To think school heads should be contactable in school holidays

[EloiseMinch]

A secondary head is likely to be on 70k+ and a primary head of 50k+. Those are high salaries for positions of senior management responsibility. AIBU to think they shouldn't just cut off completely in the school holidays?

Maybe some heads really are working in the holidays but I know the head at DC's school definitely doesn't. She is, for example, completely uncontactable from the end of one term to the start of the next.

maisy!

I separated from my ex during summer holidays and mailed head and form tutor so that the mail was there for their return. The head replied back straight away which was extremely kind and reassuring. I would only ever have contacted them during holidays for a welfare reason, nothing else.

YABU our head ( I’m a school governor ) is in charge of 1300 students 1100 of which are under 16 & 200 staff. The buck stops with them for EVERYTHING , ultimately that’s a lot of responsibility yes she has SLT around her but ultimately it’s her neck. I can assure you they put in lots of hours during term time easily 7-6 on a good day, 9/10 with evening events and yes they work in the ‘Holiday’ too

We haven't made a formal written complaint because, to be honest, I didn't even know that was a thing you can do in in a school

That's hilarious! You know enough to performance manage the head, solve all their resource and behavioural problems, but the most basic of procedures which would probably have resolved your issues by now, you just didn't know! Funny!

And it’s not 13 weeks in one go!

OP you are clearly a bored housewife with nothing better to do. If you'd done a hard day's work in your life you wouldn't have started this thread (or the other!).

50k/70k is not that high of a salary esp since the second you earn above 50k you pay more taxes! But OP would know that, had she been an educated, tax paying, contributor to the world we live in.

Here's an idea ; move your child to another school if you don't like the HT and get off your thumb twiddling, keyboard warrior-esque backside.

That the OP isn’t aware of the process to go through regarding her own child speaks volumes. She hasn’t a clue.

We haven't made a formal written complaint because, to be honest, I didn't even know that was a thing you can do in in a school
But you believed that a group of parents could launch coordinated action on a head's performance management?

OP: Hi I'm a parent who sends my child to school knowing they'll be harmed. I didn't go to a formal complaint because it never occured to me that it was possible, but I did talk about having a parent power group to go after tue head and we were most concerned about the email situation

Most of MN: my child is being verbally and physically assaulted, we've raised it with the teacher and escalated it to level X but the situation isn't improving. AIBU to keep my child off until the school can categorically assure me that my child will be kept safe and apart from the bullies? Any advice on putting in a formal complaint?

I've never read such a load of rubbish in all of my life!

I am a teacher and I don't feel as though I or any of us should have to justify how much we work, whether it be in term time or not.

You are clearly jealous of the 13 weeks "holiday" and I feel sorry for your HT having to deal with you.

You should be spending time with your children while they enjoy their summer (or try to...!)

Give it a rest and make an appointment to see the head in September.

As I have mentioned several times, I fully support the holidays of school teachers. I don't know why the distinction between school teachers and non-teaching highly paid heads is not clearer.

Seriously?!?! What do you think the leadership team in a school do?!?! I actually had a slight bit of sympathy after reading your complaint with your DC (no child should attend school feeling unsafe and the teacher/leadership team and you need to work IN PARTNERSHIP to make sure this isn't the case) but you are totally removed from reality!!

I may not teach one class of children but I am responsible for the 650+ kids in my school and their families, the 45+ members of staff plus the plethora of administrative tasks that go along with it. Why on earth would you grudge me any less of a holiday than a class commited teacher??? My job is certainly not easier - and I have done both to a very high standard!!!! There is very little a HT can do to support your DC during the summer holidays, or in fact any holiday, but I would expect contact early in the new term.

Stop being so unreasonable OP, you are the kind of parent that makes our job considerably more challenging therefore making us need our holidays even more.

No I don't agree, they could end up inundated and everyone is entitled to time off.

The support for schools and HTs/teachers on here has warmed my cockles

flamingox
Key word there is 'rubbish'

We haven't made a formal written complaint because, to be honest, I didn't even know that was a thing you can do in in a school and the school kept on saying they would fix it and we should wait a few more weeks in any case

Utter rubbish. Every school has a complaints procedure. Why haven’t you followed it?

