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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think this last minute inset day is a terrible idea!

279 replies

Gotajobthrunepotism · 09/12/2020 22:11

Please don’t think I’m teacher bashing. Because I’m really not: I think teaching must be a stressful job, and not one I would choose.

But, this last minute inset day is an awful idea:
This year has been dreadful, and stressful for most people. We home schooled during lockdown while both working full time in hectic jobs. And it was very trying.

To schedule a last minute inset day makes it so difficult for people to get childcare: not everyone has someone to look after their child (particularly if your family are shielding)

Surely this should have been announced at the start of term so parents could plan in advance ?

OP posts:
maverickallthetime · 09/12/2020 23:08

@Tootsietootie as loads of people have said they are taken out of the holidays!

Tootsietootie · 09/12/2020 23:09

And I will admit I'm fucked off as I have to take a precious day of annual leave to cover this new inset day. Which is really annoying and is probably clouding my judgement.

maverickallthetime · 09/12/2020 23:09

@Tootsietootie oh and quite happy to work more days if someone is willing to pay me!

CallmeAngelina · 09/12/2020 23:10

@Tootsietootie, have you not read any of the explanations a few of us have given you? Inset days ARE from holidays - there is no "extra week."
And for the record, teachers are not paid for those twelve weeks. They have statutory holiday pay of 5 weeks.

CallmeAngelina · 09/12/2020 23:12

@Tootsietootie

And I will admit I'm fucked off as I have to take a precious day of annual leave to cover this new inset day. Which is really annoying and is probably clouding my judgement.
Well, no, actually, because it's not an additional inset day; it will be one that is moved from later in the year, so you could give that day back.
maverickallthetime · 09/12/2020 23:12

@CallmeAngelina and holiday dates they can never choose! No being able to go away for a long weekend or take a day off for Christmas shopping either like so many of my friends can

Cherrysoup · 09/12/2020 23:12

This has not yet been mentioned in my school. I’m hoping we carry on as per, I have stuff arranged!

WhyNotMe40 · 09/12/2020 23:12

@Tootsietootie

And I will admit I'm fucked off as I have to take a precious day of annual leave to cover this new inset day. Which is really annoying and is probably clouding my judgement.
It's not an extra inset though - it means one less next year - so one less day of annual leave to be taken later this academic year.
PurpleFlower1983 · 09/12/2020 23:15

YANBU, our school is ignoring it.

WhyNotMe40 · 09/12/2020 23:15

@Tootsietootie

Could they not have just taken them in the holidays instead of an extra week? Teachers already get 12 weeks holiday, the average in the UK is 6.6 weeks a years annual leave. I know they work hard lots of my family and friends are teachers but I have also many friends working in extremely difficult jobs for the expected to do lots of work outside of their hours that cuts into those pathetic six weeks holidays.
You do know that teachers are paid for their contracted days plus 4 weeks holiday? The rest is unpaid. So actually we have less paid holidays than UK average....
Cokearama · 09/12/2020 23:17

All LA schools here finish at 1pm on the last day of every term, so funnily enough they're not swapping that for a full day inset later in the year Grin

StripyHorse · 09/12/2020 23:17

@BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz

Why are teachers being asked to contact trace?
Similar to managers in any business - they need to identify who has been in close contact (who was in that day, in which classes and, if relevant, where they were sitting).

I think what is different in schools is that (in my area at least) schools communicate year group closures / bus closures by emails to the relevant parents.

HoneysuckIejasmine · 09/12/2020 23:20

I've not even heard of this. I doubt my school will do it. Pointless.

HitthatroadJack · 09/12/2020 23:21

None of the local schools here are using it.

Many Primary have planned to do some Christmas activity requesting the relevant costume on the last day, so local social media is full of parents hunting for those. Schools which are still opened are not planning on changing anything to the last day.

CallmeAngelina · 09/12/2020 23:22

What would happen if a Head Teacher refused to answer their phone was uncontactable throughout that period?

JJsDinerWaffles · 09/12/2020 23:22

Our secondary school head wrote a clearly pissed off email stating that inset days need to be planned months in advance so no they will not be doing this. I wanted to applaud.

Thereluctantstepmother · 09/12/2020 23:28

Teacher here. Shan’t be doing it. Stupid DfE meddling in something they clearly don’t understand again.!

