I am genuinely asking because I don't want to be unfair, but I'm struggling with how things are going at the moment.
She started with us at the end of last year, during the 'quiet' time, and seemed to keep hours similar to the rest of us - leaving at around 3.30 -4, staying a bit later one or two other days. All fine.
Since we started back (we've done nearly two weeks now) she has been in at 8.20ish and gone by about 3.30. Every day, aside from a calendared meeting. On that day she left the moment the meeting ended at 4.30. I have barely had a chance to speak to her in any depth as we only share a couple of frees a fortnight, so we haven't had a chance to discuss the projects/developments etc we/she are supposed to be working on. It's really frustrating tbh.
I also feel she's being a bit snippy and defensive with me when I say absolutely anything to her, though I may well be imagining that. I have said nothing whatsoever about hours, but I said something about books belonging to her class that were in the wrong room and I felt she thought I was getting at her and she came back with a bit of attitude, which I feel was unwarranted. I asked a question, that was all. I hope I didn't sound PA - I certainly didn't mean to, but I'm starting to feel like I need to be on eggshells around her, which I could do without. Also, there are a couple of things she said she would do which there is no sign of, and I need to raise that with her, but she's never there!
I know she has small children but as far as I was aware her dh does the majority of the pick-ups as he is nearer. Certainly that seemed to be the case before the summer, but now maybe not. I'm aware things change, and I'm a lp who went through a traumatic divorce while being well-supported by my school and department, so if she came to me and said there was a problem/she was struggling I would absolutely be supportive, but this just never being around is potentially a problem if it continues.
I'm thinking I should speak to her in a non-judgy way next week, but would this be out of order? I'm going to get advice from more experienced colleagues on Monday, but wondered what people here thought in the meantime.
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AIBU to want my second in dept to stay later?
theduchessstill · 14/09/2018 17:28
So she is still fairly new? The nicest thing my current school have done for me is to allow me to find my way around, establish myself with the kids and explicitly tell me that my managerial duties will start a few weeks into the school year, rather than throwing everything at me at the same time.
I started as a middle manager last year in a different school and was thrown straight in from the off and honestly, the new school plus new role was a little too much to cope with at the beginning.
That aside, she is under no obligation to stay or arrive outside of her contracted hours and if she does that and insists on keeping it that way, you have little ground to stand on. I'm assuming that the timetable isn't her responsibility, so if no meeting time between her and you has been scheduled by her school, that is something you should raise with the powers that be. I did exactly that and the timetable got changed as my head admitted that anything else would have been unreasonable. I have also refused extra meetings requested outside of school hours, which did not fall into directed time.
As a manager yourself, it is your responsibility to ensure that your second has the tools she needs to do her job effectively. You need to ensure that her role and responsibilities are clear to her and that she can do what she needs to do with what is available to her.
To go in and speak to her about her working times - provided she sticks to her contract - is the wrong thing to do. It's one of the many things that makes people leave the profession in droves. Not everyone believes in presenteeism and personally, I work a lot quicker and more effectively between 8-10pm and from 4am - times no-one would meet with me 
As for her work: clear roles, a clear timeline and regular check-ups on how she is getting on. Then, if she still doesn't satisfy her role, by all means go and speak to her about any unfinishied work. But give her a chance, it's been two bloody weeks and she'll still be learning the new systems, no matter how experienced she's been beforehand. New schools bring a lot of change with them.
The biggest problem with management in schools is that very few people have been taught how to manage and lead others properly.
I don't think it has 'nailed it' actually, though it may partly be my fault for being vague and not giving too many details.
She started after Easter, so not especially new now. But I completely agree that she should have time to establish herself in her new school, but she has always been adamant that it wasn't necessary and has offered to do many things and taken on to much. I have done my best to manage this and her expectations of herself, but, as I said, she is not particularly open and I think wants to give an impression of perfection, when none of us are manage that. I definitely need to speak to her about prioritising workload, but I don't want to be patronising and I think she'll just be defensive and insist there isn't a problem.
Meeting times are not scheduled in the school day - it's just the culture of the school and there's nothing I can do about it. It's not going to happen - I would love to work somewhere where it did though. Your head sounds great, Wormzy.
I don't believe in presenteeism either, and have no intention of making the meeting we have about her hours. I'll focus on her responsibilities and set some negotiated deadlines etc. However, I do believe teaching involves teamwork, and if someone is seldom around it's hard to build that. As I said, I don't mean I think she, or anyone else, should be in 7-6, but it would be good if she wasn't packing up as soon as the day finishes - if she was around until 4 -4.30 a couple of days a week. But I realise I can't make that happen, so a formal, scheduled meeting it will have to be. We need that anyway, but someone being around on a more informal basis is helpful too.
The biggest problem with management in schools is that very few people have been taught how to manage and lead others properly.
Completely agree 
.
Ah, that makes things clearer. So she has insecurities - quite common for a first-time second
Your school doesn't have to have a specific time scheduled for the two of you if you share frees - just agree that you will both use an agreed free a fortnight to meet (and do anything else via email if urgent) and if necessary speak to the cover manager to stress that you'd like to keep it as a meeting time and only be used for cover in absolute emergencies.
If you communicate via email you also have a record of when you have sent out information, deadlines you have set and anything else you have agreed. It gives you something to fall back on in case of incomplete work and allows her the flexibility to work in the middle of the night if that is what she chooses to do.
I hope you can reassure you that she is not under constant scrutiny and criticism, but fully supported. The way my new team have welcomed me into their midst has certainly changed the way I approach teamwork in this school and I am much more open to be helpful than I'd ever have been in my last school, where I did feel like I had to be perfect all the time or else.
Good luck.
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