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.

Let's all PM her, and if she she doesn't reply let's just keep doing it until she starts completely ignoring us?

That is by far and away the most evil thing I have ever seen you post @Pengggwn. I love it. To be completely analogous we'd have to gang up and try to get her sacked as well.

In fairness to the OP, she hasn't been abusive to anyone (as some posters have to her) and there probably is a bullying problem which is obviously upsetting her and which she's struggling to deal with. I'm sure the (absolutely valid) pile on hasn't made her feel better.

The school might well be rubbish, but it's really impossible to tell- from the vague and slightly inconsistent information we've had they seem to be dealing with it.

The main issue is that 600+ posts over two threads and it hasn't registered that her approach is wrong.

@EloiseMinch. I'm going to have one last go at suggesting how you can move forward:

1. Leave this thread alone for at least two weeks- chill out and enjoy the summer hols.
2. Name change and post again on the Primary board.
3. Give as much specific detail about what has happened as possible. Don't say what you want to do, be open to suggestions. Please understand that you don't communicate as clearly as you think- sticking to simple specific facts will help people understand you.
4. If you are worried about outing yourself, change a couple of specifics or give a false (general) location.

donquixotedelamancha

50k is not a very high salary. That is not an unusual salary to be on as a more experienced teacher without that type of responsibility.
Most heads will have an external and internal email address.
Unless it is an emergency or immediate concern, why should anyone get back to you during their holidays? The problem is the floodgate effect- you answer one, that parent/ student then passes it on and you end with a barrage of emails.
Good of you not to resent the school holidays for teachers.

donquixotedelamancha
They have already been told eleventy bazillion times what to do.

Keep to the facts of the situation affecting THEIR child
Follow the complaints procedure.
Don't get involved in playground bitching.

It's really not rocket science.
I know I've said this probably over a dozen times and so have many other posters.

Sadly, the OP decided to allow their child to spend a year in what they claim is an abusive environment, told me they didn't raise a formal complaint because they didn't know they could and then returnedto the thread claiming innocnence and reasonableness saying 'oh i thought it would have been a bit much to meet with the deputy and then complain'.

There's no need for yet another thread. The OP has zero intention of acting reasonably and has demonstrated they are more cocnerned with bitching about the head than ensuring their child is free from bullying. I wouldn't be surprised if all their complaints are hyped up.

Let's all PM her, and if she she doesn't reply let's just keep doing it until she starts completely ignoring us?

FFS, a grown woman and a teacher posting this? It's sounds childish at best, bullying at worst. And utterly pointless, given that there is a very obvious difference between the position of a headteacher dealing with parents and a poster on a social media site dealing with other posters.

I don't think anyone who isn't a teacher or knows one well, has any idea of the amount of work involved. It is not a particularly well paid job either. I wouldn't be a teacher as even the lengthy holidays wouldn't compensate for the umpteen downsides of the role. People are leaving the profession in droves for a reason. At least let them have some peace in their HOLIDAYS.

There is a huge recruitment crisis for head teachers. The pay doesn’t nearly make up for the stress, abuse and pressure.

When I was a headteacher (now happily not!) I was working about 4 of the 6 week break, but I would use that time to be doing in depth paperwork that needed uninterrupted concentration. A good deal of it I would do at home.

I don’t really think it’s essential heads are contactable since children aren’t in school so unlikely to be an emergency. I have done pastoral phone calls to parents I know are in special circumstances (living in a refuge) but as a rule, I think headteachers need the holidays to a) see their own families who they have probably neglected and b) get stuff done that’s hard in term time.

*@EloiseMinch. I'm going to have one last go at suggesting how you can move forward:1. Leave this thread alone for at least two weeks- chill out and enjoy the summer hols.

1. Name change and post again on the Primary board.
2. Give as much specific detail about what has happened as possible. Don't say what you want to do, be open to suggestions. Please understand that you don't communicate as clearly as you think- sticking to simple specific facts will help people understand you.
3. If you are worried about outing yourself, change a couple of specifics or give a false (general) location*

I'm so betting the OP won't manage this sensible advice. :o

OP - "AIBU?"

