to think there is NO NEED for 2 inset days after a week off?

[Charliefarlie1192]

Only realised by asking on fb this morning that ds doesnt return to school till wednesday as today and tomorrow are inset days, aibu to think this is beyond ridiculous?!

But Kal they can never gave covered everything, there's not a ignite amount if stuff that needs to be covered in a year if a school wants to keep meeting needs of pupils and staff, or improve.

oops bloody autocorrect.

"...whereas scheduling them before and after the kids are at school means that that particular misconception about teachers does not arise"

You only have to read MN to know that is not true.

What schools need to do is to stop publishing inset days and just give the date that the children are due back. Then everyone can stop whining about "extra" holidays and such nonsense. No one actually needs to know they are inset days other than the teachers.

I agree, soupdragon.
And kalskirata how do you know they "did nothing" on their recent INSET day? Could have been allocated for report writing. Ours was.

I have no doubt that people in other professions work very hard and long hours and I don't think I've ever met a teacher that thinks we have a monopoly on stress and hard work.

I also can't think of any other professionals who are so routinely mocked and derided for being lazy good for nothings who couldn't get a job 'in the real world'.

Every time someone starts a thread like this, teacher quite rightly come on and defend themselves against the usual cliches. We then get accused of being defensive. Can't win, as far as I can see...

We TA 's also do the training days, which we are paid for. We are not paid for school holidays. Luckily my council sees fit to pay us in equal monthly installments, though I believe some are not so lucky.

And it is proper training (someone comes in to train us). The later part of the day is tidying,re-doing displays (which takes forever...you try getting hundreds of staples out of a notice board!) We work hard.

Thatisnotitatall, surely there is a distinction to be drawn between perceiving "school as childcare" and the real issue of how working mums have to organise childcare for their children on odd days such as INSET days and snow days?

It is ridiculous to criticise the OP for treating school as childcare when that is clearly not the basis of her OP.

Snow can disrupt all sorts of organisations, not just schools. And as I said, you're organising childcare for your children for their holidays, not for teachers to have a jolly.

'And kalskirata how do you know they "did nothing" on their recent INSET day?'

Cos two of the teachers are mates and we took the dogs out. They aint happy about changing the curriculum again though. Cant say I blame them.

See, that annoys me. As if we teachers haven't got enough to prove, there are some going out of their way to prove that INSET days are a jolly. I know of a few teachers who posted on FB about a day out they were having - when they should have been writing reports. OK, those reports will be written in their "own" time anyway, but I think it's poor PR to broadcast it.

I'm sure working dads also have to organise childcare. Snow days can't be planned for in advance, inset days usually can. Most schools give you a list of dates at the start of the school year and then follow this up with newsletters every month reminding you of upcoming dates. Ours also send out texts to remind you, so it would be hard to miss when they're going to be off.

Ok kal you know some teachers who can't be trusted to use their time wisely.

There are doctors, lawyers, policemen etc.... That the same can be said of.

Doesn't make it the industry standard.

Teachers aren't your babysitters, if inset days help education then we need them. The fact it's tagged onto the end of time off anyway should be a useful thing. Don't bitch about teachers they are very underpaid for what they do and they get the right amount of time off most people font get enough.

I didnt say they werent trusted to use their time wisely . The school shut, the Head is currently absent. We had a nice dog walk. The next training day is all about Equalities. I know cos I'm giving a talk. Which I havent written

I know you didn't say it. I did.

Inset days are for training not dog walking.

If the head is currently absent all the more reason to spend the day working I would have thought.

It is 'taking a jolly' that feeds the teacher bashers.

I have not read the entire thread.

Teacher's holiday was reduced when INSETS were introduced in the 1980s. Tagging insets on holidays makes sense especailly as the tempation for some parents to take a term time holiday after half term is very strong

If you need childcare then pay childminder.

"Inset days are for training not dog walking."

Well, small boys are similar in many ways to dogs so it may not have been entirely wasted.

I think people just get miffed cos of childcare. The problem isnt inset days. Its lack of childcare. The playschemes here are total shite. One day a week each holiday if the child has SN. Why is childcare so lacking in this country?
Thats why people complain. I home educated for years so dont have any huge opinion except school days are handy childcare for no 4 (she cant be home edded)

oh, and the playsscheme isnt a 'day'. Its 4 hours. And doesnt take over 11's. So I dont care about holidays/inset days, its lack of SN childcare that gets my goat.

what about doing on the job training as we do in the hospital i work in.

38 weeks of 5 days makes 190 days for the children. from the above posters, that is 9-3ish.

38 hours is strangely enough a pretty standard full time working week. Also known as 5 working days.

an hour a week. we do ours over breakfast on a Friday, before an 8am ward round. but whatever suits for the school. maybe over lunch or a late finish one night a week. more holidays for the teaching staff too!

9am-3pm! LOL. Yes, because they are the only hours a teacher works. itching before your children turn up and nothing when they leave.

Nothing. Not itching.