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!

People would actually threaten to resign?
It would tell me a lot about my head if they expected me to work in excess of the 195 days we can be directed, work through half term and Easter and then decide that they want to demand I cancel a pre-booked holiday in my summer holiday when doing so would leave me substantially out of pocket.

Teachers don't get TOIL. Many have done above and beyond because it's a pandemic and we all have a part to play. These are unknown times. A bit of good will goes a long way.

If I wouldn't resign over it, I'd certainly be starting to look for another school that values staff and would be cutting back on all the extras done in the name of goodwill. Heads can't take, take take and expect no give.

We’ve cancelled our August holiday (and lost the deposit) as has everyone I know who had one booked. It’s shit because it would have been our first holiday in 3 years, but it had to be done.

@quarentini

Can you fly back via Dublin? You don't quarantine if flying in from there

Go and fuck off. We dont want more cases because people flaunt the rules. How fucking dare you.

Shocking that someone would suggest flying via Dublin!! It’s shit like that that’s prolonging this!!

Lots of people don’t get TOIL. Teachers have worked hard but so have lots of people. A huge number of people are likely to be made redundant.

I don’t think it’s fair to miss the first couple of weeks of term for a holiday. The children have already missed months of school. The head has made his/her position clear and that’s that.

Options are to cancel, wait and see what happens with air bridges, or ask for unpaid leave?

Just so you know OP. It’s really shit. Really hope you get on your holiday.

We had to cancel ours

@HowLongCanICallitBabyWeight
That is totally irresponsible. The whole reason for the 2 week quarantine is that it can incubate for 2 weeks.

Teachers, as we know, have worked over the lockdown but they (we) have had a lot of gained time

This is isn't true for all teachers and TAs actually. It might be for you but by no means all.

Some of our staff have been in school full time from day 1. For the last 2 months most staff have been ft in school as we have been close to our new capacity with KW and vulnerable children, not able to take in children in eligible years beyond those who are KW.

We have a large number of kw and vulnerable children so our in-school numbers have always been pretty high, so haven't had these one day a week type rotas in place.

All others have worked from home since day 1 - in fact some from the week before when we had to self isolate, but used that time to finish setting up the home learning platform ready for the 23rd.

I have worked (from home) from 8:30 until after 6pm almost every day. Sometimes later, not often have I finished earlier. I am also working all Sunday afternoon too. I have worked throughout 3 weeks of holidays too.

We have just made the decision to not provide childcare or tutoring over the summer. The staff have been advised to delete the app or turn off notifications on the first day of the holidays so we aren't tempted to respond to anything posted over the 6 weeks. They'll be some basic stuff on there, scheduled in advance, but with a note to say that for 6 weeks the app will not be monitored. The staff will still work in the summer as they normally do, prepping for the new year, etc. Instead.

So some teaching staff (teachers and TA), caretaking staff, office staff etc have been working ft throughout and not had lots of time off actually.

I'd hold my nerve OP. I think your situation in illustrative of why quarantine isn't going to work. By August things might well have changed.

I would be wary about insurance cover though as a pp said. Personally I'd try and move the holiday to next year.

And yes, lots of other people have worked hard through it this too, not just staff in schools. I know several who have worked from home ft throughout, and know several who have worked out of the home ft too.

No one has said they haven't.

But this thread is about school staff, and specific comments made have been about all the lovely time off teachers have had.

BenScalesIsAGod
And there should be a rush to the bottom then? Let's have everyone roll over and be grateful their employers have had them working beyond their contracts quite happily and ask for no goodwill in return?

Nobody knows what September will look like. Children wouldn't have to miss any more because there's supply teachers. The OP could quarantine unpaid if needed.

Of course, I'm sure some people will be along to say the OP should quarantine unpaid AND work from home doing remote learning provision whilst being unpaid because it's a thread about a teacher.

I seriously suspect that it will end up a case of either a. No quarantine or b. No flight in which case you will get a refund for that part. I think the actual number of flights out of the UK this summer will be a tiny fraction of what it is usually and sadly only a small % of us will get away.

Which LEA?

We had a letter this week saying that if we booked the holiday before quarantine was announced, and the quarantine fell into the September term, we had to provide proof of date of booking and would be expected to wfh and be fully paid.

Contact your union.

If your an academy however, I’m not sure if they can just do what they want.

The Head Teacher has absolutely Zero right to direct you during your holiday.

If you need to self isolate due to any reason then you must do so (if the government guidelines still allow for it).

If you allow the HT to direct you, you have lost.

Nasuwt advice

As you had booked your holiday prior to the announcement of lockdown and the requirements for quarantine, then your employer has no choice but to accept the position in which you find yourself and to accept that you will be meeting the COVID-19 requirements laid down by Government and will not therefore be able to come into the workplace.

You will be available to work from home. You should continue to receive your full pay. If you have not already done so, you should advise your employer of the position now, so that they can factor this into the staffing arrangements

You could contact your union. You could ignore the head teacher. You could insist you have every right. You could put yourself and your holiday ahead of your school your colleagues your pupils your community your frontline workers.
Sure fuck all that you need a holiday.
No wonder the UK is such a fucking shitshow. It's disgraceful.

It is not just teachers, many employers are not willing to give extra leave either paid/ unpaid or facilitate WFH for people who choose to go on holidays if quarantine is still in place. Considering the tough position that many businesses are in this is not unreasonable.

@UltimateWednesday

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).

I agree with this post.

OP I’d just hang on and see what happens.

Maybe the HT can't direct holiday time but they absolutely can treat it as unauthorised leave if OP is unable to return to work on time. I'd hope schools would have more sense than to be draconian over it but it's not helpful to tell OP the head is powerless.

Venue20 that loophole has been closed now thank goodness. There's a post about it up thread.

In Northern Ireland teachers who booked before 18th June can WFH if they need to quarantine after an August holiday.

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/uk-northern-ireland-53158455

Take the holiday, don't tell the HT. If you need to quarantine ring in sick.

I'd go anyway. Your HT is overstepping. Not for them to dictate what you do in your own time. Since quarantine is out of your control, I'd speak to my union and would view this as the school's problem to fix, not mine. It was booked way before CV became an issue. Unless the HT is reimbursing all your costs I'd politely tell them to fuck off. Especially since you have worked through your previous holidays.

It's appalling anyone even suggests it.
Ireland are a million miles ahead of the UK in handling this virus. Far far superior handling and leadership and community work to flatten the curve. The last thing Ireland needs is people using it as a bloody sneaky back door.
Absolutley appalled that that was even allowed and the post should be deleted and the poster banned for inciting such a thing.

It will be the 'return to work' bit that will be tricky.

Teachers can work from home, as we've just experienced over the last 3 months. It's not ideal, and in all honestly we don't know what September will look like in terms of full time schooling for all children.

The govt's promise that all children would be back at school for a period of time before the summer break withered and died as soon as it came into contact with reality.

As a working parent, I'm anticipating that schools won't be back full time at least in the autumn term.

If they are able to run without having to close the premises to all but children of key workers, I'll consider all those involved in education, parents, teachers, support staff lucky tbh.