Head of school I work for wants me to do cleaning to make up hours I can't do at mo

[babayjane67]

Hi all!
Sorry the titles bit long but couldn't think of a shorter one!
I work as a lunch time supervisor at my DDS school.we both went bk 3 wks ago as she's in yr6.i look after both her class bubbles,which is nearly the whole class of 29.
Anyway in normal times,I also do the breakfast club every day but obviously at the moment that's not possible.
When I went into work on Tues,the head caught me&said they're wanting to get everybody bk into school to make up for the hrs they're not working.one of the breakfast club girls is shielding so can't come bk but he's apparently talking to her about how it's going to work in September.
The other girl is coming bk on Mon being a lunch time supervisor for a new key worker kids bubble that will start.
He wants me to clean to make mine up.so all light switches,door handles,sinks in classrooms& toilets &all toilet seats throughout the school.desks too I think.
He said think about it&let me know tomorrow I'll come&find u.well he didn't though I did see him wandering round on Wed.i wasn't in yesterday as I've got a nasty ear infection at mo.we don't work Fridays as the kids only do half day so that a deep clean can be done of the school each week.
This morning I get an email detailing my cleaning schedule starting Mon&saying what equipment I will be using etc.not asking me if I wanna do it/have I thought about it&made a decision.no just this is yr schedule starting Mon let us know what side if the lunch time you want to do it.
I've got nothing against cleaning,I've been one as a job in the past.so I haven't got a problem with doing it as a job but I don't want to do it as fir a start I get asthma so that's why he said fir me to work with yr6 not the younger ones,as they can social distance better&they understand more.plus I really don't want to be cleaning their loo seats etc.Im not dealing with any little ones at mo in any capacity.ive got 2 GC the youngest being 4&I've had to keep away from them as he's got a low immune system as well as me with my asthma so I don't want to then be dealing with stuff like that where everyone sits,touches things&risk passing anything on.
My dp isn't happy about me doing either fir the same reasons&said he would have told the head no straight away!
I haven't replied to the email yet.
Aibu?

[AmazingGrace16]

I wonder what would happen if this post were to be written by a headteacher.

"I can't afford cleaners at the moment and the hours I used to spend doing assemblies and running staff meetings I can't do anymore. I think the governors will suggest I clean the toilets because there's nobody else available but I don't want to. I know it'll help keep the children safe but it's not my job..."

There would be absolute uproar.

[WorraLiberty]

@Davodia

Your not expecting your employer to still pay you for hours you refuse to work, when there is work available for you to do, surely?
You’re employed as a lunchtime supervisor, not a cleaner. Your employer can’t just give you random tasks that would normally be outside your job description. Either your actual job is available for you to work, or it’s not available so you’re either furloughed or made redundant. I would not do the cleaning and would say either furlough me or make me redundant.

It's my understanding from the OP, that the cleaning will make up the hours she's being paid to 'work' at breakfast club as it's no longer open?

If she doesn't want to make them up by cleaning, she may have to do without that extra money.

[formerbabe]

Typical nasty post from this poster

You're easily offended if you thought my post was nasty.

[AmazingGrace16]

So, what are you going to do OP if your ear is better?

I really hope you don't use that as an excuse to avoid the situation and just not go in.

[NoIDontWatchLoveIsland]

Pretty much everyone with asthma is considered clinically vulnerable to Covid

Where have you read that . Its not true.

Everyone is advised to practise stringent social distancing! Asthma does not make me people significantly more vulnerable to this unless it is rather severe. If people have not been asked to shield, it means the medical advisors to ths government have deemed the risk to those people low enough that they can return to work.

If it is safe for OP to be working directly with two bubbles of 15 children each, it is safe for her to undertake cleaning duties with appropriate PPE. Cleaning surfaces is a lower risk activity than working with people.

[phoenixearthworm]

@babayjane67

I'm not in the same room,I'm in the doorway.i just walk through when they're going out.
For your information former&phoenix I have mucked in plenty of times in my job's when it's been needed! I love both my job's&working with the kids!
I've been part of the implementation of changes with the teaching &ta staff.
There is no talk of redundancy at our school.if anything,they we always have a very hard time finding anyone that wants to do these jobs!
So no need to result to insulting people!

If you have mucked in before then what is different now?
I'm very glad that none of my colleagues have your jobsworth attitude.

[NoIDontWatchLoveIsland]

OP you need to get over it and stop trying to convince yourself and others that this cleaning is in any way higher risk than your other work. It just isn't. If you want to be paid, you work.

[ComeOnBabyPopMyBubble]

Typical public sector mentality. Everything is such a drama.

ODFOD, In my previous post I just said all the extra things I do that are not in my job description and that I'm more than happy to do. All the staff at my school is the same, and due to all of us mucking in we are open to more year groups than just what the Government required.

[Viviennemary]

I do think it's a bit cheeky considering that is not your job description. But on the other hand do you want to drop your hours. I don't think you can be forced to do the cleaning.

[phoenixearthworm]

@NoIDontWatchLoveIsland

OP you need to get over it and stop trying to convince yourself and others that this cleaning is in any way higher risk than your other work. It just isn't. If you want to be paid, you work.

OP seems to think that the cleaning is beneath her. At my work place the head teacher is mucking in and cleaning toilets as well, it's what decent team players are doing - our head has the view that why should the rest of the staff be doing tasks that she is not prepared to do as well.

