Secondary teachers

[Alphvet]

How many of you are allowed to sign out in the day if you have a free lesson? Just curious. My last employer would allow us to leave early if free period 5 (although we rarely did!) but this one doesn't allow that

[Lightpurpletulip]

My school is very relaxed and I leave early if I want. Last school was awful. If you tried to leave before X time, someone would turn you back.

[YogiYoni]

Ours is odd. We can pop out (e.g. to local shop, for a walk, etc) so long as we sign out and back in again, but if we want to leave early it needs to be 'approved'.

[LockedOutOfMN]

We're the same as yogiyoni. Our school's in a stupid location though so there's very little you can do in a free period and nothing at all if you don't have enough a car. So people only nip out for cigarettes (no smoking on site).

[MsAwesomeDragon]

We're not officially allowed to leave early, but we all do occasionally if we're free last lesson. The latest message from the head was "it's fine to be off site during ppa time sometimes, but don't make it too much of a habit and whole afternoons need to be authorised".

Our current head is more laid back about it than the previous head.

[mineofuselessinformation]

Only if it's PPA, and then signing out and not coming back is frowned on.

[boatrace30]

Same as yogi. We're in a town centre so you can pop out to run errands but can't leave early, even if papa

[Heirhelp]

We would not be allowed out during PPA. This may account for the very low staff moral at our school.

[Rufus27]

We are allowed to if you sign out. People don't make a habit of it.

[Bobbiepin]

Same as @yogi here - we're in a town centre and right next door to asda. Most staff don't sign out when we pop out during a PPA, although I think we are meant to. Generally people wouldn't go home and miss the whole last lesson although its not unheard of for some staff who are free last period to leave a few minutes early (especially those getting public transport)

[elisa2502]

No chance

[Thegiantofillinois]

No chance. You can go out at lunch. I feel guilty when I occasionally leave in my blank (.9 therefore unpaid hours).

[Passmethecrisps]

People come and go as they please as long as they are non-contact. If you are non-contact in the afternoon you are asked to wait until lunch has ended before leaving just in case you are required for cover but otherwise you can sign and and out as you require

[Passmethecrisps]

I should have said that it is actually the rules that we are allowed to leave as long as non-contact. Part of the conditions in Scotland. I imagine that it will be made harder in some schools than in others though.

[Paperdove87]

Very much frowned upon at mine, although technically allowed. My HOD asked me not to sign out when I left as feeling rotten and had a free, and said she would say she hadn't got around to signing me out if questioned. I miss my old school on things like this, it was so much more relaxed about this and never made a fuss. Also the whole department used to go out to lunch together every Friday. It was lovely!

[cricketballs]

We can nip out if free, if need to leave for home before end if the day then need permission from AHT but never been turned down (but only asked 3 times in 7 years)

[PumpkinPie2016]

Not allowed out at ours during frees - even if they are last lesson of the day!

We are technically allowed out at lunch but we only get 30 mins and there is very little near enough to school to go to in that time!

[Shadowboy]

For us as long as you are there for core hours you can come late and leave early. Core hours are 10-3 but the teaching day is 9-4 so if you don't teach first and last you are not required to be there. You can pop out during the one hour lunch but most of us run workshops so there is no time!

[teacher54321]

If we need to pop out at lunchtime then you just sign out and back in again, not a problem as long as you don't have an activity or a duty. If you have frees first thing and book say a Drs appt then it would be fine as long as you tell the Deputy Head first so they know not to put you on cover/know you're not going to be around first thing. I teach in a through school and my Ds is in reception and they finish at 3.30pm and I don't finish till 4pm. I've picked him up 'on time' precisely twice ever, on his birthday both years since we've been at the school as I swapped lessons so I was free last thing.

[Rosieposy4]

Very much frowned upon, even if it is a PPA. You can sign out, but would be expected to sign back in again before the end of the day. It would be noted for use later.

[MrsBartlettforthewin]

Ours is just changing. It used to be we could sign out early and work from home if had ppa last lesson. Now it has to be requested on forms and signed off by the head. It's really setting the tone of how this year has been with the new head, members of staff feel like she doesn't trust us to do our jobs.

The old head had her issues but at least she had the sense to realise that as long as planning/ marking etc was done and classes were making progress it really doesn't matter if the work is done sitting in your department office or your garden at home in the sun shine.

[DoctorDonnaNoble]

As long as you sign out it's absolutely fine.

[SylviasLovers]

We aren't allowed out at all during PPA, only for lunch.