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.

This has been going on for a while - on another thread, with another username, the poster claims that her school shuts at 3.45pm and any uncollected children are rounded up by a social worker who just drives around on the off chance.

That one did make me laugh out loud. Trolls are often given away by their lack of basic research.

Blimey. OP is tenacious for sure. Page twenty bloody eight?!? Headteacher has chosen best course of action. Complete non-engagement. Enjoy your hols HT.

I’ve had plenty of training and none have included worrying about the headteachers work life balance @Baumederose

Maybe you could contact the my county council and let them know?

on another thread, with another username, the poster claims that her school shuts at 3.45pm and any uncollected children are rounded up by a social worker who just drives around on the off chance.
I'd forgotten about that one.
Yes the social worker patrols who are 10 minutes away from every school to swoop in and take children.

Oh dear, oh dear. I see I cant count and this is page 26. Never mind, be there soon.

The sad thing is that there will be some people who will believe the ridiculous tales of 'removing ' pupils, whereas those of us who work within the state system, know just how ridiculous the tales are. I work in a primary, am a staff governor and have sat on several exclusion /appeal panels (at other schools in the group, not my own) And there is NO WAY a child can be lawfully excluded because their parent 'don't subscribe to the ethos of the school'. If it were possible, there would be thousands of pupils excluded almost daily.
The rules around exclusions are very strict and it's because of this that many children actually remain in school despite their behaviours. Schools have to be absolutely solid, with evidence, in their reasons to exclude in order that the exclusions is not overturned on appeal, because of that happens, the school is on a hiding to nothing with that pupil and, potentially, others too.

You've already stated on a previous thread that you have issues with your child's HT. Now the problem you state you have is being dealt with the DH so I don't see why you need to have the HT contactble! My daughter is a trainee teacher and her workload is astounding! They don't get 13 weeks AL per year. They spend many hours at home & out of school hours planning, prepping, sorting out their classrooms etc. Personally it sounds like a witch hunt. Good luck & I hope you get the answers you want soon.

I am paid comparable to the HTs you cite and I work long hours - yesterday I was still answering work emails at 11pm and I was working as soon as I got up at 7am today. I also work large parts of most Sundays. So when I am on leave, I am on leave and I do not check my email or voicemail and I tell my boss I am out of contact. On holiday you should expect to be able to switch off from work completely. YABU.

Ha Ha!!!! So true!!! All heads work during the holidays, they just use the time to deal with all the rubbish like sorting out maintenance of the building and plans for the next academic year. They have a break too but everyone is entitled. Any serious issue like child protection is in hands of social services. This person sounds green with envy.

The head teacher where I work will be in school for at least two weeks of the holiday but she'll do some work at home too during the other four weeks. Why should she be available to parents while children aren't in school - I don't understand?

My son had issues with older child in first year at primary school too.
Spoke to class teacher . Child spoken to same again.
Spoke to head. Child spoken to same again.
So stood outside school waited for parent & spoke to them. Politely asked if they were aware . Mum was aghast at childs behaviour .
Never happened again . & child came to me & son next day in playground & apologised.
This took 7 school days to solve.
I think I was lucky that child came from sensible background & parents sorted it.

Schools have hard time solving things if child from less sensible background & parents not reasonable.

However I acted & did not delay.
You seem to have sat back OP & let it happen.
But kids will be kids & I think you should have acted quicker.
But not something to deal with it the holidays.
Hopefully the summer break will have helped your child toughen up & the offending child grow up a little & be nicer.

OP, you should read the comments on the FB link to this thread.

Why don't you spend less time bitching on the internet OP and actually enjoy time with your DS during the holidays!

No teacher should have to deal with parents outside school hours! Parents had an email address for me apparently, it was checked at 08.30, during term time, only very rarely was there anything that wouldn't have waited until the morning and the gin-soaked tirades were laughable.

My brother is a headmaster. I don’t think he’s had a day off in four years. He may just manage not to check his emails on Christmas Day, but I wouldn’t bank on it. You are being entitled and frankly, obnoxious.

Head Teachers do a great deal during the holidays - the Head where I work decorated the school dining hall one year as there was no money in the budget! He can also be contacted by email for anything important. However, can you imagine what might happen if he were to make himself instantly available? Most parents in the school are absolutely great but 'the element', who complain if their child is reprimanded, blame everyone in sight for their own bad parenting and like to come in at four and stand there whingeing for an hour about a lost sock would just love to wreck his holiday.

Yes you are being unreasonable, we can’t contact midwives, our dentists, social workers, doctors when they are annual leave so why should we expect to contact head teachers?

For the umpteenth time... we do not get 13-weeks holiday... we get 4-weeks like everyone else... the 9-other weeks are subject to pro-Rata salary calculations and mean a £3/4000 drop compared to a full time wage.

If you think it’s such an easy touch... sign up.

I am a head teacher. We do work during the holidays. All holidays. And unlike you we don’t have any say when we take our holidays. Do we want to be contactable throughout? Hell no. Parents are unbelievably entitled. Some of the emails I come back to are ludicrous. What could you possibly need to discuss anyway?

Maybe email the school secretary who will pass on your message to the head if they think it's urgent?!

Oh wow reading post above I’ve just read you think we get 13 weeks paid leave. Hilarious. It’s pro rata’d you idiot.

So the answer to that question is yes. You are being very unreasonable.

Definitely unreasonable ! All heads will be working for parts of the summer- planning, curriculum development, HR, responding to any social care issues. Down time is necessary . Be patient until the autumn. Never underestimate what they might have to do . As a HT I had the awful situation of a pupil dying and was meeting with parents, speaking at his funeral.

My dad was a teacher in a high achieving secondary school and ended his career as deputy head. I can honestly tell you that there was not a single school holiday where he wasn't at work for 90% of the time, from as far back as I remember right up til he retired. He might not have been 'contactable' because the school office would be closed (receptionists etc were not in) but he was most definitely there. He would take maybe 2 weeks off in the summer when we would go away but if this was over the time of gcse and a level results he would have them sent/faxed over to him wherever we were. So no I don't believe that headteachers really take the whole summer off and would be surprised if one does

What an earth do you need to speak to the HT about during the holiday? It is parents like you who regularly monopolise teachers at the classroom door at pick up, there always one. Just leave it until September surely, or go private if you want special attention.