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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think dd headteacher is amazing.

36 replies

PiperIsTerrysChoclateOrange · 17/07/2015 21:01

next school year dd head teacher is having all the teachers training days in one week.

This has enabled me to book a weeks holiday and save a fortune.

Aibu to think other schools should follow this lead.

OP posts:
FourAndDone · 17/07/2015 21:03

Great idea!! Sounds fab Smile

OP posts:
4kidsandaunicorn · 17/07/2015 21:04

No YANBU, just read about your school in the daily fail paper. Really good idea. It would be a bit gutting if you couldn't get that week off work for any reason though.

ThomasRichard · 17/07/2015 21:05

Brilliant idea.

Wideopenspace · 17/07/2015 21:06

Great idea.

It would allow for some much more in depth training in schools, too.

Original poster
PiperIsTerrysChoclateOrange · 17/07/2015 21:07

It will be easy for DH and I as we can book leave when ever.

June is easy as end of terms slots get taken very quickly.

OP posts:
Lottiedoubtie · 17/07/2015 21:08

It is a an idea with pros and cons, I can see it working in some areas but not others.

Holidays/childcare planning/continuity for the children all make sense as positive reasons. Where I work all INSET days are at the start of terms which definitely makes sense for my school.

However, in some areas this won't be possible. Some education authorities run trainings at specific times of the year. INSET often involves visiting lecturers- they obviously can't be in every school in the country over one week so booking them is easier if your INSET days are random.

There is obviously a benefit in spreading training out over the year for staff- so that they don't go a whole year between CPD sessions. Especially as new govt. initiatives are released seemingly randomly throughout the year!

Original poster
PiperIsTerrysChoclateOrange · 17/07/2015 21:10

I don't understand inset days, I haven't a clue in what it entails. I just know it's important for the teachers to do them.

OP posts:
LondonRocks · 17/07/2015 21:10

I know of an entire county that does this.

Wideopenspace · 17/07/2015 21:12

Yeah. lottie, but that can be built into CPD throughout the year - not having one at the very start would be difficult because you do need to do safeguarding etc each Sept.

Maybe you could have one at the start then the other 4 in a week with a bank holiday? I think it might allow the 'learning' experience of teachers to become a bit more meanongful..

dingit · 17/07/2015 21:14

Our academy has two weeks October half term for that reason Smile

Lottiedoubtie · 17/07/2015 21:18

Pipers INSET just stands for in service training. So it's any relevant training that teachers need/the school in it's wisdom think they need/the govt insist on etc... So topics range from new curriculum developments, safeguarding, medical trainings, IT systems training, academic tracking etc... (and on one particularly memorable occasion at a school I used to be at emotional intelligence training...)

wide you might well be right, I'm wary of 'one size fits all' initiatives though!

WorraLiberty · 17/07/2015 21:18

Surely it would be unworkable if all schools did this because the INSET tutors would have to be in a million places at once?

Wideopenspace · 17/07/2015 21:19

Yeah, me too lottie - but I'd also like to see the quality of training experience raised for staff..

MrsNuckyThompson · 17/07/2015 21:35

Yes and heaven forbid that teachers do CPD in their own time like every other profession on the planet!!

Yanbu - sounds like a real positive!

Wideopenspace · 17/07/2015 21:38

Mrs the INSET days happen outside the 190 days that children are required to attend you...

LaurieFairyCake · 17/07/2015 21:39

They do do Cpd in their own time too but statutory training needs to be delivered by (often) outsiders.

Don't forget the inset days were taken from teachers holidays initially. So the children wouldn't have been in then anyway.

Spartans · 17/07/2015 21:43

Don't see the big deal. Our school did in this last year. Caused chaos. Not doing it again.

Lots couldn't get time off so we're struggling with choldcare for another week. Sounded like a good idea but didn't really work. They also did it in October meaning lots of holiday resorts were closed.

Caboodle · 17/07/2015 21:43

Yes. Teachers do INSET in their own time.
Brilliant idea to put them together.

parallax80 · 17/07/2015 21:53

Worra wouldn't schools just stagger it though? So if everyone did it some would have an extra week in may, some in June etc etc

Pico2 · 17/07/2015 21:54

Even for teachers this might work as you sometimes end up with term ending at a weekend then having inset during the following week. Whole weeks in general are easier to deal with for holidays.

Hezaire · 17/07/2015 21:56

Yes I thought this was great

Twistedheartache · 17/07/2015 21:58

Friends of mine in Yorkshire already have this - not sure it's newsworthy but think it's a good idea

CarlaJones · 17/07/2015 22:00

A secondary school in croydon does this too.

foxmitten · 17/07/2015 22:02

Our school does this so they have an extra week in May. It's brilliant.