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!

Government guidance is here;

•adopting rota systems, so that staff work working during the Easter period can have time off in lieu at another point in the year.
•sharing staff with other institutions (for example, institutions which will be shut over Easter).
•making use of existing budget set aside for supply teacher costs, if Easter staffing needs cannot be met through rota systems and sharing of staff.
•if schools still have unavoidable additional staffing costs they should discuss these with their Regional School Commissioner who will support them to resolve the issue.

Urgh, I am in two minds about this op!

On the one hand, DH and I both knew we wouldn't be able to go on holiday in July, even if FCO decided it was ok. I am NHS and DH is similar and we absolutely knew we couldn't let our teams down by taking off an extra 2 weeks. Our colleagues all automatically said the same so we were all resigned to losing money. As it happened our flights were cancelled so we will get a refund, what a relief!

But you sound like a really lovely teacher, you have already worked right through your last holidays you say so haven't had a day off since when, February? I don't think anyone could begrudge you a flipping holiday considering all that!!! I honestly do believe the quarantine thing will be dropped. However you do need to consider what other posters have said;

Will it be safe to travel there? Will you have valid travel insurance? What will it be like holidaying there?

Those points alone were enough to stop us travelling, I honestly the think the quarantine is the least of your worries with regards to this holiday :-(

I would be making enquiries as to whether it can be moved, just in case. We could have moved ours but it was really difficult as DD has her GCSEs this year and we have no idea when/ what is happening with them so would have to wait until next summer and the flights weren't open yet for that far ahead.

Paid quarantine isn't the same as having additional annual leave! This is something imposed on the OP by the government - I haven't seen any compelling argument as to why the OP should just accept losing thousands of pounds just so that she can be in school in September. Yes, it would be nice but unless the school/parents are going to cough up for the lost money, I don't see why the OP should prioritise it above all else in her life.
I see that it would be galling if you were a parent whose school had done nothing for your dc during lockdown - there were some schools who have done fuck all and some who have gone above and beyond to educate kids in these circumstances. But none of that is the OPs fault.

The travel companies are at fault here in lots of ways by adding to the stress : they just don't engage in discussions with anyone. they have closed call centres and don't reply to emails .

I don’t get this obsession with teacher holidays. Some of it is paid (like everyone else) and some isn’t. But it the terms of the contract. Just like I can pick time I start in the morning but many can’t and other people can work permanently at home and others can’t. Different jobs, different terms. If you think someone has a better deal and it’s worth it then change profession

We were told when we had to go in on the rota. Everyone worked over Easter and the May half term and some people had to work both the bank holidays as it fell on their days (we had rotas to keep staff groups separate in case of an outbreak.) Part time staff did the same number of rota days as full time. The flip side of this is that as a large staff we weren’t in school every day during the holidays so we were able to take back holiday days on a work from home day which is reasonable.

The school nearest mine has a small staff but was still open throughout so asked for volunteers to cover holidays. This was for no time off if lieu or extra pay so it does happen @Clavinova

Like everyone else, if quarantine makes your current holiday plans unworkable (this isn't just teachers, it's everyone whose boss cannot accommodate a further 2 weeks absence) and irregardless of how it seemed when you booked it (like so many other cancelled plans) you have same suite of options:

a) seek urgently to rebook by switching either time or destination to one where quarantine (at either end) will not be an issue
b) check your insurance thoroughly, to see if any parts are covered (unforseeable government restrictions, depending on wording - probably a long shot but you might be lucky)
c) take unpaid leave
d) cross your fingers that your organisation does not begin absenteeism procedures against you.
e) try to give/sell the holiday to someone who can take it at the booked time, assuming that names on bookings can be changed

As teachers employment is so much more secure than for many, then the sack is unlikely.

As school budgets may struggle to find the cost of cover staff, and as quarantines could be reimposed at any time, then it would be worth all organisations finding out what is their likely exposure to additional (planned, known date) quarantines from holidays already booked.

I'd recommend that everyone books somewhat defensively (IYSWIM) for the next while. Further disruption from local/regional spikes is quite likely, so there are a lot of ways one could get stranded or require quarantine after all - not just on return, but also instead of your holiday if there is a change of regs at destination

Why was the poster who made the comment about Dublin piled upon when someone else made a similar comment about Paris a little earlier which mostly went unnoticed?

Anyone who has a family member get it etc should be self quarantined so schools should have policies in place like teaching with the teacher remote online on a big screen, the class in the Classroom and a TA there in person. This won’t just be from holidays and while you can cancel a holiday you can’t tell your husband/wife/child to uncatch that covid.

I agree with Piggywaspushed, about the travel companies being to blame, although for different reasons.

Maybe I have my cynical hat on, but it's funny how bosses of various travel companies keep banging on about the 14-day quarantine in the news, but they never mention the FCO advice. And guess what... If people cancel because they're worried about the quarantine thing, then it's the tourist who loses money, whereas if a holiday has to be cancelled due to FCO advice, it's the travel company who has to reimburse.

