So is the 18th an extra day off?

[justgeton]

Just wondering... is this an extra holiday day for teachers?

I know nothing about this.
I am expecting to be teaching on the 18th.
If DDs school has an extra inset I've got a problem as it is too late to arrange childcare and as we know teachers can't book a day off especially if we end up doing inset too. I can't miss training

"Wondering when everyone in the nhs, supermarkets, bin collectors etc etc would get theirs, that's all."

Wow, such overreactions!

Inset days aren’t days off for teachers. They are work. It’s training, usually very tedious meetings and tons of data. I don’t think bin men and nhs staff would want to have one? (Though presumably they do have to have training and dull admin in their jobs too) But if you aren’t being goady, OP, you should really acknowledge that inset days are still working days for teachers (and ime often a lot worse than a normal working day!)

If you really were ‘just asking’, then you would have listened to the answer and not gone on to write things like, Wondering when everyone in the nhs, supermarkets, bin collectors etc etc would get theirs, that's all.

If you really were ‘just asking’, then you would have listened to the answer and not gone on to write things like, Wondering when everyone in the nhs, supermarkets, bin collectors etc etc would get theirs, that's all.

This

Wondering when everyone in the nhs, supermarkets, bin collectors etc etc would get theirs, that's all.

Are bin collector and supermarket workers involved in contact tracing then? Because this has been done so that heads and admin staff (they are the ones mainly involved) don't end up having to ring people on Christmas Eve to tell them their Christmas plans are off (even though the government previously stated the whole shebang starts on the 23rd) because their child has been identofied as the close contact of someone who has now tested positive.. Instead, school staff can do that until the 23rd, then take a well-earned break before the shitshow starts again in January.

If you really were ‘just asking’, then you would have listened to the answer and not gone on to write things like, Wondering when everyone in the nhs, supermarkets, bin collectors etc etc would get theirs, that's all.

This

I'm confused...OP teachers cannot meet for training days when they are teaching, so they have INSET days. Other public sector workers have more flexible arrangements for training, they get their change to do training so there's no need to answer when they get theirs.
I used to be a classroom teacher and now work for the local authority - I access far more than the 5 days training per year I got as teacher. Teachers need more INSET if anything, do you want them to take it out of their holiday? Would you be happy to use a week of your annual leave going into work for training?

No.

It is a last minute announcement because they have realised that asking schools to continue track and trace for six days after term ends means that Christmas Eve will be included and therefore some staff will be expected to work that day.

There is no earthly way we can conjure up a useful INSET day for that day at this short notice. And all of our INSET days are allocated, so it would mean kids being in school for an additional day in 2021 - for example, coming back a day early from the Easter hols.

I know some people have to work Christmas Eve, Christmas Day etc. Teachers don't- in fact, the time between breaking up and Christmas is the only holiday I refuse to do any work in. Test and trace takes for fucking ever: our deputy is regularly spending a full day on the phone when we have a positive case, including weekends. Realistically anyone who is tested between 17th and 23rd would need to inform school and somebody would have to follow up. That's if anyone a) tells us and b) answers the phone

"Teachers are no more deserving than so many others."

Gosh, my bingo card is filling up nicely on this thread.

i'm sure plenty of teachers would be glad to let the binmen spend a day doing their emx data

Wondering when everyone in the nhs, supermarkets, bin collectors etc etc would get theirs, that's all.

My Mother who works in retail has regular training throughout the year. My sister who works in a care home gets regular training throughout the year. Both have had training since Pandemic was declared. Bin collectors get training too.

Why do you think they don't?

The 18th is our last day of term and we are open.
Back in the 4th

my dcs are off on the 4th, it's an inset day and the staff are all in doing compulsory training plus they have to do a few hours of online training at home beforehand to prepare for the inset day. They are also working on the 18th. My friend said it's the equivalent of a day at work.

@justgeton

You might notice I asked if it was extra.. and then said I felt if it was it was deserved.

