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.

V e r r r r r r y s l o w l y n o w ...

Teachers, SLT, Headteacher's are contracted 39 weeks a year.

They get paid for their contracted hours and receive statutory holiday pay (the same as any other public sector worker).

The EXTRA weeks holiday are unpaid.

They receive a salary. This is made up of contracted hours + statutory holiday pay.

Their total salary (see above) is spread over 12 months. Each month they receive the same amount of money.

In other words, teachers don't get paid to work all year round.
The biggest break is throughout August.

The headteacher is not contactable during the 6 week holiday because either:
A) it is his/her statutory holiday period or
B) They are not paid to be in school.

HTH.

Ignore random ' !

I am available by email. My email address is on every newsletter. I may just not respond as quickly as I would during term time.
However, although we aren't subject to the 1265 hours regulations of other teachers, it's bloody unreasonable to expect us to permanently be at the beck and call of every parent all of the time- even we are entitled to switch off from work. Perhaps I should check my emails in the middle of the night too so that shift workers aren't disadvantaged 🙄

Op you were repeatedly advised on the previous thread to follow the schools complaint procedure - which stage are you at with this?

You repeatedly state Headteachers have 13 weeks a year holiday - you have been advised repeatedly this is not the case, they have their legal entitlement and then the rest is unpaid - I am totally confused that this simple explanation you are unable to comprehend.

Surely you should be following the schools complaints procedure rather than wittering on about the Headteachers holiday entitlement, which you clearly do not understand, in relation to their pay, in relation to god only knows what other comparable position you are using to justify your ridiculous ranblings.

Your DS is being bullied, has been for a while - you have been allocated the Deputy Head as a direct contact. More incidents occurred, contact the DH again. Your primary concern should be your child but it appears that your actual primary concern is gossiping in the school playground, ignoring sound advice of following the schools complaint procedure and rattling on about a Headteachers imagined availability and holiday entitlement

I'm a school governor and our Head rarely meets with parents. The reason for this isn't because he's hiding or useless or any of the other things the OP is accusing her Head of being, but because he used to be too visible in the school and that meant that he was dealing with loads of insignificant little complaints that a parent might go to him about- but were only important to them (I'm not talking safeguarding or other serious issues here).

He was struggling to find time to do his actual job at a time when he was having to find ways of making a small budget stretch further. These days classroom teachers are the first port of call for a parent and it then gets escalated to the pastoral team, SENDCO or others as appropriate. This is then overseen by the Deputy. This allows the Head to do his job and ensure that the children at school receive an education.

ILoveOnionRings
If i remember correctly they only went to a formal level right before the holidays so school have told them that it'll be september before anything is done (why anyone would continue to send their child somewhere they are verbally abused and physically assaulted is entirely beyond me, but hey the OP has their reasons, namely they didn't realise they could complain apparently).

auditqueen Brilliant reply.

I get paid £60k OP, and I get 8 weeks holiday.

Anyone who wants me on my hols can get to fuck.

(Not a teacher!!)

£70k or £90k is not a large salary in my little bubble.
They thorough deserve every second of their time off.
Do you enjoy your life op?

OP you're coming over as actually madder than a box of frogs. Is that actually what you wanted to achieve with this thread?

You do know that during school holidays, that's actually time when school staff aren't responsible for every child within their school?

Someone doesn't "owe" you just because they earn a lot of money. This reminds me of the jealousy of fame, youth & wealth - whereby people summarily decide that because someone has those, they must be a 'role model' just sothey can be judged and scorned, held to high standards that the judgies don't even have, and never will..

Envy is a troublesome emotion.

Can you imagine the envy-heads pestering headteachers with banal requests just so they could insist on an answer NOW, & hassle for follow ups, even more glee extracted if she's actually away on a holiday.

Go and retrain yourself for a similar position or something else high paying if you're that jealous. If you can't or won't then that's your problem

i would not expect anyone to contact me on my designated time off - no matter how much i earn. And i know people who earn vastly more - they have more time off and turn off their phones, read emails but never replay - out of office, always on.