To be fair, we're all in the same boat, whether we're companies or individuals, and none of us wants to lose money.

You have to be careful with the FCO thing. We had a Eurostar booked in April. FCO advice said not to travel, but Eurostar wouldn't reimburse because our train still ran. The travel insurance wouldn't cover it because they didn't have that as a clause in their policy. We accepted a voucher, which is OK, but we'd rather have had a refund.

Personally I think the rules will change before then. I'd go if I could, say nothing. It's only a few days at the end of quarantine period and to be frank I'd think of everyone on beaches, in pubs, fighting and marching at the moment. I don't think your 4 days or whatever it is will make a difference to Covid19. I'll probably get shot down in flames later but that's my personal view.

Ask your union for some advice? I doubt very much your Head can stop you from going on holiday. You may have to take unpaid leave for the days you cannot be in school as a compromise?

@noxestdormienda that's interesting to know. We've always managed to get a refund, or been offered one, but that's always been for package holidays. I can imagine it's more difficult if everything has been booked separately.

As much as I am desperate for a holiday, there is no way on this planet that I am booking a holiday until the FCO advice lifts, and looks like it's going to stay lifted, and when I do book, I'm going to stick with package holidays for a while.

I work in a school and the LA HR have sent very clear guidance about this. If the holiday was booked pre COVID - we have to allow staff to quarantine and work from home for this time period.

This will be the rule. It's the only one that will stand up to legal scrutiny, and schools will have to suck it up if members of staff booked long in advance and want their holidays. What supply teachers are for, frankly, and they'll probably be looking for positions anyway as they haven't likely had much of an income over the past 3 months.

I don’t get this obsession with teacher holidays. Some of it is paid (like everyone else) and some isn’t. But it the terms of the contract. Just like I can pick time I start in the morning but many can’t and other people can work permanently at home and others can’t. Different jobs, different terms. If you think someone has a better deal and it’s worth it then change profession
Too much common sense there. People love a good old moan on here, especially if it involves public sector workers.

Travel corridors will be up and running.
You'll be able to go.
No quarantine.
Hold your nerve and look forward to your well deserved holiday.

Boston

Dh and a few other friends I know have been told they will be able t work from home ft paid during any quarantine time. And that includes holidays booked since the quarantine rules came in place as well as ones booked months before this all started.

I do think there's a big difference between someone booking a holiday in knowledge if the quarantine rules compared to someone who booked a holiday way before February/March, let alone before the quarantine rules case about in May sometime.

@BostonCheers

To be frank, your holidays are your holidays. If your school starts back in September 1st, that's when you start back. Teachers have plenty of holidays as it is and very few bosses would allow their employees to miss their start back date to go on holiday.

The OP booked her holiday in November before this was even imaginable let alone known about it. Why should she be penalised because the government have had to put in place pandemic rules? At the least the school should let her have the time and show goodwill for the time the OP has worked in her holidays.

Our local authority have said if you book anything you have to be back by the 20th August to quarantine.
Our headteacher is honouring people's holidays who booked them way in advance.
For us, it's going to be a week in Devon
Hope it gets sorted OP.

Thank you very much everyone for your input.
There's no way I could go and keep quiet and not isolate if required. We have decided to just wait, things change so quickly at the moment! I spoke to my deputy head who is a more reasonable woman to have a conversation with. She said her honest opinion is that IF there's a quarantine requirement that I have to follow the head will in her words "make life hell". She said he's adamant that all staff be back at the start of September and a quarantine will not be a justified reason and he will use all the procedures in place to discourage people.
So in essence I will wait and hope!! But I will not travel if I think there's any risk to me or my family. Thank you all

StealthPolarBear there wasn't a pile on per se to the poster who suggested returning home via Dublin.

It was just one poster who called OP a disgrace, said that had no morals and should be sacked.

Tbf, this poster also suggested that whoever suggested flying through Dublin should be banned from the site, so their responses aren't particularly measured.

She continued even after people had pointed out that that loophole is now closed.

@Scuzzymummy

Thank you very much everyone for your input. There's no way I could go and keep quiet and not isolate if required. We have decided to just wait, things change so quickly at the moment! I spoke to my deputy head who is a more reasonable woman to have a conversation with. She said her honest opinion is that IF there's a quarantine requirement that I have to follow the head will in her words "make life hell". She said he's adamant that all staff be back at the start of September and a quarantine will not be a justified reason and he will use all the procedures in place to discourage people. So in essence I will wait and hope!! But I will not travel if I think there's any risk to me or my family. Thank you all

Your head sounds like a bully. Having worked under my last head who was like this I'd suggest you start researching other jobs out there, and perhaps let him find out that if he offers no flexibility to his staff, he won't get any next time he wants teachers to work in their holidays without payment.

Your head might have to review his approach in all honesty.

Hang on in there, and I hope that you get the outcome that is best for you and your family.

No there were quite a few that picked up on tee Dublin thing. Strange.