Are you being told to clean toilets at work?

[noblegiraffe]

If cleaning toilets wasn’t previously anywhere near your job description?

It’s being claimed on another thread that this is just part of the new normal, everyone is pitching in. I’m not convinced.

YABU - I’m being asked to clean toilets

YANBU - I’m not being asked to clean toilets

If you are, are you ok with it?

[Piggywaspushed]

They genuinely have not agreed with your specific post.

[Piggywaspushed]

AND you always evade the point that your time cleaning toilets is time away from planning, preparing marking or resting : all of which are far more conducive to high quality teaching.

And the fact that a cleaning budget is a separate budget.

[CallmeAngelina]

There have been countless examples on this thread of how people have been going above and beyond to carry out extra cleaning and keep their workplaces open.

Do you really not understand? People have been very clear that the "extra cleaning" they're doing is wiping their own bodily fluids off the toilet seat that they have just used, not wading through rivers of wee (and worse) in bathrooms that hundreds of Year 9s have just let rip in.

[Piggywaspushed]

Do you work fishy ?

[ladygracie]

Yes, we were asked.
Staff ones because we had to share with another bubble and children’s ones because the girls were from 2 bubbles so they needed cleaning between students. Also the boys ones 🤢 needed cleaning a couple of times a day.
I didn’t mind as it had to be done and we didn’t have anyone else to do it.

[wheresmyhairytoe]

Yes, I work in a nursery and clean the toilets everytime a child has used them.

[ladygracie]

I feel I should clarify. I work in a small independent school so we weren’t cleaning up after many many children which I think makes a difference. We always disinfected the toilet after we’d used it (staff) and we had a lot of breaks so did the cleaning in that time.

[FrippEnos]

there have been anecdotes.

[Piggywaspushed]

You don't need to answer that fishy. I have found that answer and demand to know when teachers cleaning toilets can demand their 1% of allocated weeing time, please.

[morefun]

I'm still working from home but am confident that I won't be asked!

[SengaStrawberry]

There have been countless examples on this thread of how people have been going above and beyond to carry out extra cleaning and keep their workplaces open

Then they are fucking mugs.

[FrippEnos]

There have been countless examples on this thread of how people have been going above and beyond to carry out extra cleaning and keep their workplaces open

There have been unsubstantiated anecdotes.

[CallmeAngelina]

Unsubstantiated and completely irrelevant to the issue in schools.
I appreciate that the thread was asking a more general question about the wider workplace, but it quickly descended, as ever, into an opportunity for some to use the issue to bash teachers.

It must surely be clear by now that most of us are happy(ish) to clean staff loos that we are using ourselves and that have a relatively limited number of people using them. However, there are a few posters who are determined to hijack that and draw the false conclusion that if teachers object to cleaning school toilets that have been abused used by hundreds of students, we are somehow being precious, lazy and workshy.
This is GROSSLY unfair, not to mention inaccurate.

[skylarkdescending]

@FishyDuck

Schools have a fixed budget. Cleaning costs come out of said budget, so more spending on cleaners means cuts elsewhere.

As a parent, I want to see the maximum possible spent on learning. I do not want to see money being spent on cleaners that could be spent on teachers. Particularly when you have a resource ready and available in school to clean toilets in the form of teachers.

Can you not see what a contradiction that is?!

Why do you want the 'maximum possible spent on learning'? So that your children receive the best education right? From qualified teachers who have time to plan, prepare and assess high quality learning?

But you want them to spend time cleaning instead? So what do you suggest they drop from their workload? Because I can assure you there are a very small number of teachers that aren't already working incredibly long hours just to keep up with the usual amount of prep.

[canigooutyet]

Maybe give them what they want. Go off to clean random things during the day. Parents won’t mind because the place will be pristine.

The education part - how to waste “resources”, value for money etc.

Differentiated education always find a way to make a lesson out of the basics with what you have available 🤣

[Lola8778]

If it’s good enough for cleaners to do then it’s good enough for you. Stop whining and pitch in, otherwise shit in germs

[noblegiraffe]

If it’s good enough for the dinner ladies, it’s good enough for you. Move over, Gladys, I’m dishing out the chips.

If it’s good enough for the caretakers, it’s good enough for you. Don’t worry, Jim, I’ll set out the desks in the exam hall.

