School Staff. How do you feel about summer schools?

[Witchcraftandhokum]

Just watched an ex-Ofsted inspector on BBC Breakfast talk about how important summer schools will be and how they should be staffed by the same teachers students have normally.

This hasn't been mentioned in our school yet but I really don't know how it will be managed. I can't imagine a lot of staff will be happy to give up their holidays. In our school a good number of the middle leaders and TA's salaries are pro-rata'd to term time only. I've worked full-time from home so it's not like I've been on holiday since March.

How would you feel about being asked to work?

I'll need a break by summer.
I'm tired. I've been working longer days than before during this including the holidays and weekends. I haven't taken a break bar a couple of days due to two family deaths. I'm working from home due to being vulnerable though go in one afternoon a week to help sort done tech stuff out. My role means I'm overseeing all home learning so it starts fairly early and can end fairly late compared to my normal hours.

In 5 weeks time I want a break. I want to be able to say that's it for a bit. Hopefully I want to be able to go away somewhere for a few days and enjoy family time. I want to be able to visit my family who live further than a day trip and I want to catch up with friends.

Even if they offer pay, I'm really not interested.

Honestly even if it was paid I wouldn’t do it.

I’ve been working throughout, plus juggling my own dc (like so many of us have had to) and I need a break. As a family we need a break where we are not thinking about school for a while. The children I teach deserve me rested and enthusiastic in September, not burnt out having not had a break since February.

I don’t think summer school would actually reach the children who most need it anyway. Plus with 5 weeks to organise it, how effective is it actually going to be?

But yes they need to figure a way to open summer holiday clubs safely for children so that parents who need it can use it.

Summer school isn't really going to help children catch up. Those that really need the education catch up are unlikely to go home less it's compulsory and lots of other parents won't want it to be compulsory for all either.

If there is a set guidance on actual 'teaching days' does that mean direct face to face or is a weekly email counted as 'teaching'.

In our local school staff are in one week out of three - so not in with the KW children either so actually not done the required number of days?

Just wondered

I really dont want to do the admin for this - finding out who coming, setting up registrations for them as i dont know how it will work with SIMS, phoning any one that doesnt turn up, sorting out catering if we have to offer fsm still, even if the others bring a packlunch, negotiating with the cleaners a different contract, purchasing any additional resources. Re-jigging all the works we had planned over the summer. Theres so much extra to sort out for something i dont personally believe would be effective.

Childcare only for essential workers is being planned with staff being asked if they will volunteer and be paid separately. I am not volunteering.

That's a good idea - then use supply teachers/DBS childcare workers who cannot work from usual business etc

I am happy to set up our normal holiday care provider and source an additional one, and waive the letting fees so they can run with smaller numbers in each group and still make it financially worthwhile for them to run.

My youngests primary school has had to send an email out explaining exactly the circumstances the teachers have been working under, due to ' not constructive ' emails from parents.

Basically teachers have also been isolating from families, looking after loved ones, even suffered very close Covid-19 related bereavements.

During this time they have been doing their damdest to privide work and feedback for pupils.

Now obviously we know this isn't enough for some parents who will think teachers are lazy no matter what. We've seen enough threads on here.

They will be the ones demanding teachers work over the summer.

I really don't want exhausted, burnt-out teachers working with my child in September.

@Ohdearfindingthisboringnow

If there is a set guidance on actual 'teaching days' does that mean direct face to face or is a weekly email counted as 'teaching'. In our local school staff are in one week out of three - so not in with the KW children either so actually not done the required number of days?

Just wondered

Essentially it's days the teacher has to be 'available to work. Sometimes snow days mean we haven't done 190 teaching days but we were still available to work on those days so don't have to make them up.

And there's a lot more to teaching than just the actual teaching part, so your children's teachers will have been working their days even if you don't see what they've been doing.

I don’t think an ex Ofsted inspector should be trying to dictate what a whole profession should be doing over their holiday.

The government would never agree to pay for it.
No teachers will want to do it unpaid and if they were forced, can you imagine what the workforce would look like come October, not having and a holiday since February half term?
Most children would not want to go to it.

As posters have said above, teachers aren't paid for their summer holidays. In addition, similarly to everyone else, there is no childcare so there is no where for teachers' own children to go.

I won't be volunteering. I have either been in school or at home doing CPD. Proof of CPD has had to be provided to the Head and Governors.
My nerves are in shreds from the constant changing of plans and no clear break since February.
I need a break, holiday clubs need to be allowed to open under the same rules as Educare. Those staff need to work and earn money.
With 5 weeks to go, a decision should be made and stuck to rather than this constant changing which is distressing for parents and staff.

@ohdearfindingthisboringnow

The pay and conditions document says something along the lines of teachers must be available for work for 195 days over the school year. This is broken down to 190 where they may be required to teach and five where they may only be required to perform other duties. It also talks about these days being reasonably allocated throughout the school year.

This is the directed time and when head teachers give the dates for the terms, that makes up the dates we 'must be available' and 'may be required to teach'.

Holiday club at my DD school is running for 4 weeks only, not the full 6, the club workers have all been working with no days off since Jan as they do wrap around care too.

No way. I’m sure this will be sold as “won’t somebody think of the children” but there’s no way after working all through the lockdown that any teacher should be expected to do this, especially for free.

I was talking to my teacher sister in law yesterday and she said she'd be happy to do something, as she's hardly done anything the last 3 months - she's is a primary teacher but doesn't have her own class. She said she's in the minority though as most teachers were very busy so not fair to expect them to work solidly through it - most haven't had a break since Feb half term!

Many staff have worked hard and deserve their summer break.

Some staff haven’t (including some
Class teachers at my children’s school) - a largely voluntary rota for covering key worker classes, a bare minimum of work sent home (twinkl sheets - all identical for the 4 classes, and taking children 30 mins to complete, no marking) and no calls home. That group could do more.

I'm a teacher and a single parent of 2 teens if they are paying I really need the money so I'm in ! But as others have said its a change to our contract so would have to be/should be voluntary.

Just watched an ex-Ofsted inspector on BBC Breakfast talk about how important summer schools will be and how they should be staffed by the same teachers students have normally.

What about getting Ofsted inspectors and ex Ofsted inspectors to do it?

There is not a chance in hell that I would do this.
And I would be prepared to walk out if anyone tried to 'force' me.

I’d happily do it for exam classes if it was safe to do so (or no second peak), I have a great sixth form group who’s really struggled throughout this and I would like to build their confidence up a bit before Year 13. I wouldn’t for non exam classes though because I do need a break and much as I’d like to see them too, it’s quite a different situation for them!

My Sil who teaches in secondary, has been working two days per week marking (on full pay) since lockdown, and is expected to work one full week at the end of this month before the summer break. She has already said that she won't be working the holidays.

I'd do it if I got paid extra for a couple of weeks. Especially as we're expecting husband to need to take unpaid leave for childcare in Sept.

The problem is it won't catch up those who need it most. Disadvantaged students and families find it difficult to engage with school at the best of times. Persuading or trying to force those students in over the summer will be horrible for everyone. Unfortunately some students haven't engaged with online working, however a summer school isn't going to attract those students.

I'm a TA and would work if paid for it but our teachers are absolutely shattered. It's got worse with them trying to juggle teaching in bubbles with their responsibilities for children who aren't yet able to come back.

There is no way that any of them should be expected to work through the summer. As a parent i would prefer teachers to take a break and come back fresh for September.