I blocked my Headteacher on WhatsApp this week

You don’t need to “fix” anything for me thank you. How patronising. This is yet another teacher not doing what they were supposed to.
The contract ends on 31st August.
It is not ok that a child with additional needs has not had this paperwork completed and it is the OPs responsibility to do so.

I’m SLT and a SENCO OP, you do need to do this work but it shouldn’t take too long. You’re under contract and head teachers talk.

I'm still in education, just a role with wider impact. Plus more money, but significantly more responsibility, more hours, and far fewer holidays.

Because as an ECT someone should have been doing important paperwork alongside someone which clearly didn’t happen otherwise it would have been done. Someone should have also spotted it hadn’t been done before the holiday if the correct systems were in place.

How do we know the OP wasn’t supported in her role? Just because she says so? Reading between the lines, it sounds to me like the school decided not to renew her contract, not the other way round. That would explain why she’s feeling so aggrieved.

For all those saying she’ll easily get supply work, I wouldn’t be so sure. From my own experience as a teacher and the fact that my ex was a HT, I can tell you for a fact that HTs are a cliquey and very gossipy lot and think nothing of phoning each other to ask about someone they are thinking of recruiting. Totally bypassing anything that might be in a written reference. One time I applied to a school after a period on sickness absence with stress at my old school. At the interview, I was ambushed with information that the HT could only have got from my previous HT, as I hadn’t disclosed the reason for my sickness absence in my application. Needless to say, I wasn’t offered the job.

My ex regularly sought, and shared, information about staff and prospective employees, in ‘off the record’ phone calls with other HTs. It may well go on in other sectors too, but schools operate in a very underhand way in my experience.

So the bottom line is: piss your HT off and don’t be surprised when you struggle to find another job.

Yes, I'm a primary teacher.

And I agree with what you say about secondary teachers helping with re-marks and results day. It's part of what I'd expect teachers to do in my non-directed work to support the students. I'd also expect it with Year Six staff and SATS, especially with the mess-up that happened this year.

I would be surprised with any primary head wanting ex-staff in school or to have access to IT systems once term-time ends though. In my experience, they generally want the cut-off to happen as quickly as possible. They often want the lanyards, keys and laptop for new staff anyway! I would expect as an ex-teacher to only be allowed on school site with SLT present and to have to sign-in as a visitor. I would not expect them to have an absolutely non-essential access to any paperwork and nothing that could not have been sorted out in term-time. I would have expected a lot of SLT to see that as very risky behaviour regarding staff they can no longer direct.

I wouldn't expect other random paperwork tasks though. As I say, in primary I would find it strange to have an ex-teacher still on the email or IT system this far into the holidays.

I'm not saying teachers should absolutely work to rule - but this is clearly an example of SLT dropping the ball. I know how badly a lot of ECT are supported in primary and how it is affecting retention and overall school morale.

When moving schools:
Do I do required planning, resource making and classroom set-up during the holidays - yes.
Would I be available to a new member of the team or a year group partner to answer a planning query - yes.
Would I expect to be contacted about a piece of paperwork they've not needed in the last 3 weeks and only just realised that they are missing - no.

I wish people would read this and realise that teaching contracts are different to other contracts.
I think it's highly unlikely this piece of paperwork is vitally needed for the child in the middle of August when presumably the SENCO is also on holiday.

Spot on.

@RamblingFar I agree with some of what you say but I'm wondering if you are a primary teacher, because what you say about ending contracts is not true of my experience as a secondary teacher.

Secondary teachers are needed to be on email and responsive over the holidays to support with exam results and remarks. We do accept this is part of the role and we know we have to be able to get online/be contactable on results days. I have never in my 15 years of teaching with three school changes in that time had my email access or physical access to the school revoked on my last day in a school - I am contracted until 31 August and would be expected to support with any issues with exams and remarks until that date. We also usually go in for results day if we're around, whether we've 'left' or not. It's not formally 'directed' time but the reality is, if advice on a remark is required, or a paper needs to be recalled and checked, it's difficult for someone who isn't the class teacher and doesn't know the child's work to be able to do this with any accuracy. When uni or sixth form places hang in the balance, we have to be able to give this support within a tight time frame, and if a teacher refused to help at all with exams over the summer, students could be really disadvantaged.

I am not a martyr, but I do also accept I've chosen a career that gives me a certain amount of responsibility towards the children I teach that I can't just choose to switch off from entirely when the holidays start. Our work does impact on other people's lives and futures and if you don't want that kind of responsibility, then you shouldn't be a teacher.

