Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2 3 4 5

Original poster

AIBU pregnant teachers and maternity leave.

116 replies

Screamscreamqueen · 04/09/2019 11:24

I’m a teacher at a secondary school. One of my colleagues is quite heavily pregnant and in 3 weeks time, she’ll be going on maternity leave.
That means that she’s returned to work after the summer to teach classes for only a few weeks before passing them onto other teachers.

Some other members of the department have been gossiping behind this woman’s back saying that she’s selfish and that she should’ve taken her maternity leave earlier to avoid teaching a new school year. They're saying it’s not fair on the kids that they’ve ‘been lumbered with a teacher who won’t even be around’.
They’re also saying that she’s being ‘grabby’ with her maternity leave without thinking of the disruption to her students and other staff members who’ll have to pick up where she’s left off.
Obviously she’s well within her rights to do what she’s doing.
However it’s causing so much tension and I don’t know what to do.
Do I tell the woman in question about what’s been said?

OP posts:

whattodowith · 04/09/2019 12:31

I’m also a teacher and I took maternity leave early due to the reasons your colleagues have mentioned. I think they are right.

shithappens123 · 04/09/2019 12:36

Dear Lord now teachers can’t even have children when they want.

mastertomsmum · 04/09/2019 12:36

If there is a cover problem, which sounds from your post that possibly management aren't appointing a temp maternity cover teacher, then that is a management problem. If people who are teachers/school staff are moaning/bitching about the person going on maternity leave as if it's her problem then I'd be unhappy for them to be teaching my child.
a. because this is the 21st century and we should be more enlightened
b. because all of them should be bright enough to recognise this is a management problem

shithappens123 · 04/09/2019 12:37

Teachers don’t and won’t prioritise their children over yours.

HerSymphonyAndSong · 04/09/2019 12:40

Sounds like she is quite right to look after number one in a school like this

Durgasarrow · 04/09/2019 12:41

Why in the world would you ask what you were supposed to do, OP? Obviously, this is the way the schedule of the job works. She would be economically idiotic not to get the full benefit of the pay that she negotiated as part of her job. If she could be paid the same whether she showed up or didn't show up for those two stupid weeks, then she would stay home and not inconvenience jealous gossipers with her presence, if it bothers them so much. But why in the world would anyone sensible in a longterm joband for teachers, in particular, the commitment often lasts for decadesdeny themselves earned benefits for no reason?

AccioCats · 04/09/2019 12:42

Actually looking at the OP again, if other staff are having to pick up more work as a result of this situation, then they’ve every right to complain. That shouldn’t happen. Ideally management would have put her on non teaching duties and appointed cover from the start of term. So there should be no impact on colleagues. If budgets are really tight then the teacher should be doing her job right up til when she starts ML and then the cover starts from that point. Long overlaps might be ideal but are just unrealistic with school budgets as they are.

AccioCats · 04/09/2019 12:43

To clarify, the other teachers would have every right to complain to the SLT, not bitch about the pregnant teacher

Her0utdoors · 04/09/2019 12:44

What? Teachers actually judge each other for doing this? I thought it was absolutely standard that they would time their maternity leaves to work the last couple of days before the summer holidays or do a week at the beginning of term to maximise their time off and pay? It's just one of the perks of teaching isn't it?

Tippety · 04/09/2019 12:47

Reason number 8747393 to never go in to teaching. If you tell anyone anything, let it be the people complaining; lets make an already unappealing profession due to government cuts etc even worse with not supporting each other.

SandyY2K · 04/09/2019 12:48

I know someone doing this at the moment. She's within her rights .

You don't need to say anything at all. Just get on with your job and don't engage in the conversations about it.

She probably planned her dates to get the maximum benefit, rather than start mat leave over the summer
like many other teachers I know.

SIL is a teacher and DN was born at the beginning of October...she did the same thing.

Reastie · 04/09/2019 12:50

Don’t tell her, what would you gain from doing this other than upsetting her? Fwiw this is totally normal to do within mat leave and schools, and why should she start her leave earlier than she wants (and so have 3 less weeks at home with her baby) because it fits in better with a timetable. It’s common for teachers to start their leave at the end of holidays to get paid for the holiday.

VanGoghsDog · 04/09/2019 12:52

So I have assigned him non-teaching duties for that time and hired in cover.

