Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think my HOD is being a bit of a jobsworth?

88 replies

anniebolen · 14/07/2024 15:19

Hello,
I'll start with some context, I am a teacher, currently I work 2.5 days a week through a job share, my co-teacher and I get on really well and have been working together for years. We both have 2 children each and our children are the same ages (both have 4 and 1/almost 1 year olds). This year we are both coming back from maternity leave. My co-teacher works Monday, Wednesday morning and Friday, I do Tuesday, Wednesday afternoon and Friday.
This year we both have children starting school, her DD will start on the same Monday as we go back to work and my DS will start the Tuesday. Now obviously this means that if we both work our normal days we will miss our children's first day of school. We decided to jointly ask our head of department if he would mind us swapping the first 2 lessons each day so we can go to our children's first day of school. We have seen our timetable, we don't have Y7 in either slot and as we teach all our classes together it won't make any real difference. The HOD started last year while we were both on maternity leave, however our previous HOD was happy for us to sort between ourselves any swaps, the only time we utilised this was when our children's respective nursery Christmas plays fell on the opposite days.
I have asked why he has said no and he made it clear he doesn't want to mess with the timetable while everyone is settling.
AIBU to think he is being a bit of a jobsworth? Should I challenge him again or accept that I'll miss DS's first day of school and that is part of the parcel of being a teacher?

OP posts:
furusato · 14/07/2024 17:46

These are moments you won't get again, seeing your little ones to their first day at school. Ex Head of Faculty here - I'd have been v happy with your proposal, keen to support parents returning to work. Allowing the Kodak moments mean staff are likely to be happier and loyal. Hope you get it resolved.

greenwoodentablelegs · 14/07/2024 17:41

Can you just swap anyway ?

Kai125 · 14/07/2024 17:34

Yeah your Head is being twat but PLEASE it's not just bloody teachers who may have to miss their kid's first day at school.

It's all "part and parcel" of working!!

tinytemper66 · 14/07/2024 17:23

Well, when he wants a volunteer for something that would be manned by good will, you know to say no.

WonderingWanda · 14/07/2024 17:18

Go to HR or your head and ask them instead.

WearyAuldWumman · 14/07/2024 17:18

CaptainCarrotsBigSword · 14/07/2024 17:12

Apply to the head for unpaid time off - both of you - and state that you had already submitted a suggested day swap with your job share counter part but this has been rejected.

Head may overrule HOD or may grant unpaid leave. Or may so no to both, in which case at least you know where you stand and that you tried.

That might work.

renthead · 14/07/2024 17:17

Your HOD is being absolutely ridiculous. What a knobhead. This is a perfectly reasonable swap which won't make any difference to anyone.

CaptainCarrotsBigSword · 14/07/2024 17:12

Apply to the head for unpaid time off - both of you - and state that you had already submitted a suggested day swap with your job share counter part but this has been rejected.

Head may overrule HOD or may grant unpaid leave. Or may so no to both, in which case at least you know where you stand and that you tried.

Outwiththenorm · 14/07/2024 17:12

Does he definitely understand what you’re proposing? From experience managers can be Hard of Reading so I would spell out exactly what it would mean for your students, ie. minimal disruption and with their other usual teacher.

MulberryBushRoundabout · 14/07/2024 17:08

Not a teacher, but sounds like a jobsworth to me!

He’s setting the standard now though isn’t he. Any flexibility you may have been willing to offer will be off the table.

WearyAuldWumman · 14/07/2024 17:08

spirit20 · 14/07/2024 17:05

As a HoD I really wouldn't see the issue with it, especially given that you share the classes anyway.

Why not go straight to the Head, surely the HT is the person who would need to approve time off anyway, not the HoD?

I agree with you, but I'm assuming that the OP is worried about the optics of going over her HoD's head.

spirit20 · 14/07/2024 17:05

As a HoD I really wouldn't see the issue with it, especially given that you share the classes anyway.

Why not go straight to the Head, surely the HT is the person who would need to approve time off anyway, not the HoD?

NinetyNineRedBalloonsGoBy · 14/07/2024 17:05

I'm a secondary HOD and I'd allow this. It's a very workable solution and if I valued you and your colleague it would be an easy way of winning your loyalty.

Either he's very inexperienced or he doesn't value you IMO

DogsAndBirds · 14/07/2024 17:04

I'm a second in department and this sort of thing has to go through the head unfortunately, however we would have allowed it especially as no cover is required.

Generally for this sort of thing someone who has a ppa in the department would cover so the person can go to the play/first day/sports day thing and that person in turn would cover some of the other persons classes as a thank you.

WearyAuldWumman · 14/07/2024 16:52

I was a HoD and I would have allowed it.

I had a Headteacher who allowed both male and female staff to have the morning off for their children's first day of primary. (Mind you, I did get a bit narked that those of us who were childless carers didn't get the same consideration, but that's another matter.)

My suspicion is that your HoD is so inexperienced that they're scared of getting into trouble.

AloeVerity · 14/07/2024 16:49

Well - shot himself in the foot there, didn’t he? No more goodwill from either of you, ever. Things will fall apart by about October half term. Natural consequences and all that…

HaPPy8 · 14/07/2024 16:48

Is it your first day back from maternity leave? That might be something to do with it?

Original poster
anniebolen · 14/07/2024 16:43

LividLoved · 14/07/2024 16:25

Besides the point, but never known secondary to do "job share" like this.

Only primary.

Usually pt secondary just have their own timetables on certain days!

(YANBU. Just do it, it's not like you need other cover)

You're right, it really isn't common. We are a private school so I'm not sure if that makes the difference here, but it was pure coincidence that we wanted the exact opposite hours. I was parttime before my first baby and I shared my classes with several other teachers, It is so much better sharing with one teacher, also having the same classroom etc. It is better for the kids and for us - It will only last as long as we are happy working opposite hours though!

OP posts:
LividLoved · 14/07/2024 16:25

Besides the point, but never known secondary to do "job share" like this.

Only primary.

Usually pt secondary just have their own timetables on certain days!

(YANBU. Just do it, it's not like you need other cover)

LadyMacbethssweetArabianhand · 14/07/2024 16:21

Well if he insists, he's just lost two teachers good will, hasn't he? So no going above and beyond for him. Obviously you do your job, but don't offer any support to him. If he asks you to swap for some reason, you'd be quite right to say no. I had one of those and he was a nightmare

Onelifeonly · 14/07/2024 16:16

Yes he is being totally unreasonable. As a teacher, albeit in primary, I can see this won't matter at all.

itsgettingweird · 14/07/2024 16:12

I agree he's being a job worth.

I'm also wondering if he has children? It maybe that he's seeing this purely from a operational stand point (not that I can see operationally it's an issue tbh) rather from your standpoint of parenting which doesn't operationally affect anything?

I've the last 2 days off of term (unpaid) and I'm the only person who does my role. I'm taking ds to compete at a British comp.

But my school know if they want to keep me (they do!) they need to accommodate me.

cansu · 14/07/2024 16:11

He is very unreasonable. You would probably have been better to ask the head. I would now however make a request for unpaid leave.

Loopytiles · 14/07/2024 16:09

Wondering if his concern is that you’d be able to do things that part time colleagues with fixed days & full time colleagues wouldn’t, & that they could seek similar flexibility leading to headaches.

swashbucklecheer · 14/07/2024 16:09

This would be the type of request that would go to our Principal for authorisation and it would not be a problem. In fact he'd probably say just take the morning off. This is one of the reasons I like my school and the staff are very loyal to it.