Is she targeting me ? What would you do ?

[Alaska10]

We have had a new line manager this year (TA in a school) and I feel that she has picked on myself and 2 other members of our team that she doesn't like, but she's mates with the others.

There have been quite a few things before this, but the latest was today.
At the start of the school year, she sent our timetables out. Those who are classroom-based had full timetables, and myself and 2 others who do interventions had a virtually empty timetable, no more than 2 classroom support lessons per day, sometimes none.
I filled up the rest with interventions but it still didn't make a full timetable. So I use that time to plan the interventions or go and support in some other lessons.

We were told to upload our finished timetables on the shared drive so she could see them, which I did, and no comment was ever made. I made a few updates the other week and sent it to her and she said, "great, thanks." in any case, she has seen that I have some frees, as do some others in my department.

Anyway, today I was sat in the corner going through some papers for an intervention. She walked in and asked why I was in the staffroom, and I told her I had a free on my timetable. She gave me a really weird look and walked off.

5 minutes later, I was called into her office. She had my timetable up, was sat with the assistant manager and demanded to know why I had frees on my timetable. She then said 'you were just sitting there in the staffroom.' I told her I was planning my intervention. (I stopped for a 2-minute break, wow) and she said 'no you weren't, you were just sat there.'

I told her I had been given this timetable at the start of the year, and that I thought it had been approved. She angrily said that there were so many children who needed support and I was sitting around. I told her that I do go into other lessons to support and she was very angry to hear that, and told me that that was not my decision to make.

I just don't understand why she gave me an almost empty timetable then got angry at me for having frees, which the others also have ?
She also accused me of lying (this is the 3rd time she has done this) when there is no evidence of me ever telling lies.

Does it sound like she's targeting me or was I in the wrong ? As I say there have been other incidents, how far do you think reporting me will get her ? (she's a lot higher up than me in the school)

Reporting her will get me * i'm tired 😂

Sorry I can’t help but for what it’s worth I’m from management background although not in schools and this entire charade in her office would have reflected way badly on her not you in my eyes. Is your assistant manager good at their job or do they like to jump on a drama?

Thanks for your reply. The assistant manager just sits and doesn't say a word usually, she's very quiet and never gets involved in any way.

I think my next step would be to email her and ask for a meeting. Take all evidence with you of timetables, planning you have done, etc.
Ask if she wants to change your timetable, and how. Explain that you have an email which shows the timetable you created and which she replied to, giving the go-ahead, and say how this has been very confusing for you.
If you go with solutions rather than just a complaint, I think that would be more productive. It shows you are being proactive and keen to resolve the issue. I would then follow the meeting up with an email, so you have evidence in writing of what was agreed at the meeting.

I think you need to ask her for a clear outline of expectations: is she reviewing and approving the timetable, and when does she do this?

What Stacerini said is perfect.

Thanks for all the advice, which is excellent !
As I left the office she said she would be editing my timetable, and if there are still gaps I will be doing as suggested.

It's just that the others are also in the staffroom during some lessons, and we so stuff in the morning and after school so I don't know where she expects us to get the time from to plan interventions, on lunch duty most days too.

As someone who has worked in a public service but not education, this sounds to me as though her own development plan requires for her to identify a personnel issue and resolve it and that sadly, you may be it . I could be way off here, but hopefully you have access to the timed/dated audit trail together with records of your time use. And maybe even some friendly advice from a union rep

I agree expectations have not been managed well. But as someone with a lot of experience planning interventions in schools I have to ask- how much time does a TA need to do this? Surely the behavioural interventions come from specialists or senior management and IEP's come from the teachers? Putting them together shouldn't be your job, rather the SENCO and teacher/head of year. A TAs job is to implement them, collect data and feedback to teaching staff?

Thanks for the replies. It is up to us in this school to plan interventions, admittedly they don't take hours to plan but still, some time is needed.
Anyway I have just spoken to 2 other TAs in my department. Both of them have several frees as I did, and are 'sat in the staffroom' but they didn't get in trouble for it as I did. Just feel singled out.

Be careful Alaska would be my advice. Make sure that you can account for all the time you are there.

I didn't do this and had so much free time- in hindsight I should have gone to the coordinator and mentioned my free time. I just didn't think at the time. More fool me! The staff asked me to do things, I did it, asked what next (I was supply though) and when they said nothing, I did just that.

Within a week I was asked to leave due to my timekeeping. They were trying to get rid of me and had set me up for this.

Very embarrassing as I had a really good record. Taught me not to trust anyone really. I should have emailed, gone to see supervisor, made sure that everyone knew that I wasn't needed in this classroom and what could I do to help?

I know you know what you're supposed to do but make sure someone (supervisor) is aware of your free time and the time you offer to go into classes etc.

Hope that makes sense!