MN - "YES, and an utter nightmare."

OP - "Yeah but, no but, yeah but I'M NOT"

I'm parent to two school age children and I can't think of any reason why I'd need to contact the school in the school holidays and what could be so urgent
It's the HOLIDAYS. Christ, if I was a teacher I wouldn't be giving my number out to all and sundry and opening myself to nutter parents ranting either!

@MaisyPops They have already been told eleventy bazillion times what to do.

Yeah, I know. I don't think we really know whether it really is an abusive situation (if so her reactions seem odd) or whether smaller ongoing frustrations have just made her hyperbolic. I'm very aware that yet another post stating the obvious won't work, I guess I just feel sorry for her being so stuck in a dysfunctional approach.

FFS, a grown woman and a teacher posting this?

@Bibesia. This link may help explain Pengggwn's post.

Bibesia

It's a joke. The purpose is to make the point that sending someone repeated messages and expecting instant responses during someone's holiday is a ridiculous thing to do. Do you think I would be posting on a forum seriously suggesting that we harass an anonymous woman, however unreasonable?

This link may help explain Pengggwn's post.

donquixotedelamancha
I see what you mean. Sadly, I don't think anything anyone says will go in.

If she doesn't start behaving reasonably then the unfortunately likely outcome is that the OP gets mentioned in thr staffroom (formally to staff) with an overview of their behaviour, school will probably decide on a set way of engaging with her. No member of staff will be willing to talk 1-1 & all meetings will probably end up having 2 members of staff present.
On parents' evening, they'd probably end up having a member of senior leadership on hand to support the teacher.

When it comes to moving up to secondary school, it would probably also be passed on as part of transition notes.

Actually, OP, I feel sorry for your child for having such an ineffective parent!

You've waited/wasted the whole school year bitching in the playground about an issue which is now so vital that you must have a "serious and detailed" discussion during the school holidays.

You sound incredibly jealous of the HT and bitter about their (imagined) terms and conditions of employment and you've used several different smokescreen comments to hide this simple fact.

If you'd like to enjoy those Terms and Conditions for yourself, get qualified and experienced, and we'll see you here in about ten years when you can provide a more informed viewpoint.

A secondary Head will probably have 1000 plus pupils. Are you seriously suggesting that every parent should be able to contact this poor man/woman during school holidays?

Oh dear lord, OP.

The HT IS contactable, ALL the time, but only for important stuff,not just mindless wingeing by difficult parents...🙄

Please stop putting little smiley faces in your posts OP.
Everyone still thinks you’re a twat.

Our Head is paid over £100 grand a year. With what she has to deal with, you COULD NOT pay me enough money to have her job. Grow up, answer the questions and just breathe...
You’re have now become one of “those” parents, and trust me, you do NOT want to make that name for yourself at a school.
I pity the poor teacher who has you as a mother with a child in their class next year.

I'm a bit about suggestions way upthread that the OP should get on to the board of governors, so as to gain well, anything that would inform her.

In the parlance of my last UK school, that would entail a bare long meeting. :o

echt

But clearly the OP has no issue with longing it out!

I sort of agree the head should be available. I’m a school Governor and one of us ends up being emergency holiday contact because the head expects not to be. We’re just volunteers.

@EloiseMinch I know a lot of teachers who turn their email off as they leave in the last day of term and turn it back on 2 weeks or so before term starts.

The reason mainly being they can't do anything before then as the schools are normally shut or undergoing maintenance.

It's also their time to relax as much as the children.

You're making a complete mountain out of a molehill.

Bloody hell! I hate teachers holiday jealousy. If you want the same holidays, become a teacher! If you don't want to be a teacher then fucking deal with the fact you won't get the holidays....

On a practical note, small primaries often do shut up. It costs to have a caretaker on site l, or someone trained to lock up and be responsible for safety. If you open an office you need open fire doors etc and someone on the site, they are normally big and rather run down buildings.

Regarding holiday jealously also, I still left!
And I enjoyed the higher pay, better maternity deal etc as well as the three stuff