Reindeermayhem · 09/12/2020 23:30

Why is it 7 days after last been in school that children can be tracked and traced? Am sure a simple answer why it is 7 days, but cannot grasp it.

BungleandGeorge · 09/12/2020 23:38

@CallmeAngelina

What would happen if a Head Teacher refused to answer their phone was uncontactable throughout that period?
All the senior managers I know have a contract that allows extra hours/contact out of hours. Basically whatever is needed to meet the needs of the business. Wouldn’t expect any of the other staff to have to work in the holidays (although TAs/admin may choose to for overtime?). I think primary schools would be very quick as the bubbles are fixed and contact is via ParentMail/ email. Secondary schools must be more complex, I don’t think they are planning phone calls either though. Think there are probably confidentiality issues with handing details over to test and trace as the info wasn’t collected for that purpose
BungleandGeorge · 09/12/2020 23:41

@Reindeermayhem

Why is it 7 days after last been in school that children can be tracked and traced? Am sure a simple answer why it is 7 days, but cannot grasp it.
I’ve no idea either! 2 days infected before symptoms plus 5 days to get a test? But then the results don’t come back the same day so could be 8/9/10 days??
ChangingStates · 09/12/2020 23:49

I am a school senior leader, we are closing as are my kids schools (not connected). On 3 of the last 4 weekends I have spent most of at least one day managing the fall out from positive cases that have been reported over the weekend. Completing risk assessments, tracing contacts, contacting those that have to isolate, informing the rest of the school community, taking calls from anxious staff, fielding questions from parents, putting plans in place etc etc. It's been a long and hard term, I'm wiped out. There's already a reasonable chance the first few days of my holidays could be spent doing exactly this- If I can reduce the risk that I end up having to do this on Xmas eve, I'm taking it. If we can prevent families snd staff getting called on Xmas eve to be told they need to isolate, taking that too. My own kids want my attention and I need a break!
Yes of course the DfE should have agreed schools could do this ages ago so they, and parents, could plan ahead and organise and yes it's shit that parents have ended up with such short notice, but it's not pointless, it's a very small bit of potential relief for school leaders that we can wake up in the 24th knowing that all that I've listed above won't be needed of us on that day.

AmICrazyorWhat2 · 09/12/2020 23:50

Haven’t RTFT but I think I can top this last-minute inset day with the situation at my DS’s school in the U.S.

School went virtual again three weeks ago due to increasing covid numbers in the state. Fair enough. They were supposed to go back in-person last Monday.

Just after 7 pm on Sunday night, the head teacher emails the parents to say that so many teachers have called in sick/ asked to work remotely that they couldn’t open at 8 a.m. the next day. Talk about a mess. I don’t blame the teachers for being apprehensive, but surely the school could’ve reached out last Friday to find out whether anyone intended to come in?

You can imagine what this week’s been like in our house. I had to tell my boss that yes, I’m behind and I’m doing my best to catch up. I so need the children to go back to school. Even a couple of days would be wonderful.😂

Oeliilio · 09/12/2020 23:56

Schools don’t just drop a text. They have to talk to the DFE, who will then direct who is off (whole bubble, those in certain proximity for a certain time it varies). They will then be provided with a template letter for pupils isolating, which will need personalising before sending. Plus a phonecall. Or multiple calls to chase people.
Working out who has to isolate may mean for example a TA is positive, only those in the guided reading group that day and who went to breakfast club with them are told to isolate. This involves finding the reading records (in school, on paper) and checking the breakfast club register. The reality is bubbles aren’t that neat and often only a table of kids is off. One school I know had a supply teacher test positive who’d been in 3 bubbles that week (if staff are sick you still need agency staff in).

It’s not proving quick as schools are being asked to identify pupils who were within a certain proximity, which can take some asking around. Eg if tables were shared by a child.

Often then a parent talks to 111 and gets conflicting advice and the whole mess starts up again.

Oeliilio · 09/12/2020 23:57

And you wouldn’t believe how fond T&T are of Sunday calls... often the best part of a week after whoever it was got their result

GlummyMcGlummerson · 09/12/2020 23:57

Yes lots of grumbling about this at our school too, staff very annoyed and parents too!