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Teacher time off

44 replies

kbe15 · 27/02/2022 11:55

Hi,

My maternity leave is due to finish at the end of May and unfortunately due to financial reasons, I am having to return back full time (teacher). However, my daughter may potentially need fortnightly physio. Do any teachers know if schools allow this? I know that it will be unpaid but just wondering if anyone has any experience with time off for this sort of thing being allowed.

Thanks

OP posts:
DaisyChain16 · 27/02/2022 12:00

Why don't you just as your HR people? They'll know the specifics that apply to your contract. No one here will be able to give you a definitive answer 🤷🏻‍♀️

MalbecandToast · 27/02/2022 12:05

Can you take turns with their father so its not always you?

HPandTheNeverEndingBedtime · 27/02/2022 12:11

You need to ask your individual school, the odd orthodontist visit is normally OK but every fortnight might not be. Will it be on a regular day and time, so you could go back 4 days a week in stead of 5?

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Pinkflipflop85 · 27/02/2022 12:15

Only your schools HR could answer that.

In ours it would be a no chance.

PotteringAlong · 27/02/2022 12:17

Mine would probably allow it as we run a 2 week timetable, but they would expect you to have a 0.9 contract

Tigerteafor3 · 27/02/2022 12:21

Ask if you can use flexi time - if you have a non contact 1st or last period you could come in late or leave early. That would rely on you being able to schedule physio like that but if it's fortnightly they may be more flexible.

chairbumg · 27/02/2022 12:22

My sister is a teacher & gets time off for sports day/nativity etc & has no problem with medical appointments or dependent care but works in a big school with a cover team. Talk to your school.

Tigerteafor3 · 27/02/2022 12:22

Compressed hours are another option. Working fte in a 0.9/0.8 time. It's tough but I've done it and its possible. 0.8 is one day off a week but will still be fte pay (fewer non contact periods).

Atypicaldancer · 27/02/2022 12:24

I had half a day a week paid for CAMHS appointments for 3 months at my school.

cheapskatemum · 27/02/2022 12:25

I had fortnightly counselling and was able to do it on Wednesday mornings as I had a double non-contact then. Do you know what your timetable is when you return?

Shieldingending · 27/02/2022 12:27

Have a look at your schools leave of absence policy. In my school we might consider allowing this unpaid, but would also want to see whether you had explored other options, like relatives taking your child so that you didn’t have to go every single time

kbe15 · 27/02/2022 12:34

I will speak to them once I know what is fully happening with my daughter. I know I won't get a definite answer here I was just wondering if anyone had any experience with this and didn't think it was wrong or stupid to ask...

OP posts:
kbe15 · 27/02/2022 12:36

Thank you everyone! I will speak to HR once I know what's happening for definite, I guess its dependant on the school and see if they can work around it. My daughters dad will be able to share it with me its just hard isnt it when I would like to be there haha but we can definitely share 😊 x

OP posts:
tiredanddangerous · 27/02/2022 12:46

At my school it would be a big fat no, and I'm support staff and never set foot in a classroom. DH has to do all appointments for our dc.

kbe15 · 27/02/2022 13:06

I did think it will be a no 😂 waiting for pediatricians appointment so once I know will just have to speak to them and see what my options are! X

OP posts:
saraclara · 27/02/2022 13:23

Schools vary hugely on this. It would have been a big fat no at mine, too.
The only thing I might have got away with is if the appointment was first thing in the morning, or meant leaving maybe half an hour before school ended. That might have grudgingly been accepted, say once every half term.

To be fair, they were supportive with emergencies, and wonderful when my DH was ill with terminal cancer. But anything booked ahead of time, we were expected to make other arrangements for. Which was very hard for anyone without wider family support.

OldChinaJug · 27/02/2022 13:44

Compressed hours and flexitime are not available for teachers... Confused

SnowdaySewday · 27/02/2022 14:26

Most regular physio appointments after the initial one would be at the child's school or nursery. My school would facilitate this for its pupils and expect your DD's to do so too.

If DD is cared for in your home, then can they take her or facilitate a home-visit?

If this is not possible, then can DD’s other parent take time off or work compressed hours, can you ask the physio for appointments after-school (or during your PPA if you can take that off-site)?

If DP and you share the appointments, you are looking at about one per month (possibly fewer if you can use the holidays advantageously). Is there a way of covering your class for those occasions (obviously depends on journey times - is there someone who can meet you at the appointment with DD rather than you travelling to collect her?)

If DD has a long-term disability, you may be able to take a certain amount of unpaid parental leave, but this is very limited and you may want to hold it back in case you need it in the future. If she's likely to need a range of different appointments, it may be more cost-effective for one of you to work part-time and save the childcare and travel costs to enable these to happen.

You need to have thought through the possible solutions rather than just presenting a problem, to which the easiest answer is “No”.

RoastedTurnip · 27/02/2022 14:32

Different situation but I was a high risk pregnancy so had fortnightly appointments through pregnancy. School were fine with it and it was paid leave. My school is generally good with these things though. Can't hurt to ask.....

Pinkflipflop85 · 27/02/2022 16:00

@RoastedTurnip

Different situation but I was a high risk pregnancy so had fortnightly appointments through pregnancy. School were fine with it and it was paid leave. My school is generally good with these things though. Can't hurt to ask.....
Maternity appointments are a different kettle of fish altogether.
TheHoptimist · 27/02/2022 17:43

@OldChinaJug

Compressed hours and flexitime are not available for teachers... Confused
I know it made me laugh

lets have compressed hours and start teaching the children at 7.45 am- whoops

CorvusPurpureus · 27/02/2022 18:35

Flexitime for teachers doesn't mean changing the school day for the kids!

Let's say a school has 6 periods a day, & a standard teacher allocation is 25 taught periods.

So usually, you'd get an average of 1 free period per day - in reality you might have a couple of days when you teach all 6 periods, then another couple when you have 2 frees. Whatever works for the timetable.

In theory, you could have a weekly half day off. Let's say you don't come in on Tuesday until lunchtime.

You'd be physically in school for 27 periods, so it would be very full on, with only 2 frees available across the other 4 days in order for you to satisfy the requirement to be teaching 25 periods in total.

Not many schools are necessarily going to be able to facilitate this - it would depend an awful lot on subject & which year groups you teach. But it's the same principle as teaching a 0.8 timetable, where, say, you aren't in on Tuesdays full stop, & teach 20 not 25 periods with your salary reflecting that; this is a very common arrangement especially for parents of young dc who teach.

It's reasonable to ask. I have a woman in my department who does exactly this compressed week: she is out of school one afternoon a week because of childcare issues, but still teaches a FT number of lessons over 4 1/2 days.

She would actually have been perfectly happy with 0.8, which was her original arrangement in September, but is doing a compressed week as a favour this term because we've lost another colleague & not been able to fill his post, so she's part of the solution to that.

It's worth asking, OP.

ArseInTheCoOpWindow · 27/02/2022 18:52

We used to get one days paid child sick days per year🙄

Medical appointments came out of that.

Good luck

MimsyBorogroves · 27/02/2022 18:54

Not in mine. I'm pastoral and we get 5 days a year "child leave" as an emergency, but I'm guessing if it was something like this it wouldn't be passed, sadly.

saraclara · 27/02/2022 18:56

Most regular physio appointments after the initial one would be at the child's school or nursery. My school would facilitate this for its pupils and expect your DD's to do so too.

What? Seriously, this does not happen outside of (possibly) a school for children with physical disabilities that might have a regular physio. The time it would take for a physio to travel to and from individual schools and the equipment needed makes this virtually impossible.

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