I know parents like you OP - have you thought that maybe they are just ignoring you or perhaps purposely dont want to reply to you because they know what you are like? Sorry to say - but you come across as a bit entitled and rude.

The Head Teacher is very likely working and contactable by people who have a good reason to contact them, as they are all year round. They will not have abandoned the school, they will simply have shared their contact details only with those people who have a good reason to contact them and will be contactable by them even when they are officially on holiday or not being paid.

I can phone and email the Head Teacher of the school where I am a governor, because over the summer they will be working on a whole host of strategic planning and other matters that mean they need to communicate with the governors and we need to communicate with them.

I can also phone and email the Head Teachers or their nominated representatives of the schools of our summer interns, because even over the summer they retain some responsibility for safeguarding their pupils.

I cannot phone or email my DD's Head Teacher except through their generic 'unmonitored' office address, because there is no good reason for me to be able to do so. None of the things you want to communicate with the Head Teacher about are remotely good reasons.

And everyone missed the part where the OP said her ds was picked on for being a stickler for the rules! Wonder where he gets that from!!

Op you are not unreasonable to want to ensure your child is safe and secure at school. However you are massively over-reacting to these incidents. You have another 12 years with this child in the school system and you are setting both you and him up for a very difficult time if you carry on in this way.

The reason the head is not prioritising your concern is because you are hugely over-inflating it. She's referred the issue to her deputy because her time is better spent dealing with far more serious issues. Issues that you are clearly completely ignorant of. Honestly, what is it that you expect her to do during the holidays about the fact that some small boys had a bit of a fight and someone used a sweary word? Seriously, is that as big as it gets in your world because I can absolutely guarantee you that the head is dealing with issues off the chart in comparison to that perfectly normal and to be expected primary child behaviour.

Next academic year I would strongly suggest that you consider doing some volunteering in the school. You really, really need your eyes opened to the workings of the school, the reality for teaching staff and the lives and issues of children other than your own. That is if you're actually interested in making improvements to the school environment and experience.

If, however, you are simply a mummy whose nose is out of joint because she's not in control any more, she's not Top Dog and her child isn't considered the most precious of preciouses then do everyone a favour a give your head a wobble. You're convinced that the head is unaware of you? You're wrong. She knows. They all know. Mothers like you are shared information because it's in everyone's interest to be aware of you and your potential behaviour. Do your kid a favour and try to work proactively with the school. You'll get nowhere trying to assert yourself as some sort of batshit Alan Sugar.

I’m not surprised that the head isn’t handing out his/her email address; tbh OP you sound like a bully!

She/he will probably be working through the holidays ; but they will have other priorities than dealing with you.

As for £50k being a high salary; I earn not much less than that, but have very little responsibility. £50k is very low for such responsibility

Would you want work calls and emails when you are on annual leave ?

I think not

YABU HTH

I'm a school governor and our Head rarely meets with parents

When a parent does try to contact the head, what reply do they get? I ask because at DC’s school you get no reply at all. (This is the same for all parents before anyone asks.)

The clue is in the title @EloiseMinch "school holidays". HTH

Heads are not covered by the same contracts in terms of working hours as school teachers according to the NASUWT web site. (If I understood it correctly)

Would you want work calls and emails when you are on annual leave ?

This is the basic question. First, are heads (as opposed to normal teachers) actually on annual leave for 13 weeks a year and second, if they are, isn’t that too long?

There have been a mixture of replies on the first question including quite a lot of examples of where heads clearly are working for some of this period. It also seems lots of people are not drawing a clear distinction between non teaching heads and school teachers. The NASUWT website clearly makes this distinction however.

Oh my god, you're still at it. The Head's contract is her business, if it isn't publicly available. If you think she isn't doing her job, contact the governors or go through the complaints process. Why are you ignoring this most basic idea?

This thread has is about whether heads should be contactable for more than 39 weeks a year.

On the other topic of DS’s head, I am dong those things but nothing can happen now until September of course.

I bet if you go to the school any day over the holidays there will be people there. Cleaners, caretakers, office staff, teachers and definitely head. Drop a letter in outlining your concerns and then chill for summer.