To take a 30 min lunch break?

[RainMinusBow]

I work ft - 8.30 until 4 pm as a SEN keyworker. In my contract is half an hour lunch break which is unpaid. My lunch is 12.45 until 1.15 pm when I imediately return to 1:1 support of another child.

The issue is that between 12.15 and 12.45 I am supporting a high needs little one 1:1 over some of his lunchtime. At 12.45 the whistle goes on the playground but he invariably refuses to go in and can take far, far longer to be cajoled into doing so.

One of the lunchtime supervisors pubically criticised me in a staff meeting today saying that I should forgo my lunch break if necessary to get this child in.

AIBU in thinking I am entitled to half an hour at lunch (unless of course in an emergency situation)?

But I was also add that MDS's are paid pennies and are expected to do overtime at the drop of a hat.

But that is for their management to sort out, not the OP.

OP - I would make a complaint against this woman. She has no right to criticise you for taking the break to which you are entitled.

OP - I would make a complaint against this woman. She has no right to criticise you for taking the break to which you are entitled.
^
Me too

It’s the refusal to go in that is making you miss your lunch. It isn’t your problem, they need to work around that, even if it means that The senco puts in an arrangement where he must start getting ready to go in with you 5 mins earlier than everyone else, so you and he enter the building together ahead of everyone else and you can leave for your break as soon as the teacher comes back with the rest of the class (Assuming this doesn’t take a long time for everyone else)

SEN kids are entitled to a break from lessons like everyone else, but if their needs mean that preparing to go back into lessons takes a bit longer, then in my opinion it just means that it should start earlier! It’s not good for the child to be missing from the start of the afternoon session. As a parent I would think that this would be a reasonable plan.

Hmm as a teacher I don’t get paid my lunch break but I’m expected to do detentions, deal with issues, run revision clssses etc. Not saying it’s right but working in a school it’s pretty unprofessional to walk away from a special needs child the minute your lunch break starts.

It is not unprofessional. She is paid by the hour and if she does not make a stand for her break she will not get it. You should do the same.

Personally I would not be too bothered in your position if this happened at the end of my working day , if it isn’t every day and I didn’t have to be anywhere else like pick up my own child. it’s the fact that it’s cutting your break short in the middle of the day that is the issue. When you have to go back and do the afternoon, especially when you’re pregnant, you NEED a proper break.

Make sure you get it. The afternooon one to one will just Have to be supervised by the teacher until you return from it. If they don’t like it or say it canr be done then tell them a whole day wirh no break can’t be done either so they will need to come up with another arrangement.

@Postmanbear, as a teacher you don't only get 30 minutes though. And you're much better paid.

As a class teacher in a special school, I had three TAs working with me. I was always at pains to ensure that they got their full lunch break, even though I worked throughout my hour's break (but for a five minute trip to the staffroom to make coffee)
They were absolutely not paid enough to only get a 15/20 minute lunch break because one of our kids had kicked off on the playground.

@Postmanbear
Your situation isn't great either but by giving up your lunch break on a daily basis, you're masking a short-staffing issue.
Don't you have a union? Why aren't you escalating this to them?

Postmanbear: the teachers I work with are all VERY aware of the low wage that the TAs are on, and that expectations for them to work through their lunch break are not at all the same as a teacher. You just can’t expect a TA to show good will every single lunch break just because it suits the school! The odd day here or there maybe, but not routinely.

@saraclara yes we do only get 30 minutes and I don’t really see that the level of pay is relevant. If the child needs support then that should continue until another plan is put in place. Of course something needs to change but until it does a vulnerable child shouldn’t be left without support.

This child has a right to the same education as his peers. You should be able to start taking the child in earlier with the teacher there to take over on the dot.
You need that break to recharge.
I'd be horrified if my child's 1:1 was being treated like this. (I will be enquiring to make sure that's not the case)

Funny how the person making the most money is always the one that thinks it's irrelevant

Either you take him in to the dining room early so you can leave at 12.45 or you have your break from 1-1.30pm and someone else has to take responsibility for the 15 minutes at the end of that. You are entitled to your half an hour. It isn't up to either the dinner supervisors or the class teacher to challenge that. I would talk to senior management and give them those two options, then ask them to make the arrangements clear to all staff.