If you did this with a pregnant woman it could well be sex discrimination on the basis of pregnancy, unless it is health related.

Loads of case law on that sort of thing.

CuriousaboutSamphire · 04/09/2019 12:53

So, she's gone back to the beginning of the busiest beginning of term, heavily pregnant, having sorted the new timetable, lesson plans, initial differentiation base don existing reprts, and all that good stuff, the hard work for the beginning of a year and some of her colleagues are having a moan... tell them loudly to fuck off!

Those other staff members will have to pick up work she has left for them, as no SLT would allow her back without her having done start of year prep!

Any issues tae it up with the SLT...

DonutCone · 04/09/2019 12:53

There is a teacher at DS's school who so far has had a baby every November for the last 3 years. She goes on leave the day after the half term holiday ends. Then she comes back for the very last day before the summer holidays.

No one wants their children in her class.

LondonJax · 04/09/2019 12:53

Why should a woman lose out on her maternity leave entitlement just because the head teacher couldn't get his/her act together and put the teacher on back office duties for the few weeks she's in work.

SMP starts the day you start your maternity leave. Why the hell would you start your maternity leave when you're on leave if you don't have to start it then? Just to stop your bitching colleagues having a pop?

Bad management is the answer to this - tell them to speak to the head teacher about why they can't plan better rather than picking on a woman who's doing exactly what she's entitled to do. What a great place to work...

fiftiesmum · 04/09/2019 13:01

I thought most teachers want this, TTC in January , mat leave starts a couple of days into autumn term, baby arrives October and eventually starts school as an older child in year group gets into sports teams as taller and bigger. Mum returns to work in mid July, rinse and repeat.

MerryMarigold · 04/09/2019 13:02

*There is a teacher at DS's school who so far has had a baby every November for the last 3 years. She goes on leave the day after the half term holiday ends. Then she comes back for the very last day before the summer holidays.

No one wants their children in her class.*

Wow, how many kids is she planning on having? I assume it took at least 2 to notice this 'pattern'.

JustTwoMoreSecs · 04/09/2019 13:04

A bit shit for the children, but everybody would do the same, of course you want to maximize your ML!
I would say it is similar to the taxation on self employed people, who can pay themselves salary + dividends in order to pay almost no tax. People say it is immoral, but they wouldn’t voluntarily pay more tax themselves if there was a legal way not to.

SandyY2K · 04/09/2019 13:04

There is a teacher at DS's school who so far has had a baby every November for the last 3 years. She goes on leave the day after the half term holiday ends. Then she comes back for the very last day before the summer holidays

Very planned out . There was a woman where I used to work...not in a school who did something similar. She had 7 children and was barely at work between maternity leave.

Every time she returned, she was already pregnant with the next.

Hangingtrousers · 04/09/2019 13:07

I'm due in three weeks and haven't gone back.. my mat leave started on 2nd of sept. No point going back as I would still go back to work in July.
Tbh other jobs can save up their holidays and add them to mat leave. We can't. I lost most of my holiday with my Feb born DC. This time I've timed it better.

fiftiesmum · 04/09/2019 13:08

Don't forget people in non teaching jobs will accrue annual leave while they are on mat leave so have an official return date followed by three weeks plus of annual leave

HT85 · 04/09/2019 13:11

Why do you feel the need to do anything about it at all? 🤔

savingshoes · 04/09/2019 13:14

You should encourage the people talking about this woman to air their concerns with their management team. If they are concerned about the welfare of the children in this woman's care/disruption of their learning then they need to be explaining their concerns to management to ensure that future teachers reduce the disruptions with their maternity decisions.
This woman can decide when she takes maternity leave just like every other woman can but if they have issues with where she works up until maternity leave, that's neither her fault nor is it her responsibility to justify to others when she takes her leave.
What people say behind this lady's back is none of her business and there is no need to raise her blood pressure with worrying her on other people's opinions especially as she can do zero about their feelings on the matter.

Chewbecca · 04/09/2019 13:15

It’s not even poor management. She is exercising her rights in the way which works best for her. As would most sensible people.
I’d suggest you do nothing, except, if you must, point out to the gossips that they are being gossipy and daft.

Flip

1 2 3 4 5