Headteacher says I can't go on holiday

[Scuzzymummy]

Ok so this might not be a problem in a few weeks and please please believe me when I say I have done everything possible to ensure my pupils have had my attention and expertise when needed during lockdown. I have recorded lessons, marked work, given feedback etc... I know lots on MN have some very strong feelings about teachers at the moment 😬.
So I have a holiday abroad booked for the 18yh August. I have been hanging on and hanging on to see if we can go. We are so desperate for a break- who isn't- but my headteacher has emailed today and said that of quarantine measures are still in place in September then holidays at the end of August need to be cancelled. What do I do, I know I need to be back in September, god knows I want to have actually children in front of me not a bloody screen. But if we cancel we will loose hundreds and hundreds plus the holiday. We can't change the date, my husband is not able to change. Help!

It seems to be "teachers' contracts are great!" so why not just own it and actually say that? Would save you a lot of time with your endless links.

Most of us don't live in Scotland - links are helpful here;

Working hours -
"Teachers [in Scotland] work a 35 hour week with a maximum of 22.5 hours devoted to class contact time. New teachers tend to work longer hours in the beginning."

The Op is definitely not being truthful here;

"Time off in lieu doesn't exist unfortunately, working through the last two holidays was kind of expected and absolutely fine, we were doing our bit to support the key worker and vulnerable children so I didn't mind."

@YetAnotherSpartacus

I guess the stupidity and cuntishness just grated.

You must struggle living in the UK then.

[quote Mistressiggi]@WutheringTights I can only speak as a teacher employed in Scotland. We do receive statutory holiday entitlement, the rest of the (longer than average) holidays are unpaid. All holidays are fixed as you know.
We have in fact had a week of holiday cancelled here as we are returning a week early. This obviously needs to be repaid and will happen (for some areas) at the end of next year.[/quote]
Thanks, it's something that I've wondered about. I did wonder why there wasn't seem rejigging of holidays to, say, get kids in now while infection rates are lower, work through the first couple of weeks of the summer holidays and then repay the missed holiday at a later date (when we lockdown again). That's probably why. Thanks.

I don't think parents would particularly like that - we've only moved by one week but have already heard parents complain (fair enough) that they had booked leave to look after dc that week or to visit family and now have to find an additional week elsewhere in the year when they'll need more leave.
My own dc are exhausted too and need a home-schooling break

Honestly Clav fuck off with the same links you post on every thread. You aren't in Scotland (or a teacher) so perhaps a post from an actual teacher in Scotland is more helpful than yet another link to a teacher recruitment site. Before all this happened our big issue was a campaign to reduce workload - so your 35 hour week garbage is what would apply if we worked to rule, which I don't think had happened since the 80s.

I just want to say in response to the poster quoting contracts and directed time that many things in schools rely on goodwill. In pre Covid times these things often included running residentials over weekends and holidays without extra pay or time in lieu, buying basic resources for the classroom such as glue as there’s no money in the budget, staffing GCSE and SATs booster classes after school and in the holidays for no extra pay, regularly working many hours above directed time to benefit the students.
I include TAs in this as well as they are paid hourly and not enough for the skills and support they give to the children in my opinion. Their contracts also don’t have the caveat about working ‘reasonable additional hours as necessary’ to fulfil the demands of the job (in terms of primary teachers this often means 50 hour + weeks as seen in this survey for the DfE p.29 )

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/855933/teacher_workload_survey_2019_main_report_amended.pdf

In terms of the OP’s question I think there needs to be consistency across all schools in terms of holidays booked before quarantine was announced. Either staff affected can work from home paid during the 2 weeks quarantine or they take it as unpaid leave allowed by the head. I think if the latter is said the goodwill element of teaching I outlined above will be interesting going forward.

By the way I’m not saying people in other jobs don’t have to work unpaid hours or do lots of extras. I am also not saying teachers have it harder than anyone else. I am mentioning the goodwill element here as a poster was sharing information about the teaching profession.

Mistressiggi
the same links you post on every thread

And how many teacher threads have I been on over the last three months? Not many at all considering - you have all beaten each other up without me. Foul language doesn't help your cause either.

My only "cause" is letting you know how annoyed you are making me feel. And I wonder if there is any actual reason why you do this.

By the way I’m not saying people in other jobs don’t have to work unpaid hours or do lots of extras. I am also not saying teachers have it harder than anyone else. I am mentioning the goodwill element here as a poster was sharing information about the teaching profession.

exactly that.

I don't know why so many posters don't regard teaching as an actual job with contracts and hours and goodwill (preferably on both sides).
Anyone other than a teacher would be told to work to their contract and insist on WFH during quarantine as a matter of course.

Solidarity with each other in the UK is in short supply. But i also think (see the way student nurses were treated) the government lead the way in their attitude to teachers.

@EstherLittle

OP I think you might find that Croatia is added to the 'air bridge' list over the next few weeks. My OH's employer has offices in Croatia and Serbia and both countries had strict lockdowns and low infection rates.

