AIBU pregnant teachers and maternity leave.

[Screamscreamqueen]

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?

are you her line manager?

Literally every teacher does this if they've been lucky enough to time their pregnancy right! Work a couple of weeks in September, then back for a couple of weeks in July.

I'm surprised your colleagues are surprised

Everybody did this at my old school. The teachers about to go on mat leave just did cover work for the small amount of time they returned in September.

I did it too , October due date , so I dragged my 36 week pregnant self in for a week in September. I was a cover TA.

You know what - in 99% of companies the maternity leave policies are so crap, the money is so low, the flexible working thing isn't upheld (this was in the news this week), the childcare support for working parents is crap! if there's one perk by moving your mat leave dates to suit you then so be it.
In Scandinavian countries and Germany the maternity and family policies are so much more family centred.

Why are they gossiping and pissed off? Is it because they couldn't manage to time it as well as this teacher LOL? I know a lot of teachers, they always aim for late September babies, just thinking I know at least 5 people who have done this in the past 3 years! 2 of my teacher friend's are actually very heavily pregnant at the moment and have done just what you described (I wonder if one of them is this person haha?). They'll return to work in June just before summer too, just to piss people off further!

Do you have kids? I'm betting if you find yourself in this situation you'd do the same thing to be as financially secure as possible. It's not 'poor management' at all.

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.

Frankly if someone has 7 children, they need more help than a lot of maternity leave.

She’s entitled to do this, however those people saying the school should just employ maternity cover early and effectively have double cover until the maternity leave starts- it’s entirely probable the school just cannot afford to do that.

And OP as to what you “do”, er, nothing!

Ask the gossipers their advice on how to ensure you get pregnant at exactly the time of one's choosing.

Then share it here!

Shes not doing anything illegal. Thats what I would point out to the gossiping/two faced so called professionals
And it`s no-ones business.

If there's gossip and tension then it should be of concern to management. I'd raise it with them.

The rules regarding maternity leave for teachers are quite clear. So long as she is working within the rules her leave should depend on what is best for her and her baby. Because of holidays and term times in teaching having a baby at certain times works out better or worse If she has been lucky with dates good for her ...some people are unlucky. In any event once the SLT have been informed it is their responsibility to arrange timetables and cover in ways which are best for pupils and other staff.

Absolutely none of your business. Why do you feel the need to do something or interfere? You sound like a bit of a shit stirrer to be honest OP and like youre revelling in it all a bit.

I know two women who went back for the last three days of the summer term after having babies and got paid over the summer which led to other teachers being infuriated.
Isn't that standard practice? Why wouldn't someone do that, to maximise their maternity leave and pay. How does her being paid for that period affect other teachers?

They are all being VVVU
Jobs are important but not this important- the school management are there to manage this- also agree with PP that are teachers (me too) it's common to do this and I have never heard colleagues moan about it

I know two women who went back for the last three days of the summer term after having babies and got paid over the summer which led to other teachers being infuriated

This is absolutely standard practice and I've never had staff infuriated. Pregnancy is not a situation that should impact other staff as it is planned absence- speak to your union if you are expected to cover it OP - your management is failing

Isn't that standard practice? Why wouldn't someone do that, to maximise their maternity leave and pay. How does her being paid for that period affect other teachers?

It’s absolutely standard practice and I think it was just a bit of jealousy tbh.

I’d not tell her but I’d tell the gossips to shut the fuck up.

Why wouldn't someone do that, to maximise their maternity leave and pay. How does her being paid for that period affect other teachers?

Well exactly. And if it does affect the teachers they should take it up with their union/management.

Oh please like they wouldn't do what's best for their family. They sound like the type to whine about anything and cause drama.

Just roll your eyes and tell them it's what most teachers do and it's her right.

All the teachers i know have been covering classes and preparing things for others instead of teaching their own class. That's better management, using them as a floater. One even sorted the whole christmas play, harvest festival and covered rooms and marking in her last few.

I wouldn't tell her because it wont help her at all.

What are your colleagues expecting her to do though? Babies don't work around the school calendar!

Sounds like a really horrible culture where you work. Are colleagues usually so unsupportive of each other? Don't add to the toxicity.

An acquaintance whose daughter is a secondary school teacher had three back to back MAT leaves and planned them for maximum time off. I know it’s perfectly legal and no doubt people on here will defend her and say good for her but I think it’s fucking outrageous. It’s a piss take and not what was envisaged when the law was drafted.

Do you think she should be sacked, Alexa?

Tell them to stop being such arseholes. I got my timing completely wrong and had my baby early on the evening of the last day of term so got the entire holiday swallowed up by maternity leave.