If it’s good enough for the receptionist, it’s good enough for you. Budge over, Rachel, I’m answering the phones today.

What else can we get teachers on a rota for?

[CountFosco]

Teachers are paid a lot more than cleaners. If teachers are doing the cleaning then schools are wasting resources. It is so easy to get a cleaner as a contractor doing exactly the hours you need, it doesn't need to be a long term high cost. I appreciate that schools have limited budgets but the public sector has such short term thinking. Teachers are either taking time away from teaching or working long hours to fit in the cleaning. Both of which will just increase turnover (and recruitment is very expensive) and lead to experienced teachers leaving the profession reducing the quality of the teaching. The government should be giving more money to schools to deal with the impact of the pandemic. Teachers are in short supply as it is, it's crazy to get them doing another job alongside teaching.

[ReceptionTA]

I'm very happy to give the toilets I use at work the once over. I always have been.

I now also give the infant toilets a quick clean a couple of times a day (mostly spraying antibacterial spray on handles and taps. I've always given them a flush a lunchtime)

I would not expect my DCs secondary teachers to be cleaning toilets. They have plenty more things to do and I would expect the school to pay a cleaner to do that. Cleaning a toilet is not a skilled job and therefor it makes more financial since to employ a cleaner to clean a toilet than a teacher to clean a toilet. If a teacher is cleaning toilets they cannot simultaneously provide pastoral or academic support to students.

I'd rather it became the norm for students to wipe down toilets and for them to wash hands properly. Oh, and to use antibacterial before entering a classroom.

I wouldn't expect a chef to clean a restaurant toilet or take bookings because he cannot also be cooking. It makes sense, unless the restaurant isn't is very small, that another person does these jobs so the chef can get on with doing what he does best...preparing food.

[ReceptionTA]

I'm very happy to give the toilets I use at work the once over. I always have been.

I now also give the infant toilets a quick clean a couple of times a day (mostly spraying antibacterial spray on handles and taps. I've always given them a flush a lunchtime)

I would not expect my DCs secondary teachers to be cleaning toilets. They have plenty more things to do and I would expect the school to pay a cleaner to do that. Cleaning a toilet is not a skilled job and therefor it makes more financial since to employ a cleaner to clean a toilet than a teacher to clean a toilet. If a teacher is cleaning toilets they cannot simultaneously provide pastoral or academic support to students.

I'd rather it became the norm for students to wipe down toilets and for them to wash hands properly. Oh, and to use antibacterial before entering a classroom.

I wouldn't expect a chef to clean a restaurant toilet or take bookings because he cannot also be cooking. It makes sense, unless the restaurant isn't is very small, that another person does these jobs so the chef can get on with doing what he does best...preparing food.

[ReceptionTA]

I'm very happy to give the toilets I use at work the once over. I always have been.

I now also give the infant toilets a quick clean a couple of times a day (mostly spraying antibacterial spray on handles and taps. I've always given them a flush a lunchtime)

I would not expect my DCs secondary teachers to be cleaning toilets. They have plenty more things to do and I would expect the school to pay a cleaner to do that. Cleaning a toilet is not a skilled job and therefor it makes more financial since to employ a cleaner to clean a toilet than a teacher to clean a toilet. If a teacher is cleaning toilets they cannot simultaneously provide pastoral or academic support to students.

I'd rather it became the norm for students to wipe down toilets and for them to wash hands properly. Oh, and to use antibacterial before entering a classroom.

I wouldn't expect a chef to clean a restaurant toilet or take bookings because he cannot also be cooking. It makes sense, unless the restaurant isn't is very small, that another person does these jobs so the chef can get on with doing what he does best...preparing food.

[roarfeckingroar]

I'm not and I wouldn't do it.

Wiping down desks - no problem.
Cleaning toilets - nope.

[FishyDuck]

@noblegiraffe

I actually think that teachers could be doing a lot more than they currently do by way of auxiliary tasks.

The school Dsis works at for example is looking at really stripping back the catering provision so that most dishes are made off site and can just be heated up from frozen by teachers at lunchtime.

At the end of the day, the less support staff required, the more teachers can be employed.

[Piggywaspushed]

Not if they don't want to work in that school...

[wagtailred]

FishyDuck yes absolutely. Schools should replace the lower paid staff with different/easier to gain skill set with more expensive specialist staff to save money.