I'll fix it for you...
Your issue would be with SLT who have not ensured an ECT was told about a task, supported with completing it if necessary and who did not check that the ECT had completed the task before the end of term.

The OPs directed work finished on the last date of term (that may not have been the children's last day - some schools had inset afterwards). They should no longer have access to complete the task and the head therefore has had to ask them via an unofficial channel to complete the task (to cover the SLT who dropped the ball) as the OP probably no longer even has access to their school email (regardless of the fact that their responsibility to check it has long since passed). The OP is on unpaid leave until the end of their contract. Depending on when they start any supply work for a new school, they may actually be starting work before their current contract ends. School employees have 3 possible contract end dates each year (very rarely this may alter if a teacher moves at half term, but this is very, very unusual and HR would be involved in negotiations.) These DO NOT tie up with the teachers working days. IT IS NOT UNCOMMON to start term before the contract starts and finish directed employment before a contract ends. Otherwise schools would be in chaos with different term dates (remember teachers can't have term-time holidays).

Not saying that at all. 🤣

My comment is in reply to someone who can’t be bothered to complete some paper work they have been asked to complete before their contract finishes on 31st August. And who thinks it’s appropriate to block their boss who dares to remind them to do it.

Children with SEND are some of the most vulnerable in society and teachers need to support them the best they can. By ignoring this piece of work they need to do, they are just another example of a teacher who is not professional. This is one of the reasons why teachers get such bad press and parents of children with SEND have a much harder time than is necessary getting the support they require.

If you chose to volunteer your time when you are not being paid or are currently actively employed by your employer, then that is up to you.

I guess your headteacher could authorise you to be on school property until 31st August, but it would be unusual and potentially very risky for them. You should have had your access revoked on the last day of term to cover the school. I mean you can volunteer (as I said in my post) to collect or return belongings out of that time. But it is undirected, unpaid leave, and many education and non-education related businesses would quite rightly restrict staff access.

Teachers should know the requirements of their pay and conditions. SLT definitely should know them. Unfortunately a lot in teaching goes on 'for the good of the children', which is ultimately no good for the staff and the poor conditions end up affecting teacher retention and therefore the children.

Requesting work from ex-staff once term has ended is ridiculous. Many teachers would quite happily comply - unfortunately it really is not helping the profession. There are certain things I probably would comply with just to be helpful - pointing out were to find a resource on the system (that I no longer had access to) for example. But official paperwork should have been completed before the end of term - the responsibility for assigning it, supporting it and checking it lies with SLT. Not an unsupported ECT who has moved on from employment with the school.

There are two major issues -

1. The head/SLT has the responsibility for assigning the task, supporting it and checking it BEFORE the end of term.
2. Teachers need to know and abide by their employment terms and conditions. Teacher retention is a major issue. It is not helpful for everyone to just 'do it for the sake of the children' continuously. Many, many things do need completing out of directed hours and do have an impact. However, it needs people to draw lines in the sand as well - otherwise teacher burnout and unhappiness (which is causing a lot of the issues in school) is going to get catastrophically worse.

At the end of the day the OP is no longer actively employed by the school, cannot be directed to do any additional works, has revoked their school access and laptop (which I assume at the time the school were happy to get back!) and is being hounded via an unofficial channel to complete a task that is no longer their responsibility. I hope the OP has a lovely summer off and that a stint in (or permanent move to) supply enables them to re-find their love of teaching and the will to continue to teach in the future.

That depends entirely on if you're going to get paid for your efforts. If, like me, you're often still in contract on paper, but not being paid/employed for any time off at the end of contracts then I wouldn't do it unless I came to a fair financial agreement. If I was still being paid I would do the report. I don't work for free, ever.

I’ve left 2 teaching jobs and both times I had full access to the building and systems until the 31st August.

I was then required to start the new role at the beginning of September, even thought the term didn’t start until after the 5th.

Both times I went in for things like clearing out the room before the new person started, downloading all my files, collecting personal items that I had bought in etc

I got paid my August salary in September and the new role September salary in October so I didn’t have a month without pay.

So obviously different places do things differently.

As the head is saying that OP can go and collect the work laptop then she must still have access to the building and systems until the 31st August.

The head and OP is going to be more familiar with the rules of their school than you are.

So essential no one missed it for 3 weeks?

It is almost certainly ‘essential’ for ticking boxes for ofsted rather than for an EHCP application or similar.

No, that's not the way teaching contracts work.

