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.

Anyway, I would say she is an exception as a HT if she is genuinely uncontactable at any point in the holidays.

Sigh.. it seems you are right.

Love the response Miss battenberg!

the OP clearly needs to schedule in the HTs performance management meetings, because, ya know, the HT just isn't getting it right and the OP is best place to put forward some suggestions

That needs slotting in asap!
After all all the other mums are super busy at the start of term too. It's a group action remember.

May I suggest the first item on the agenda is the head's email address. I mean, there's claims of ignoring verbal abuse and physical bullying but they didn't warrant the same amount of playground bitching and didn't need to be formally raised until the end of the year. Let's get the most pressing issue on the agenda first. Whilst we're there we should have a mummob mailing list too so all the playground mummies can be kept in the loop

Yabu.

I know that the Head and senior staff at our secondary will all be in on 7th August - results day in Scotland. They all pitch up at school for a few hours in the morning to talk kids through their options if they've done much worse/better than expected.

I live very near a primary school - there's an "out of hours" notice on the door giving a central council number to call in case of issues with the school. In the event of a real emergency which meant I needed to speak to the Head (such as a death or other serious issue), I'd call the Education Department at the council and expect them to either deal with it, or pass it on.

Expecting people to be on call just because you don't like the fact they have lots of holiday is craziness.

OP, there's nothing to stop you going into teaching and climbing the ladder to the position of Head should you wish to do so.

There must be a general enquiries or reception email for the school that you can use. This will be being monitored by someone. If your email is deemed to be as urgent as you say it is, it will be forwarded to the Head and you will receive a response.

Are you sure that she isn’t just avoiding you because you are a bully who has it in for her?

What issues though ? You refuse to give examples of why you would need to contact a HT

troodiedoo

Thank you!

Work life balance, sounds eminently sensible to me.

I get that some parents may want to contact the head during the holidays, and for those it’s an inconvenience. If there is a genuine need then I’m sure the relevant authorities would be able to help.

‘Teachers have absolutely had it gold for so long.‘

You do know you can become one too, don’t you?

Are you sure that she isn’t just avoiding you because you are a bully who has it in for her?

Yes I am 100% sure. But thanks for asking :)

Fire, building falls down etc yes.

Spiteful, annoying parent no.

There must be a general enquiries or reception email for the school that you can use.

It is unmonitored in the school holidays.

Yes serious issues that arise, for example, during term time but which are not resolved during the term. It's not so rare.

Which can then be resolved when the term starts again, when the Head is onsite and working full time.

Get a grip of yourself.

HTs are however expected to work in the holidays. They don’t just work 195 days directed time like teachers do. As far as I understand their conditions are somewhat different.

No she shouldn’t be contactable in her own time! Should she also be available at 4am and Sunday’s too???

Also term time only salaries are pro rata so although they get paid every month, they do actually only get paid for 39/40 weeks plus leave a year. Would you work in your holidays for free???

I’d put money on somebody being in school for most if not all the holiday. I expect SLT divine it up between them , so they all have a couple of weeks off.

You haven’t said what it is that you need to speak to the head about so either it isn’t important and can wait until the new term, or you are just annoyed because she’s not instantly available to you. Why are there still people who can’t accept that not physically being in the school building doesn’t mean that they aren’t working.

And we’ve had the discussion about salary endlessly. Surely it’s understood by now how the salary works. Would you expect to be contactable whilst not at work? I can guarantee that the vast majority of teachers will be reading and responding to emails for at least some of the holiday. There may be emergencies that crop up for all kinds of reasons, to do with new starters, socis, services, admissions, accidents- loads of different things. Does your query fall into that category?

For what it’s worth, I spent the first and last week of the summer holiday in school, as well as days here and there. Doesn’t mean to say I wasn’t working for the other four weeks, planning, researching, reading new legislation and the hundred and one other things necessary before the start of term.

Just because the head is non-contactable by parents, it doesn't mean that they are not working. A head does much more than just communicate with parents.

How would you normally contact the head? I would guess you would email the school office so I would advise you do the same and then the head will deal with it as and when appropriate. Your child won't be in school so what would the head be able to do?

LOL this is hilarious

OP - you are absolutely RIGHT. Damn right she should be contactable. if you deem her holidays to be too much then absolutely they are.

I assume you are now applying for a PGCE to become a headteacher? Because, you know, it's so fucking easy with all these holidays?

Your nerve and gall are absolutely outrageous.

rowena You are right. Leadership spine staff have different conditions to mainscale teachers.

lovejoy
See the previous thread. www.mumsnet.com/Talk/primary/3304164-Performance-issues-with-Head-Teacher

I reckon if something very urgent came up, the few days after school ended end the week before school starts, you should be able to get in touch with someone and deal with the situation. But you would have to actually GO to the school. That is my best bet. Reading mails and answering mails in not the primary job description of a headteacher. I might be wrong.

What's so important that it can't wait until September?

That sounds good. Our head won't allow anyone to have her email address.

Well, you could just, y'know, write her a letter, mark it 'Urgent' and post it to the school so that when the Head goes in to the school during the holidays (and she will, they all do) she is likely to come across it.

Or is that too straightforward?

I imagine that the head can be contacted through official channels, but short of the school burning down or a pupil fatality, I can't see why anyone should need to contact the head, least of all a parent.