So your problem is? Teachers are no more deserving than so many others.

This, as others have clearly told you, is not about teachers deserving anything. That said, I'm not convinced posters' previous arguments capture the full logic of the suggestion. It is nothing to do with headteacher wellbeing, I'm sure.

It is the option of rearranging an inset day in order to protect Christmas bubbles for all.

If things had actually been thought through, there would be a clear break between end of school term and the beginning of the magical Christmas bubble window. It's going to be shit on 23rd and 24th when families are called to be told that their child was exposed to covid at school less than a week earlier, especially if they're already visiting relatives and exposing them to potential risk. The short gap between end of school term and Christmas is going to increase spread of covid. The suggestion of moving an inset day to 18th December would ameliorate this risk slightly.

That said, the announcement has come far too late for most schools to actually do anything about it. Most schools have planned things until the end of term already. They have also planned their inset days for next year, including meaningful training. They also know how inconvenient it would be for parents. Therefore I suspect that few schools will be taking govt up on the offer.

The news came out to schools yesterday. Told you can take that as an inset day so your not on call for track and trace on Christmas eve.
Schools have been used as part of track and trace and have been permanently on call.

Issue is - told have to do training, have to make up teaching time.
A: v short notice for parents.
B: all inset days are planned in advance, often including external trainers.

Why did they leave it until less than 10 days?

We spent yesterday planning which SLT will be on call for track and trace requirements after school breaks up. That includes the 24th Dec. As people have clearly explained, staff are not paid for the holidays. So yep. Keep schools all open rather than an inset day. Let's hope you don't get the call on Christmas eve from office staff who are in school advising zones they have to isolate and stay at home, even though school. Has broken up, because just before they broke up they were in a bubble or zone with someone who has now tested positive.

Can't wait to see what response we get if we have to make that call to dozens of families on Christmas eve

@starrynight19

Teachers ‘deserve’ an inset day I’ve heard it all now.

No-one deserves an INSET day. Not even my worst enemy. They are fucking torture.

@Theworldisfullofgs I agree. They left it far too late to announce this. Smacks of incompetence in the same way the education sector has been treated throughout this pandemic.

Having read this thread, its awful that people don't realise that senior leaders in teaching have pretty much worked the whole of the pandemic including being open in school holidays for key worker children and on call at weekends to close bubbles for track and trace. Including all the additional work of recovery planning, setting up interventions, preparing on line learning and class teaching, following up vulnerable children etc etc.
(I'm a chair of governors and it's been full on).

I also work with the NHS and they have worked incredibly hard. They have also been encouraged to take their leave to manage burnout. Leave for teachers was used to do childcare in many cases.

The difference between teachers and other jobs named on here is that we are in close contact with children from 30 families every day with no social distancing (I teach in a mobile classroom there is not hope to be 1.5m from anyone) with no PPE. Our risk of catching it is 10 times the general population. Can’t see how bin men are particularly at risk, unless they come inside to empty bins?
The envy over our holidays is just ridiculous.

My head hasn't had a single covid admin free day since march.
Not one full day off.
It would be nice if Christmas day could be just for her.

DS' school (up to now) is finishing at half 1 on the 18th

@Theworldisfullofgs

Having read this thread, its awful that people don't realise that senior leaders in teaching have pretty much worked the whole of the pandemic including being open in school holidays for key worker children and on call at weekends to close bubbles for track and trace. Including all the additional work of recovery planning, setting up interventions, preparing on line learning and class teaching, following up vulnerable children etc etc. (I'm a chair of governors and it's been full on).

I also work with the NHS and they have worked incredibly hard. They have also been encouraged to take their leave to manage burnout. Leave for teachers was used to do childcare in many cases.

I do. People love to bash teachers on MN and whine about their long holidays

Honestly, I have never admired them more than this year. I wouldn't want to be our head for all the tea in China