Has anyone ever compressed hours? Or would PT be better?

[fruityb]

I'm UPS 2 and have a TLR so I do ok money wise - but I'm going back to work after maternity leave and (selfishly maybe) would like to ask School about the above. Now compressed hours is probably not a great option as I do use my PPA wisely and would worry I'd just end up using home time to work. Has anyone done this at all?

I'm considering asking for four days a week - have a meeting with the head this week as I plan on returning in may. What has worked best for people? Just go back as you were or did you change? I'd love to be PT but then worry I'd just end up working an extra day at home for free! I'm dreading going back in terms of workload again and anything I can do to potentially tone that down would be good.

Bit rambley maybe but if anyone has any advice that would be great.

[BackforGood]

Not quite sure how compressed hours would work in teaching due to the needing to be "customer" facing for the actual teaching, and then all the other stuff is already done in evenings etc anyway? . I've always assumed compressed hours is something sometimes done in jobs where you work in an office of some kind, and choose to do 4 x 10 hr days rather than 5 x 8hr days? Maybe I've got the wrong end of the stick.

IF you are Primary, I'd advise against 4 days - I think you still get to do 100% of everything apart from those 5hrs teaching, so you don't gain much. Everyone still thinks of it as your class, you get all the reports, the parents evenings, the tracking, the arranging of trips and assemblies and so on and so forth. Probably even works out easier for you to plan the maths and English for the whole week so you don't save there. If you are going PT (which I would definitely recommend) have a look at the possibilities of doing 3 days. With the high personal allowance in terms of the way you pay tax, you don't lose as much as you'd think you might. However, the benefit of having a job- share rather than someone teaching your class for 1 day, are huge.
Yes, you (well 'I') do end up working on the day off, but, if you choose to do that, then you get your weekends free. Or, if you are looking after your baby on the 2 days you are off, then you don't feel so bad shutting yourself away for a whole day at the weekend to get your work done.
I think 3 days is the perfect balance. You'd have to do the sums to see if you can afford it though (keep in mind lower CM or Nursery fees if only paying for 3 days).

[fruityb]

Compressing would mean having little or no ppa in School time and teaching everything in four days rather than five - though School would obviously have to be on board and allow me the day ppa.

I teach secondary so think they could do that. I don't always teach all day. I don't know that it would be possible but I will be asking. I do need an idea of what I'll be doing on my return so I can do some work for it in the meantime. It's about 8 weeks till I go back 😭 And I dread arriving to be told I'm teaching in an hour with no prep!

[NearlyEaster]

I am in school 4 days but my contract is 0.82 plus TLR. Some schools will let you do this. Works well for me.

[CarrieBlue]

You may not find pt as easy at secondary as at primary - you may ask for four days but there's no requirement that you get 4 days - you may very well get 4 days spread over five (or 3 days over five). You may get a morning, then have to go for afternoon lessons. You may even get lesson 1 teaching, then 'blank' time until lesson 5. It is supposed to be 'reasonable' how the time is distributed over the week, but in practice and from experience it often isn't. TLR doesn't have to be paid in full either, it is often reduced in line with your timetable although I was lucky as I got mine FT.
My best advice is decide what will work for you and be clear in your request to school and ask for union advice and representation - friendly chats can lead to you not being treated fairly (be wary of meeting/parent evening/open evening attendance requirements too)

[fourcorneredcircle]

According to the burgundy book TLRs should be paid pro-rata so, I think you can expect that to drop (or even be removed, as some schools will not give TLR to part time). There are of course exceptions to the pro-rata rule but they are very much not the norm.

I echo what carrie said about part time in secondary being more likely to end up with more days in than you were expecting too. I'm .76 and in four and a half days... with trapped time. Shit but s'what it is.

[noblegiraffe]

Yes they won't neccesarily be able to timetable you into lessons to fit a compressed timetable - I have trapped time as well as PPA and I have to work 3 days over 5 - they can't even give me 3 days let alone fewer!

I think working 4 full days with no PPA on the trot would be horrendous, then that would put all your PPA on the fifth day that they would possibly expect you to be in school for anyway - we aren't allowed to do PPA at home. It would still be directed time rather than a day off.

[BackforGood]

My friend has worked PT in secondary for years. Various %s, and in a couple of different schools. She has never been timetabled so all her non-working-time is compacted into one 'day off'.

[MrsCK]

I've never known part timers to work less hours over 5 days. I've also never seen compressed timetables either.

What would happen if you had a tutor group? You'd still be directed for that time surely? How about directed meeting times. Ours are spread over every day so even if you had ppa on one day then you'd still have to do the rest of directed time. If it does work out for you please let us know...I'd love to do it!

[fruityb]

I haven't been a form tutor for about four years as I do one to one work then.

I'm going back full time to begin with and seeing how it goes. I know part time can still mean you're in five days just not all day. Which would be a pain!

I suppose compressing would be easier for me as I only teach keystage 4 and 5 and top up with intervention. But that's a conversation for later at work!

Thank you for your input everyone.

[June2008]

I did compressed hours for a year, three days in school and a day at home on a .8 contract. It is not something I would recommend as working three days without any ppa was really really hard. I work in a school with just one 20 min break and 30 mins for lunch so it was very full on. It was impossible to meet with anyone and I regularly ended up going in on the day I was supposed to be working from.

I've gone back to a .6 contract this year with normal ppa and it's definitely easier. I was and am lucky that my school accommodate full days rather than the hours spread over a number of days but being one of only two part timers helped.