A couple of his colleagues there have family who work in tourism and he says they are really keen for visitors to come to the country.

Sadly this has all now changed. You’ll have seen that tennis players Djokovic, Dimitrov, Coric and huge swathes of their teams tested positive for covid this week. They’ve all been out partying, going to bars and wineries, mingling with huge crowds, etc. There was a lot of complacency after Croatia and Serbia appeared to have done so well at containing the spread. This is now being reflected in their rising infection rates.

I would be very disappointed if my dc's teachers weren't there at the start of the new school year because they were in quarantine after a holiday. Either education is important or it isn't. A supply teacher should not be settling children into new classes after they have been out of school for 6 months unless it is absolutely unavoidable. Stability is going to be essential and a lot of kids will really need a familiar face to help them transition back to school. Need not want. You need a break. You want a holiday to Croatia. This year you might have to just have a break in the UK instead.
Most teachers are doing a fabulous job at the moment but so are many, many other people and we are all making sacrifices because of the pandemic. FWIW I completely understand how disappointed you must feel - we will lose a holiday booked over a year ago if quarantine restrictions are still in place - DH cannot do his job from home and cannot be away from work for 4 weeks. It's shit but it's not anybody's fault.

I am also not saying teachers have it harder than anyone else.

The op has implied exactly this though;

"Time off in lieu doesn't exist unfortunately, working through the last two holidays was kind of expected and absolutely fine, we were doing our bit to support the key worker and vulnerable children so I didn't mind."

I don't believe she spent her Easter and half-term holidays looking after key worker and vulnerable children without time off in lieu or extra payment.

Teachers don't want to be working at home while obeying govt rules about quarantine.

It's what they may be directed to do, like everyone else who has travelled abroad.

It's never ideal having supply in or a disrupted start to the school year but the reality is that there may be circumstances beyond individual teachers control.

Re: children returning in Sept. Families will be asked to obey whatever quarantine rules are in place.

So if you return from abroad at the end of August/beg of Septabroa, you won't be able to send your child in for two weeks.

I'm assuming that some families will be grateful of teachers wfh/providing home learning then.

Just because you don't believe it Clav doesn't mean that it hasn't happened.

I know plenty of teachers who have been flat out since February half term.

All the OP asked is what should she do and @Venue20 has her labelled as a shit teacher with no morals.

@Clavinova do your work in the OP’s school so you can prove that’s the case? Each school and academy chain was left to make its own arrangements during lockdown for the care of key worker children. In large schools with a bigger staff the teachers might not have needed to come in every day during the holidays but in other schools with a smaller staff and more shielders they might have needed to come in for the whole week and may not have been able to take the time back in lieu.

The op is stating a fact about time in lieu and teaching. She has not said it is easier or harder than any other jobs.

Furthermore schools run on lots of goodwill from staff . If people are going to be sticklers for teachers following everything outlined in their contracts to the letter the goodwill can go. Things should work both ways.

So I don't subscribe to the view that either teachers have been flat out or they've been doing nothing. It really depends on the school. Some have been doing very little and some have been doing lots.

However, I am surprised that so many posters seem to think teachers should have 2 weeks' paid quarantine! I can think of very few other employers that would allow a 2 week paid extension of holiday- particularly when many teachers have been doing very little.

You are not paid to work that week. Teachers are paid for 39 weeks, split into 12 pay packets. Hence wages are low when you consider their qualifications. So he isunable to say this (unless you are private sector)

I think it should be 2 weeks work from home whilst in quarantine (remote teaching or similar) or if that’s not possible then 2 weeks unpaid leave (no planning either if staff aren’t being paid for it) but it needs to be a consistent rule across schools and academy trusts.

do your work in the OP’s school so you can prove that’s the case?

I have read the government's guidelines regarding working through the school holidays looking after key worker and vulnerable children - time off in lieu or extra payment should be given.The op appears to be a secondary school teacher if that makes a difference to your reply.

The op is stating a fact about time in lieu and teaching.

She was stating a 'fact' about time off in lieu and looking after key worker children in the school holidays which isn't correct.

Have I missed a post where op said she's going on the holiday? As I don't understand why a poster is calling her a disgrace and asking for her to be fired for asking for advice and another poster making into how teachers say they work harder than everyone else in the universe?

Or is it that those posters are up for a fight? The anger that radiates from some posts over issues that don't actually affect them is quite odd.

Whoever mentioned that she could phone GP for a sicknote...please don't even think about picking up the phone...whilst I sympathise it is nothing whatsoever to do with your GP and we will have enough to do without this. She is not sick.

@roundtable I agree. OP has been called a disgrace, that she should be fired etc and all she did was post for advice some people just like to twist things .
I can also add that staff at my secondary school who volunteered during Easter and half term to look after key worker children were not given time off or money. Did it out of kindness etc.

flumposie
I can also add that staff at my secondary school who volunteered during Easter and half term to look after key worker children were not given time off or money. Did it out of kindness etc.

Does that include yourself? How many days did you volunteer for?

For the record - I haven't said the op should cancel her holiday.