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!

if you are working and book holiday and your employer asks you to cancel they must give you twice as much notice to cancel as your employer can dictate when you use your holidays, im not sure how its works with being a teacher.if your employer does cancel your booked holiday then they must compensate you for it.

give ACAS a call to see where you stand

Like some others have said, just go. You need the holiday, so does your family, it isn't as if you haven't been working, you have done your part.

Your headteacher can advise you, but cannot force you to give up your holiday. The quarantine rules may well change between now and August anyway. It is not fair that you lose hundreds of pounds, just go. I wouldn't discuss it any more with the head, but if you are asked, be non-committal in your reply....or ask if they would like to refund the hundreds of pounds instead?

They are on very dangerous grounds if they try to sack you for a legitimate holiday. And in any case, you could not go and still be laid off for some other reason. Or you could not go and still catch the virus in the UK at the end of August, and still not be able to go in. What will they do then?

If you come back and have to quarantine, get a note from the GP. Explain to the school they can take it up with the government.....

OP you maybe also want to keep an eye on what Croatia's rules are. They've got another announcement on 30 June.

www.chasingthedonkey.com/coronavirus-in-croatia-balkans-covid-19/

Quite babbi. Will they all want fast and free repatriation too if everything goes wrong?

Insurance was a big factor for us, as well as the quarantine.

Go on holiday if you are happy with the risk and can do the quarantine.

My DH talked me into paying full balance in the belief our holiday wouldn't go ahead and we would (ABTA rules) get out £4000 back.

No insurance covers this so I do wish people would stop saying this. We get specialised insurance as he has medical issues and that will have multiple exemptions, no doubt.

My DH is rapidly getting egg on face...

@Howlat

OP you maybe also want to keep an eye on what Croatia's rules are. They've got another announcement on 30 June.

www.chasingthedonkey.com/coronavirus-in-croatia-balkans-covid-19/

Yep just posted a graph earlier. They saw their highest ever number of cases yesterday. IMO strong restrictions there are coming.

Union.

My work have said -IF you booked it before June -you get full pay for 14 days isolation on return but after JUne -you isolate and it is unpaid.

Also they can not make you cancel your holiday booked in your holiday time. But to tell you to isolate upon your return -you booked it well in advance -get your union involved.

Rules may well have changed then but if not and you can get away with it just come back through a non quarantine country

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

Oh that old chestnut. Teachers get the same paid leave as everyone else. The Summer hols is unpaid leave so the head is dictating what happens during a period for which the OP isn't even being paid. They also spend a significant percentage of hols (both paid and unpaid) doing school work.

OP: The school need to either pay the costs of cancelling or pay for a suppy teacher. The trip was booked in good faith, to be taken during your unpaid leave period.

I'd threaten to resign. If you're a good teacher, you'll easily get another job.

Advice from our LA is that anyone who is unable to rtw on 3 Sep due to self isolation as a result of a holiday is technically on unauthorised unpaid leave. However, they have said they hope schools will be flexible where staff were committed to the holidays before 5 June (the date quarantine was announced).

We have asked for proof of when holidays were booked and will allow and pay those. Others will be unpaid.

Although, quanatine won't be a thing by Sept. Government are already saying the European holiday destinations won't be included and once they realise it will prevent schools going back in Sept they'll drop it altogether IMO.

I'm surprised a HT is creating bad feeling over it now, when it's highly likely never to happen.

There's absolutely no reason the return should be a "shit show". Either you need to get away from that mindset or the head has some serious work to do.

My husband's job was trying to enforce a stupid rule of self isolating before work days. You can't tell people how to spend days off and leave. Dh was saying it would affect our holiday etc, but saw sense and raised with employers who backed down.

Anyone can get a test now, go on holiday, book a test for the day you get back, results in 48 hours, if clear you won't need to quarantine. (You may have to say you've had a temperature or something to get a test)

How many people here will complain if a teacher tests positive in the first week back at school, and the entire class and their families have to self isolate for two weeks?

Wait and see. So much changes so quickly at the moment, it’s really not something you can plan a month ahead for!

People would actually threaten to resign? I can’t believe the advice just saying go anyway.

It’s a global pandemic- things change. At the minute insurance is invalid as essential travel only.

Who teaches the kids if a teacher just buggers off on a jolly when they know they’ll have to remain in quarantine. I wonder how many people commenting actually have jobs.

I don't know why you are any different to thousands of people in the same situation. We are expected to have to cancel our hissy next week if the quarantine isn't lifted. I probably could negotiate working from home for 2 weeks with my boss, but there's no way my oh would be allowed. I won't go without him because I wont as much holidays left to take and we want to enjoy that time together so we are prepared to accept that it will need to be cancelled.

Why is it different for you?

YABU. We had a holiday booked (France) for the end of August, which we have cancelled - partly because I wouldn’t feel safe travelling and coming into contact with so many people who could spread the virus, and partly because of the quarantine requirements. I could wfh for two weeks, but DH would need to take unpaid leave (great after three months of furlough), and DD would miss the start of school.

Luckily the holiday company has agreed we can use the deposit for a holiday next year, and we hadn’t booked the ferry crossing yet. It’s still unfair that we’re missing our holiday, but I don’t think we should go in these conditions.

Which is why she should get tested on her return

Union. Union. Union.

Also getting a test when you come back is also a stupid idea as the whole idea of the 2 weeks is that it can take 2 weeks to develop symptoms. Testing negative on return means absolutely nothing. It’s not fair to risk other people’s lives like this.

I despair.

I work in an independent school (non-teaching role) we have been told that we are expected back on the first day of term and that quarantine following a holiday is not an acceptable reason to not be in school. Luckily my trip for the last two weeks of August had been cancelled and refunded!

If we had a teacher threaten to resign over this we would definitely say "OK, bye".

Teachers, as we know, have worked over the lockdown but they (we) have had a lot of gained time too. We've also been in a far better position than people working in numerous other sectors and despite the fuss, have been very well protected as a the workforce (note no spike since wider reopening).

This is all, of course, as it should be, but I do wish teachers would acknowledge some of it rather than trying to persuade people that they've had it so much harder than others, some of whom really have had it very bad. Yes it's been different and challenging but come on, whose job hasn't, except maybe the people who are in fear for their jobs, which has never been a concern for us?

Re the holidays, I'm sure it won't happn, either all travel will be cancelled or the quarantine will be scrapped, but teachers (and everyone else) may have to choose sacrifice their holiday or their pay (although actually, I don't think teachers will if they booked before quarantine was introduced).

Stick to your holiday plans and call his/her bluff if the situation arises.

From what I gather teachers are in short supply and the idea that a headteacher would rather lose one than deal with the possibility of a two week absence is ridiculous. Cutting off one's nose to spite one's face comes to mind.

We have been told to be careful if booking holidays now as the quarantine may mean we can't return on September 1st, and it would be unpaid leave at best.

However if people already have holidays booked since before quarantine rules were out in place to let her know. She won't expect people to cancel and loose money but she can't guarantee full pay if missing school, though may be able to allow some work from home depending in the situation regarding school in September - as even that is not yet known fully. We are assuming full time for all but don't really know.

We have a long haul flight booked for October half term, so hopefully any travel quarantines will be over by then as I really really want to go!

As for the summer we are waiting until Monday to decide whether to go away or not. Dh can easily,quarantine and wfh, and dd won't be starting university until much later. At present I'd be fine with our current dates even if had to,quarantine, but it'd be much easier if nine of us had to.