[MrsNoah2020]

@ivykaty44

The OP needs to think about what is likely to happen to her job if she says no. The reality is that almost every employer in the country currently has a business case to restructure and to make redundancies. The OP's former role is already partially redundant, because the breakfast club is unlikely to re-start any time soon.

if her job no longer exists then she can't just be forced to do another job, head needs to actually ask and take an answer not impose this on them. for all we know she may be made redundant anyway but forcing redeployment isn't allowed even during covid19 we are allowed to make our own choices - even if that is unemployment or getting another job

No one is forced to do any job. My point is that the head is offering her the chance to keep her current salary as it is. Of course she can opt to have a pay cut, resign or take the risk of redundancy, if she prefers.

[maddening]

Cleaning is better for social distancing for sure.

Yabu

[Grobagsforever]

Were you expecting to get your full pay for reduced hours?

[Gwenhwyfar]

"Are you clinically vulnerable OP?

If you aren't, asthma or no, it's because Covid doesnt actually pose a greater risk to you than anyone else."

Well, no, there's a range of risk isn't there.

[Gwenhwyfar]

"I'm very glad that none of my colleagues have your jobsworth attitude."

Jobsworth to refuse a different job?
If my work goes quiet, I won't accept being a cleaner half the time as that's not the job I was employed for.

[NoIDontWatchLoveIsland]

Agreed Phoenix. At my husbands office everyone has to pitch in with cleaning. This is the world we live in atm

[FreakStar]

You should NOT be working with more than one bubble!

The whole point of a bubble is that it's the same group of adults and children so that if one person comes down with Covid the whole bubble can isolate and the source more easily traced. The fact that go from one bubble to another is risking you spreading the virus from one bubble to another- doubling the amount of potential cases!

Everybody has some family with low immune/asthma/old etc. Someone has to clean the toilets.

[lilgreen]

I’m a HLTA and we’re expected to clean throughout the day, nobody was asked. Just needs to be done.Can they give you wipes instead in a spray?

[lilgreen]

You have to avoid mixing bubbles IF possible but it’s not always. @FreakStar

[Inertia]

I think you're a bit misguided about what's actually happening in schools. Much like the posters above, I'm a teacher, and in my school everyone cleans at the moment, even the headteacher.

Our cleaning team clean everything before and after school hours, and the caretaking team clean central areas/ frequently touched areas throughout the day. However, teaching staff and TAs are expected to clean the zones that they and the children in their 'bubble' are using throughout the day. For the group I teach, this includes cleaning the classroom as we go along and cleaning the toilets as required during the day (this is quite frequent given the nature of the group). I then have to clean all the equipment ready for the children to use the next day in my own time.

School budgets have been absolutely destroyed over the last decade. Schools have had to cut back on spending so much that staffing is the only thing left to cut-many schools are having to make teachers redundant and increase class sizes. Latest guidance indicates that schools are also now expected to fund cost increases resulting from COVID (cleaning staff costs, cleaning supplies, PPE costs, staggered lunch times etc). I very much doubt that your headteacher can afford to pay you full pay for you to choose what work you will or won't do.

[babayjane67]

Yes I am on the vulnerable list due to my asthma.thats why he put me with yr6 &not any of the infant's as they are alot easier to social distance from.
I too thought the same that I should only be doing one bubble not 2&my dp was concerned too but I thought well we will see how it goes&I always said from the start that if at any time I thought it wasn't safe for me or my dd I would pull us both out which we ARE allowed to do at the moment as it is not compulsory for either of us to be there til Sept.we have been told that! It was completely our choice whether to go bk or not!
No I'm not gonna use my ear infection as an excuse!

[Genevieva]

It is a different job. If he wants to cut your hours and give you an opportunity to earn more by taking another job then that is fine, but he can't just change your job description.

I would anticipate cleaning being paid more than supervising lunch, but I am no expert.

[CaffiSaliMali]

"Pretty much everyone with asthma is considered clinically vulnerable to Covid

Where have you read that hmm. Its not true."

The government advice from March that there are 3 groups of people considered vulnerable to Covid who should practice especially stringent social distancing:

• any adult eligible for an NHS flu jab (every asthmatic who has a preventer inhaler is eligible for the flu jab which is the vast majority of asthmatics)
• pregnant women
• the over 70s

At a later date they created the extremely vulnerable aka shielding group but also said the people above were still vulnerable.

My GP who checked that I was aware I was vulnerable and needed to practice stringent social distancing, but didn't need to shield.

My pharmacist who delivers my meds to my home on account of asthma being a vulnerability so that I don't need to attend the pharmacy in person.

Oh, and Asthma UK who were very clear that asthmatics are clinically vulnerable to Covid and need to practice stringent social distancing, unless advised to shield in which case, they should seriously consider shielding.

[AmazingGrace16]

But the government guidance is that you should work from home if it's possible. Why would you expect to be able to just say you're not going to work when presumably you're being paid?

It's two weeks!
Why don't you offer yourself for furlough?

The bubble guidance is guidance. Not law.

Posts like this are exactly what gives teaching and education a poor name. Posters who aren't willing to chip in and seemingly happy just to not work instead.

Would you be happy to explain to all of the parents from your school why their taxes are paying for you to just decide to not be in work?

[phoenixearthworm]

@Gwenhwyfar

"I'm very glad that none of my colleagues have your jobsworth attitude."

Jobsworth to refuse a different job?
If my work goes quiet, I won't accept being a cleaner half the time as that's not the job I was employed for.

Yes,a jobsworth because they are insisting on sticking to being a MDS (which is a job that already involves cleaning) because they don't want to do cleaning. It's ridiculous.

I teach, at times I am wiping tables after children have been doing painting, making models and so on. At the moment I'm wiping them after they have had lunch, sometimes I am wiping taps and door handles. What is the difference? It all helps to keep me and the children who I work with and care about safe.

The OP needs to stop being so silly and get on with it.