OP what’s your job? How much do you earn? How many holidays do you take? What do you do in your spare time? Are you contactable by anyone needing you from work whilst your off work?
I’m entitled to know all this according to your rules because I’m a taxpayer and you work in the public sector 🙄

As a matter of curiosity Eloise, would you like to list the activities you took part in last school year to support your PTA.

Are you on the comittee?
Do you undertake a specific role eg treasurer, chair, responsibility for minutes
DId you help run the Christmas fair, the summer fair, the Christmas parties , the leavers disco? Did you help set out stalls, clear away afterwards.
Did you trudge round the streets trying to persuade local businesses to offer raffle prizes. Did you stand in the playground every morning and evening selling raffle tickets?
Did you organise the parents quiz night?
How many PTA meetings did you actually attend.

I am willing to bet you did sweet Fanny Adams to support your
PTA! Because if you did you would have a damn sight better understanding of what goes into making a school work and a lot more respect for the HT you are slagging off. The parents who really put in the hours for PTAs , and God bless their cotton socks , don't faff about with pathetic ideas like yours. They work selflessly for the good of the whole school, not their ownprecious lambs.

You don’t need an email address. Write a letter, marked ‘urgent’, and either hand-deliver or post it.

Have you actually tried emailing her via her school email address or are you saying you want her PERSONAL email? If it's the latter, you are being utterly ridiculous and VVVVU. Next you'll be tracking her down on Facebook, if you haven't already.

A teacher can be supported by volunteers - a discreet, hardworking, pleasant person to have around who can volunteer a couple of hours every week to come in and read or do other jobs is always really welcome.

Many schools make the reasonable stipulation that volunteers cannot be in their own child's classroom, and of course any volunteer is expected to conform to the same standards of confidentiality etc that a staff member would. We do occasionally turn volunteers down if we feel that their main aim is not to genuinely help but to gain admission to the classroom to 'see what is going on'.

A teacher can also be supported by the PTA in making their classroom, and the school, an exciting, pleasant and cheerful place to be, where equipment is plentiful and well-maintained, everything works and there are occasional exciting treats such as trips or visitors, and where children whose needs may mean they will work best with specific equipment or an outdoor space etc can have such safe and specific equipment / space provided.

A teacher can be supported by a head who protects them from unreasonable demands from parents, where needed.

A teacher can be supported by well-informed, expert governors who genuinely want to make the school better for all children rather than lobby for their own specific child.

OP, can you see yourself getting involved in any of these ways to support all the teachers in your child's school? Volunteer in another classroom? Perhaps encourage others to volunteer in your child's classroom (and don't pump them for information that they should not give)? Join the PTA to raise money for all children? become a governor who supports the whole school?

EloiseMinch

I think that if you start mentioning hiring new TAs funded by the PTA budget, staff being contactable in holidays, mixing up classes and how they should be disciplining children etc then you will get nowhere. Your posts sound like you want to be involved in the management of the school when in actual fact you just need to be the parent of a child who is being bullied. Talk to them about the incidents that have happened with dates, times and facts. Ask them what they are doing about it and ask to be regularly updated. But do not tell them how to do their job as there are already procedures and policies in place. You should expect them to deal with the bullying and for them to follow procedure but you can't expect to tell them how to do it. If you think they are not following procedure then contact the governors in the first instance.

If I was in your position now, I would just make sure my child had a really good summer break whilst he doesn't have to deal with the bullies and then deal with it next term.

The head will still have work to do. Safeguarding does not go away because it's the holidays. Issues with workmen on site won't go away. Gcse results and a-level results day will cause masses of work. Reports will need to be written for governors and possibly the local media. The head will just prioritise and you will not be the priority

Oh dear OP once your DC leave school your going to have to find a new hobby

Makemineboozefree
Read the first thread. She's been told that contact goes through the office.
Her and a number of her crew are annoyed they don't have a direct email. Of you read the first thread it's obvious why the head wouldn't want to give out a direct email.

The PTA are just parents. They are in action all the time

No we’re bloody not. I’m chair of our PTA and if you contacted me in the 6 weeks holiday you’d be told to wait until September.
I’m a volunteer and not on 24/7 call either

I would only ever have contacted them during holidays for a welfare reason, nothing else.

Absolutely. And i would expect that the OP's head would also reply to an e-mail directed through the school office that raised a similar welfare / safeguarding / child protection issue that needed action during the school holiday.

i would not expect any head to respond to an issue which has already been dealt with by their deputy, and on which no useful action can be taken until school starts again.