Leave for Assessments

[DefinatelyNotAnAthlete]

Hi,
I'm getting myself quite worked up about this, and so thought I'd ask if others have had similar.

We've just passed Stage 1, and are waiting for social workwr availability to start our Stage 2 assessments. However, we have been invited onto the Stage 2 training while we wait.

Issue: I work in a school, and so can't just take a day annual leave. Work begrudingly gave me the days off for Stage 1 training, but I had to take the days unpaid. They are now kicking up a fuss about the Stage 2 training, and the time I will need for social worker home visits. My HoD is being somewhat supportive, but my headteacher and HR are making my life so difficult.
My SW only works to 3pm every day, so it won't even be the case of I can go into work in mornings and leave at 1pm for an afternoon wuth SW (agency have said these visits will be 2 - 4 hours each).

I asked them 2 weeks ago about stage 2 training, and have had no acknowledgment of my request (even allowing for half term, they still had 1.5 weeks to acknowledge an email!). Thankfulky, the agency have provisionally booked us onto the training, pending what my school says.

How have other teachers managed this? It's not so much the unpaid days - I will take them unpaid if I have to, but rigjt now it feels like they are refusing me the time off full stop!

You have the same rights as someone with pregnancy appointments as far as I am aware.

They should be accommodated and paid for. Mine certainly were.

DH is a teacher and we fully expected it to be tricky but actually his school allowed him the time, with pay. They did ask him to try and have a consistent day if possible so it was easier to get cover and we were able to do this for most meetings. Slight difference was our SW finished at 4:30 and was happy to have us as the last meeting of the day so he would work until lunch, prep for his afternoon class with his cover and leave at 1 to be home at 1:30.

Not sure if it’s law but my work (not education) treated all our meeting similarly to a pregnancy scan, with the option of taking additional time that could be worked back, if the meeting was a bit difficult.

Your school sounds like they’re making this a lot more difficult than it needs to be.

I would speak with the agency and discuss whether you could be reassigned social worker for one that works later. You will have many appointments with them plus more for panel prep, linking meetings etc and you will never have the option to do it out of school hours with this social worker.. if that isn't an option then perhaps you could be first appointment of the day on the same day to help school with cover. You won't be the first teacher to adopt so they must understand you will have important responsibilities to your students preparing for exams etc.

I’m also a teacher and my region had an adoption policy which stated that I was entitled to the time; you should have access to that at your work too. You could also approach your union for support.