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 would be heartening to think there was a realistic chance if anyone being contacted by test and trace.

Calvinova, it might also indicate that the staff have responded to the national pandemic by volunteering to go into school over the holidays to care for key worker children in the full knowledge that additional holiday or time off in lieu was impossible, where colleagues were shielding or ill with coronavirus and so others have had additional work to plan/mark outside of their normal classes and where pretty much everyone in the school has worked their butts off because that's the way they are!

Calvinova, it might also indicate that the staff have responded to the national pandemic by volunteering to go into school over the holidays to care for key worker children in the full knowledge that additional holiday or time off in lieu was impossible

The occasional day on a rota perhaps, but two or three weeks over the school holidays in a secondary school?

@tactum

Regardless of Croatia - which is on my list to go to - what would the head do if she was contacted by the TT n T lot end of August to say she'd had contact with someone who's tested positive and she needs to Si for 14 days? Hardly her fault.

Entirely different scenario from putting yourself in the position where you know for certain you won't be able to attend work

Even if they haven't lifted quarantine on your date to go, I would still go because anything could happen even in those 2 weeks you are away. Also quarantine doesn't mean you can't work you can use the time to lesson plan, an projects, cover admin tasks. Pastoral, contacting parents of children who themselves are in isolation due to holidays and being contacts of positive cases, setting and marking work, Zoom classes with TA in the room to ensure discipline, not saying you can do all of these things they are suggestions.

Heads and all employers are going to have to get creative as staff are going to be in isolation and some people will seem to be in a revolving door of it with test and trace.
You can work from home when in isolation and even as a teacher other work could be found.

@Durgasarrow

The thing is, there are a number of weeks available to teachers in which they can take their holidays and have time to come back for September. And they will not have been in school for months. So it doesn't seem to me that it is the school's problem if a teacher has booked a holiday at the last possible moment. It is really bad for students to not have their teachers there the first two weeks of school. It starts all of them off in a bad way. It's not fair to disrupt the education of now doubt more than 100 people for your holiday.

You do know this was booked months ago and under normal circumstances the OP would have been back? What do you do for work @Durgasarrow? Do you book more time off than you need for a holiday just in case. If teachers are off for six weeks, it is safe to assume that they can go at any point as long as they're back

Clavinova is just another teacher basher who thinks teachers can't work at home.

No to wasn't just the odd day for many teachers, particularly those in more senior roles. DP has worked every working day during lockdown and quite a bit over weekends too as have other teachers we know. We know a lot of teachers in the local area and none have been skiving the way you seem to suggest. All the schools around us have provided a full weekly schedule of home learning.

Yet, there are still lots of parents who will write nasty letters saying this isn't good enough. Why? Because they are stuck at home with the kids and having to direct the home learning themselves as well as potentially working from home or being stuck on furlough with less money coming in and it is not a great position to be in. Most parent have coped with this brilliantly, but some have either not engaged at all Or have some unrealistic expectation that a full week of live online lessons should be provided.

The reality of it is is that that 'one email' a week will be the entire schedule for the week that has taken hours of preparation to out together. The there will be all of the working being expected by the SLT to enable the school to move to the next stages of easing of lockdown, supervising key worker children and any returners, etc.

As for the OP, she should stick with her plans at the moment as things are changing all the time and so it is too early to make a decision that could leave them significantly out of pocket. There could be air bridges in place by then to Croatia or we could be back in lockdown due to a second wave.

Calvinola
Why not. I am the DSL at school, there has to be a DSL available when the school is open to I'm in all the time.

Hopoindown31
Clavinova is just another teacher basher who thinks teachers can't work at home.

Quite the contrary - I posted;

"while other headteachers and schools have offered an excellent educational experience with good staff morale."

The online teaching, live lessons and extra curricular activities at my dcs' school has been outstanding in fact, barring a few hiccups here and there - I have no complaints at all.

However, "looking after key worker and vulnerable children during the school holidays" implies a physical presence - I was querying a specific claim made by the op which appears to have become a 'stock phrase'.

wasn't just the odd day for many teachers, particularly those in more senior roles.

I would expect those in SLT roles to work part of the school holidays in any case.

[quote recededpronunciation]@Scuzzymummy It looks like Croatia will be green in the traffic like system, so no quarantine when you get back. I hope you have a fantastic holiday and a very well earned break :-)[/quote]
Yes, it was in the Times this morning:

"Large parts of Europe will be open to British holidaymakers for the first time in more than three months, with quarantine-free travel allowed to countries including France, Greece, Spain, Italy, Germany and Croatia from July 6."

Yippee

I've just seen that Croatia is green. Enjoy your holiday.

Panic over OP

not quite

Frustrating

I would be more inclined to listen to the HT if she had indicated that she would reimburse my costs for cancelling.

I don't think your headteacher has reasonable grounds.

Speaking as someone who has relatives who have been teachers.

** So much focus here on the fine print of the rules, even suggestions to circumvent them. Very view people thinking about the chances of actually contacting the virus , especially travelling in an enclosed aircraft with lots of other people.

Have you thought about how you would cope if you happened to get stuck in a lock down when abroad. It's not very likely but the impact would be very serious.

Everyone needs a holiday. Seriously , very few people need to travel abroad for a holiday just right now.

The holiday was booked last November. Long before Covid 19 and the criminally negligent UK government response.

If you'd booked it last week then I'd be a bit more sympathetic to the head teacher's view, but it is holiday time and not a Covid 19 hotspot.

"So much focus here on the fine print of the rules, even suggestions to circumvent them."
And that is the approach that has come straight from the top. The examples set by our leaders.

What union are you in. The unions have made it clear that if you booked prior to quarantine you should be allowed to work from home on full pay.

You are a teacher and you said that you will "loose" hundreds of pounds. I hope that you don't teach English.

@Scuzzymummy

I very much doubt that - initially at least - Croatia would be on the list of exceptions from quarantine on return. Will you have 14 days between your return and the [potential] start of term?

I would suggest [as others probably have] speak to union or to ACAS

Speak to your union. I'm fairly sure you are well within your rights to go if you booked it before knowing.

Looks like you will be ok now see latest news due Mon.