I don’t really see that the level of pay is relevant.

We disagree then.
I don't think anyone on not much more than minimum wage, should have to lose a third of their short break every day. If the child's needs are a priority, then something needs to change to ensure that s/he's supported within the staffing framework.

Well, it may have changed but when I was a teacher, the contracted hours were always substantially more than classroom hours, so yes, you were paid over the lunch break. That's a very different situation from the OP.

Legally you’re entitled to a 20 min unpaid break for every 6 hrs you work. Your contract states a 30 minute unpaid break. If you are frequently expected to lose 10mins of your unpaid break then as a union rep I’d be negotiating that (if you were willing) your contract was altered to a 20 min break with appropriate remuneration (you get paid for that extra 10mins per day.
It frustrates me that staff are expected to be flexible which - as a pp said - masks staffing issues.

How many children are these two MSAs looking after? (Just noseyness on my part as MSAing is one of my jobs).

Not that it is relevant to your problem. The Head or whoever needs to sort this and you should not be given hassle for taking your break. At the same time the standard MSAs may, if my experience is anything to go by, be genuinely struggling with the child to adult ratio.

1. You also need a break
2. You don't get paid

So Speak to the head and ask their opinion

as a teacher I don’t get paid my lunch break
A salaried teacher on at least £25k (or possibly anywhere up to double that amount) isn’t the same as an hourly paid TA who barely exceeds min wage and probably doesn’t get any holiday pay either.

OP I agree you must take your break and the dinner ladies must complain and request alternative cover if they can’t handle this child. You can’t miss your opportunity to eat and use the toilet. If you were diabetic etc you couldn’t miss your lunch anyway, and nobody should go all day without eating. What if you faint mid afternoon because you haven’t eaten? (it’s happened to me in the past when I had no time for lunch)

As it happens, I am in fact a fully qualified teacher of 15 years' working as a HLTA. No money in the world would encourage me to go back to classroom teaching as it is! As a class teacher I always made sure my TA's got their breaks and very much respected them as, to be fair, the majority of the teachers do at the current school I'm working in.

I love 1:1 SEN work passionately but it can be emotionally draining and at times quite harrowing as someone said; you really need that break to the day just to gather your thoughts sometimes.

The other two staff members look after 60 Year R children between them to answer the question. I know that's a lot!

I've gone from £35k plus to just over £1000 p/m - I'm there for my own children now and my MH is so much better. Finances v tight as fiancé only on £26k and no maintenance from ex-husband! But my kids /future child has a present mummy 😊

Then I'd definitely understand why they feel they can't cope, but it's still not your problem.

I don't know what your HT and co are like at your school but you had to be quite assertive with our previous HT when there was an issue. The current one is better, but I do have a brief period every lunchtime when I'm alone with 150 children as staff swap over and I had to push for some kind of system that allowed me to get help when everything was hitting the fan.

I'm quite amazed at the "there are 2 sides" comments which expect those 2 sides to come up with the solution. It is a workplace and it is not up to 2 sets of low paid staff to come up with a management solution.

Sure, it's one of those vocational jobs - and as we know, it is those in the vocational jobs who need the most protection as they tend to be exploited ("who would leave a SEN child…")

In this case I'd go to the head, assuming (I have no idea how schools work) they take care of staffing, and get them to solve it. Breaks are legally mandated for a reason.

You need to speak up and get a plan formally put into place.

I’d suggest you transitioning 10 minutes earlier so he goes inside willingly to an activity that he enjoys. You settle him and stay with him until 12.45 and then hand him over ..... you say he has no 1:1 after you, so is it the teacher you’d be handing over to? That sounds difficult also if the teacher is outside. Someone really needs to be with him promptly from 12.45.

Completely ridiculous to miss your unpaid lunch break.

My DS needed 3 TAs throughout the day. Morning afternoon and a lunchtime ta to feed and take out for break.

Hope you get someone to sort it out. It's not your responsibility to ensure all shifts are covered and not eat yourself.