nightmare.

[Haggisfish]

They cannot legally insist you come in at all. I would have union involvement for that.

[CharleyDavidson]

You can be stuck between a rock and a hard place, contractually, as far as Inset is concerned. On one hand the burgundy book (as was) states that you cannot be compelled to come to work on a day that you don't normally work, to attend meetings or inset. And then in another paragraph is states that you should attend them on a pro rata basis.

So if you have Mondays off and there are more insets on Mondays than other days, then it can be argued that you need to go in to cover the number of inset days you are supposed to attend based on what % of the week you work.

My work have been good in that if there's a training day on a day I don't work, I go in and get paid a day's supply for it. Some heads I've worked for have not been that generous.

[Haggisfish]

I think they have to pay you if you go in for inset that is over your normal hours. Or even for parents evening if it falls on your day off.

[noblegiraffe]

I reckon if I tried to get out of parents evening because it was over my hours school would say 'fine, you can contact parents by email instead', which would take longer and be a huge pain in the arse.

[Lucycat]

If parents' evenings fall on a scheduled day off then you don't have to go in unless they pay you - you could well be working in Tesco's that day!
noblegiraffe I do hope you kick up a stink about trapped unpaid lessons, that's really naughty of them. I had this a couple of years ago and I insisted on taking the hours back in lieu when my exam classes had left, our timetable worked for me as I have lots of Sixth Form at either end of the day. In fact I made such a curfuffle that it hasn't happened since
What did your union say?

[ChinchillaFur]

I am 0.6 (secondary) and do 2 full days and 2 mornings. My PPA is pro-rata so slightly less than a full time colleague with the same responsibilities.

I realise I am very lucky, as have heard about part-timers being spread over 5 days, bits here and there. That would be awful!

This year I haven't done many meetings as they fell on my day off mostly, but I did do all parents evenings even though it was my day off. INSETs I did 3/5 regardless of day of the week.

My school are quite reasonable and flexible, so I tend to be too.

[goldenlilliesdaffodillies]

I work 3 days (but not full days). Insets are a nightmare. I don't get paid for them, have to find childcare but am still expected to come in regardless of whether it is my day off or not. It really annoys me. I am expected to be flexible but it doesn't work the other way round!

[Lucycat]

goldenlilliesdaffodillies are you an academy? Under the SCTPCD you cannot be made to come into school on your days off for Inset - have a squiz here....

The STPCD provides that part time teachers cannot now be required to work or attend non-pupil days on days when they do not normally work (STPCD para 74.7).

They may, however, agree to attend staff/departmental meetings, parents/open evenings and INSET days and other non-pupil days on such days by mutual agreement with the head teacher. Where they do agree to work on days when they do not normally work, this cannot by definition be included in directed time. The STPCD therefore includes a provision for additional payment for this working time. The formula for this payment provides, in effect, for part time teachers to receive 1/1265 of the appropriate full time pay rate for each hour of additional working time.
local.teachers.org.uk/buckinghamshire/directedtimepart.cfm

[Steelojames]

Thanks for all your input everyone.
In terms of responsibility, do I need to plan for the day off and am I responsible for marking and stuff on this day?
Again not been confirmed or even brought up, Is this all dependant on the school or do I need to contact my Union??

[Steelojames]

My day off been finalised as Friday.....

[CharleyDavidson]

You definitely do NOT plan or mark anything delivered on your day off. That is the job of whoever you share the week with.

[goldenlilliesdaffodillies]

Lucycat- not an Academy but Independent.

[hamabeads]

I work part time and always get paid for INSET days. I don't work on a Monday or a Friday so both are my days off. Hence I always email the Head and ask if my presence is required. If she says yes then I go in and claim for it as extra hours.

[mumnosbest]

I work 4 days in primary. I do Tuesday to Friday and take my ppa paid at home on a Monday do I'm teaching 4 full days. This is a pain as I end up going in to work to print or collect work on my day off. I'm going back to working 4 days with ppa on one of the mornings which is much better.