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!

Go. It was booked, you've helped your students during lockdown, unfair for head teacher to say cancel. Ask if they will reimburse you, if they say no, then say sorry I'm not prepared to lose my money. I will return to work after my holiday... enjoy

Speak to the union.

I have a friend who has this problem she works as a Mid Day Assistant and she was told the school will be open in August and she has booked to go away. She wasn't aware the school was open as some schools are shutting for deep clean and a break at the end of July till the normal date in September. Just go you deserve the break and we may go back to normal by September.

Forward your holiday dates, when you booked etc ASAP, then offer to pay for a test, if needed on your return. I think everything will change anyway. Are you due back on 1st September?

@BostonCheers I wondered when the teachers have loads of holidays comments would come up. With friends who are teachers, relatives and my parents I know that their ‘colossal’ holidays were often spent working, spending their own money on projects for pupils and school and trying to get over the extreme stress in part due to long days that they didn’t get over time for. Your comment is nasty, stupid and flippant. You’re ignorant, do better and be a nicer person. Plus with bridges coming in it’s unlikely she’ll miss her holiday. I hope you miss yours though.

The NAHT stance on this is to honour holidays even if it means quarantining when returning - and still paying staff even if in quarantine. I think your head is trying their luck.
Hold your nerve and go.
You deserve a break.

We have been told that if we need to quarantine when we come back then it will be unpaid leave, if that's any help.

The quarantine is being quashed on Monday so I think you are good to go!

I have sympathy for the head here - what’s s/he supposed to do if half the staff are on quarantine come the start of term (and the other half are still “shielding”?)

However I don’t think it will come to that. Either things will improve and they will lift the quarantine by then, or things will be worse and schools won’t go back on time.

Whether it is wise to fly around Europe this summer for a holiday is another matter though. There’s huge political pressure from tourist destinations to open airports/lift quarantine/open so called air bridges, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a good idea. I am very risk-tolerant, but there’s no way I would be jamming myself in a tin can with 250 strangers for three hours, particularly if I were expected back at work straight afterwards. Masks are a total red herring - they aren’t going to keep anyone safe in that environment, although airlines want you to think they do. Meanwhile who wants to sit on a hot beach with a sweaty mask on, or eat their meals off a tray left outside their hotel room?

We were booked to go away on 12th August and instead I’ve applied for vouchers to use at a later date. The suppliers have been very amenable - anything other than a refund is a win for them.

[quote winniestone37]@BostonCheers I wondered when the teachers have loads of holidays comments would come up. With friends who are teachers, relatives and my parents I know that their ‘colossal’ holidays were often spent working, spending their own money on projects for pupils and school and trying to get over the extreme stress in part due to long days that they didn’t get over time for. Your comment is nasty, stupid and flippant. You’re ignorant, do better and be a nicer person. Plus with bridges coming in it’s unlikely she’ll miss her holiday. I hope you miss yours though.[/quote]
It always astound me when people spit this absolute nonsense. I have very good friends, as well as relatives, who are teachers and I can tell you that they certainly do not work through the holidays. They may spend up to 2 days (few hours) in the summer holidays sorting out their classrooms but certainly no more than that.
We seem to have entered this parallel universe where we need to treat teachers differently the rest of the working population - it infuriates me! They may work hard, but who doesn't? They get paid well for the hours that they do.

I don't work in the summer, though I do think about school a lot - probably takes me a week to unwind and a week to wind up again! There's usually a shut-down induced illness at the start of a holiday too, hoping being out of the building may avoid that this year.

Thelittleweasel - why don't you think Croatia will be on the initial list?
It's certainly showing up on many of the suggested ones, and doesn't have high number of cases at present. It would be deemed as being 'safer' than here I think which is what the whole traffic light system seems to have been based on.

I have always worked in the summer - both when employed as a teacher and now as a hlta. Most teachers I know so. And not just two days over 6 weeks

So having friends and relatives who are teachers makes you think you are an expert, hmm? I was a teacher for many years and I always worked the holidays except 2 weeks in the summer. I marked, prepared, organised stock, got the classroom ready..... and that on top of a 54 hour working week.

I’m now CoG of 3 schools - I don’t know how the heads are still standing up - the workload the pandemic has thrown up is crackers and they’ve had no holiday at all. I’m seriously worried about their health

It always astound me when people spit this absolute nonsense. I have very good friends, as well as relatives, who are teachers and I can tell you that they certainly do not work through the holidays. They may spend up to 2 days (few hours) in the summer holidays sorting out their classrooms but certainly no more than that

What astounds me is the sheer number of posters on Mumsnet who think that knowing a teacher means they can tell teachers recounting their experience that they must be talking nonsense.