In the past, pre-academies, it didn't matter who you worked for at any specific moment in time, as you were a teacher. You work for your previous school until the last date of term (unless you are SLT and so on a different contract). You may be getting paid until 31st August, but you should no longer have access to the school buildings, IT systems, any school documents... There should be no way for a headteacher to assign you any work, or for you to complete it. You are actually on unpaid leave over the holidays (but the pay is divided into 12 monthly payments). Normally you then start working for the new school 'straight away' although it is undirected time and you cannot actually be required to go in until the start of term. It would be extremely unusual for a teacher not to visit their new school or start any paperwork they can do outside of school. The OP is going on supply, so won't be doing that - unless the agency contacts them in the holiday's and they make arrangements with a school to visit in the holidays (I have voluntarily done this in the past, ready for the first week back).

So there were set dates for contracts, resignations, pay, etc. These dates were kept when most schools moved from LAs to MATs. It doesn't matter which date any exact school runs it terms on, but ensures teachers can move jobs between schools without it being a logistical nightmare.

For example I work in the West Midlands. Term time ends here mid-late July and term starts 1st September. If I took a job in the East Midlands my new school term would start (county dependent) mid-late August. I would be being paid by my old school until 31st August and my new school from 1st September. Even though I'd actually be working in school for different dates. Teacher contracts do not match up to school term times and school holidays cannot be directed time.

The SLT at OPs old school have dropped the ball. It is not OPs responsibility to pick up the pieces. Especially as a previous poster has pointed out they are an ECT and so not actually fully qualified and should have been supported more to understand any outstanding paperwork.

I use to do wages for teachers and support staff including TAs.
Support staff contacts always stated 31/8 (or whatever the last day of half term was) but they aren’t actually paid for the 6 weeks of the summer holidays, their pay is prorated for the holiday - so they get paid 52-13 weeks (and again on hours if they are less than 37). We add on statutory 4 weels annual leave then the figure is divided by 12 to ensure they get paid once a month (so paid in the holidays but not for the holidays).

I would not expect a TA (or equivalent) to work after school breaks up just because the contract states 31/8 because they aren’t getting paid.

Everthing else in my previous comment stands.

my contract ends on the 31st August.

OP has said her contract ends on 31st August.

She cannot do any work for a new role before this date as she is still currently employed.

She would be breaching her contract if started a new role before 31st August.

If she did get a new role, she would need to discuss with HR and have her current role terminated sooner so she can sign the new contract.

She can be onsite as the head has already said she can be.

Yes but this is a management issue ie the responsibility of the head to finalise. Errors are made but they need to own this one not try and bully the op into doing something which either hadn't been agreed or which she didn't know had been agreed.

Wow does that mean some poor child is going to get screwed over because you couldn't do your job.
You are contracted through 31 August, and are still an employee. As such you are required to follow lawful and reasonable management instructions, perform duties that fall within your role and act in good faith.
Handing back your laptop and keys does not end the employment relationship.

No I don't think this is right. The contract will include annual leave so I expect the op is now on annual leave. Unless school teachers are respected, even fewer will enter the profession.

I’m thinking of the poor child/parents who are prob waiting for this vital info so they can get help and support for their child’s needs

very professional of you

I wish we could pin responses because anyone reading the thread now basically just needs to read this.

The Head IS being unreasonable whether non-teachers agree or not. It doesn’t matter what it’s like your work place - this isn’t your work place.

In terms of the negative reference - you can’t put in negative things that aren’t evidence based. Evidence is disciplinary hearings or written warnings. Not ‘I dropped the ball and she didn’t bail me out even though technically we still employ her.’

Threads like this made me so glad I left teaching after 22 years - I now work as a 1:1 SEND tutor. It is only term-time so all holidays are completely unpaid but...
I have 6 weeks in which I am not thinking about work, feeling any pressure to do any work, going into my classroom for days of unpaid prep etc. I can go on a little holiday with my family knowing I will not be contacted via a WhatsApp.
And before anyone says "Nice life if you can get it", I have just swapped roles to be a SAHM for these unpaid weeks. I have a teenager of my own and also a very lively 6 yo. So basically swapping one job for another.
Since leaving the profession I realised what a toll it has taken over the years on my MH. As just one example, my teeth have been ground down very badly due to clenching and grinding - I've paid out over £1k for root canal work and nightguard with more root canal to be needed on the other side. Interestingly enough, when I first went to see my dentist he said he could guess my profession by the level of bruxism as it's incredibly common for teachers.
Teachers need to start saying no and I would strongly advise leaving the profession if there is a viable alternative.

No, it’s not true. 1265 is the amount of hours of directed time that is time when you were specifically asked to be in a specific place i.e. a classroom or a meeting in addition to that teachers have to do as many hours that is necessary to fulfil the responsibilities of their job which includes planning and report writing, et cetera, et cetera.