Funny how most of the people correcting teachers on working conditions and workload are never actually teachers.

For what it's worth, now I don't work in the summer holidays other than a couple of days prep. I also worked in a school where it was normal to go into school in half term and find at least a dozen teachers had already signed in by 9am.
So the question is, which of those two situations is 'absolute nonsense'?

Suddenly deciding to dismiss people's experiences within the profession based on knowing a couple of teachers seems a little silly.

I don't mind saying I don't work in them, as no teacher should feel obliged to work then. I'm not being paid, why should I? Do other professionals regularly work on their holidays, for considerable chunks of them? I choose to accept longer weeks in term time for full summers off. I am long in the tooth and have years of doing work in the holidays behind me, it didn't really make much difference at work and it spoiled my time off.
I do however know many staff who do, but I will just say again - noone should be expected to work when it's a holiday.

@Scuzzymummy I feel your pain, DH was told yesterday that he now has to be in school for both sets of exam results. So that’s 2 weeks that are now disrupted. Apparently no-one else can possibly understand how the exam grades were submitted to exam boards.
We’d long abandoned a holiday abroad, but were planning camping trips.

I work in a school too and know how strict they are about having time off in school time. I also give lots of spare time and energy for my students. I know people think we get lots of holidays and I know some people chose to forget the work we do in the holidays but If your Head teacher expects you to cancel and lose hundreds of pounds on a holiday that was booked last November then I'd simply go on holiday, say nothing to her about it and when your back say your husband has coronavirus and you've been told to isolate for two weeks. Its underhand but the coronavirus wasn't our fault and we do have a life outside of school. I know this won't be a popular post but I don't believe anyone else would lose this amount of money because their boss says they have to. So let's hope it works out next week for you and enjoy your holiday.

OP - just go, you deserve it. If your insurance will not cover the cost of cancellation, tell the head that your family come first and that you cannot afford to write off the money. I think the head is being a BULLY and I would speak to your union. These are unprecedented times and it sounds as if you have done more than could be reasonably expected of you. When your official school holiday starts refuse to communicate with the head, switch off your phone to anyone outside family. Your holiday time is your business and what you do is up to you. Don't get into discussions about what you intend to do during your private time, it is no one else's business. I hope you enjoy your holiday.

we -private company - are only allowed to travel abroad if we cover the entire period - including quarantine- with annual leave, and if that gets approved by line manager . in your case that would be 4 weeks - not happening. the only exemption could think of is a family emergency

Going anyway would be gross misconduct- so you would get fired.

Before following much of the advice on here and telling your head teacher (your boss) that you are going even if the extra 2 weeks leave is not sanctioned because you ‘deserve it’, I would strongly urge you to check your position legally with HR and/or your union. Not turning up to work without having leave granted may put you in breach of contract. It could lead to disciplinary action being taken against you, or even dismissal. You need to know where you stand from a contractual position before you start making demands/telling your employer when you will and will not be at work. You can then negotiate with your head teacher with the knowledge of what he/she can and cannot demand of you. I think not doing so would be extremely foolish.

Your HT may also be worried about being able to cover your class(es), and the impact it will have on other members of staff and the children.

I work for the NHS and have worked every bit as hard as teachers. Our leave was cancelled as we needed everybody to be in initially. Leave is now being allowed- but only what is sanctioned. And an extra 2 weeks for quarantine would not be sanctioned as the hospital could not function if lots of people did that. I dare say the general public wouldn’t be happy if there weren’t enough clinical staff to provide care because we were on extended leave because we “deserved” our holiday abroad. And you know what? I wouldn’t feel comfortable with taking extra that caused my colleagues problems- and if we all took extended leave it would- or left my patients without adequate cover (there is no guarantee you would locum cover ATM, for example).

So OP- what if you taking an extra 2 weeks causes problems for the school? What if they couldn’t get a supply teacher (even if they can, it’s an extra expense for the school)? I can tell you that I wouldn’t be particularly impressed if my DC’s teacher missed first few weeks of school because they had gone on holiday (though I understand we would not be told that was the reason they were absent). After all the disruption, I think the last thing children need is a series of supply teachers in their first few weeks.

I’d be surprised if the HT can say this to you as you booked before lockdown. Probably freaking out at the thought of half the staff being quarantined at the start of September though! Which county do you work in? Do you have a phone number for HR/payroll services? I’d call them as they will be able to give you definitive answers. However I’m sure Croatia was one of the first places to open back up after lockdown and hopefully there will be a corridor opening up soon. 🤞

@myself2020 Union states if booked before pandemic your would be available to work from home while in quarentine.
Hopefully anyone with a trip booked that is not cancelled and can't be refunded can still go safely.

go and don't tell her