Colleague won’t supervise classes

[ConsuelaHammock]

I work in a primary school . One of the teachers won’t come in to supervise key workers’ children. Most of the staff are in one day a week atm with smt being in 2 days .
The teacher in question thinks they had covid last Easter. There is no record of a positive test This colleague has mentioned that their gp has recommended they “work from home if possible”.
as they felt a little tired over the Christmas break . Aibu to think that they are taking the piss?
Colleague has form for taking off with the slightest sniffle .

There is a person like this in every school. And by "person like this", I mean you , OP.
There really is and they make it so bloody hard. They're the nasty ones who whisper about what level pay X is on when they're only on that level; come out with those divisive little comments about who's in the boss's good books; make new staff members feel unwelcome and make it clear they've been there for X years and are therefore superior; become massively OTT defensive when challenged on their toxic behaviour, telling everyone in earshot they've had enough and are leaving. They never bloody do though...

Not sure why OP is being given such a hard time - surely the lazy fecker should be getting the criticism.

@Radio4Rocks

How do you know he's lazy?

@ConsuelaHammock

Obviously it’s up to the head to deal the situation. Several other members of staff are struggling with lots of issues atm but feel that they can’t let work down . If they are able to come to school to organise work packs then they are able to come to school one day a week to supervise the children ?

Your first sentence is right.

Admitting that and then going on t say oh so is it OK then is pointless.
We don't know any more than you.

None of your business. Stay out of it

YABVU because your colleagues work situation is absolutely none of your business. If you have a problem, rather than act like the children you teach and all bitch behind their backs, raise it as a potential issue with the headteacher.

Once you have raised it you leave well alone; you are not entitled to know what the headteacher is going to do about it, if she’s going to do anything at all.

It would annoy me too OP, but I'm sure the SLT will be aware of what he's like too even if they're obligated to allow him to do it for some reason.

@ConsuelaHammock just go and have a quiet word with your HT. Let them know that there is trouble brewing, that people are starting to mutter, feel a bit put upon/taken for granted. Your HT should already have done what they can to smooth this over and prevent 'trouble at t'mill'

DSis is in a similar position and, as AHT, she was the one who had the chat. HT acted quite quickly and all was sorted, nobody's confidentiality was broken, noone was picked on shouted at or martyred. That's part of a HTs job!

[quote CuriousaboutSamphire]@ConsuelaHammock just go and have a quiet word with your HT. Let them know that there is trouble brewing, that people are starting to mutter, feel a bit put upon/taken for granted. Your HT should already have done what they can to smooth this over and prevent 'trouble at t'mill'

DSis is in a similar position and, as AHT, she was the one who had the chat. HT acted quite quickly and all was sorted, nobody's confidentiality was broken, noone was picked on shouted at or martyred. That's part of a HTs job![/quote]
No, don't do this. Terrible advice.

Probably a lot more to it that you know about. Best to just get on with your own work really.

This.

If the head teacher is allowing them to work from home then there is probably more to it that you aren't fully aware of.

I teach primary but I am working from home. I had covid and was ill enough to need hospital treatment and 7 weeks off work. I'm still not fully right. I'm also clinically vulnerable - not everyone I work with May know this as it is a 'hidden condition.'

Fortunately my role in school means that I am overseeing remote learning, doing all the admin linked to it, etc. It is actually easier to do this from home as my own tech and wifi are better. If I went in to school and supervised a class someone else would need to pick up some of the work I'm doing. I couldn't do both. This is currently my 30 minute lunch break as it's the first chance I've had to stop. I worked most of yesterday and chances are i will be working til late again today and tomorrow.

I am working from home at the agreement of my headteacher and slt. I'm certainly not skiing being home, that's for sure!

However, I would say that if you have staff not in at all, then the remote learning work should be shared out better and they have a greater share.

Is there a reason why the person wfh cannot be responsible for scheduling, uploading and/or feedback of other classes?

As said, I am wfh. But I am overseeing every class remote learning. The teachers produce the voice overs (3 form intake and the teachers share the subjects between them and all classes in year have same ones) and send them to me. I then get them into a suitable format for our remote learning. I edit and deal with the videos - sound quality issues mainly to reduce white noise etc which the software picks up, using voice overs. I get all the activities and worksheets sorted into the correct format. I then get them organised and uploaded, schedules for the right days and times on the learning platform and as a google drive back up. I monitor the year group emails, I deal with parent queries, etc. It's a huge job but I'm not in school - our teachers and TAs are in full time with 40-50% children in class daily. Those producing voice overs etc get 2 half day sessions out of class to help with that.

The management should be ensuring all the work load is shared out amongst you all. They need to sort that out.

[quote NiceTwin]@HercwasanEnemyofEducation I get the wifi issue.
We have a teacher who lives rurally with patchy wifi who comes in, he has to.

She doesn't have to. She thinks because she has her kids in as KW kids she has to come into work, not wfh.
Stupid is as stupid does [/quote]
To be fair though this is what some schools are trying to insist on for critical workers!

@ConsuelaHammock

Sunflowers - colleague is not shielding . They were working from sept - Dec so I doubt they have long covid .

I'm not shielding. But I am CV. I was originally sent the letters then told by GP that I didn't need to shield. I'm the group down - clinically vulnerable.

I was in school September to December because we all were. Cv and cev staff were expected to be in school. Shielding stopped,

I returned to work after 7 weeks following covid. That doesn't mean I'm not suffering with long covid symptoms still though, not]r that I appear to have been left with a long term condition where the medication is currently making me sick every morning (was whilst I was back at work) or that the covid led to a huge flare up of my arthritis meaning I could barely walk some days. So yes, I went back to school after covid but I was struggling hugely.

My consultant has told me that they can't say I won't get covid again, especially now it's been 3 months or more, and that now I have a second medical issue (both would make me CV on their own) I need to be extra careful.

Whilst staff may know about my arthritis - flare up made it obvious recently - they may not know about the other condition.

Why is it terrible advice?

As HoD I would have wanted to.know there was something festering so I could sort it. I was always grateful for a heads-up if something wasn't working well for the team

@CuriousaboutSamphire

Why is it terrible advice?

As HoD I would have wanted to.know there was something festering so I could sort it. I was always grateful for a heads-up if something wasn't working well for the team

It’s not terrible advice.

Some workplaces including probably some schools are dysfunctional that is all?

@CuriousaboutSamphire

Why is it terrible advice?

As HoD I would have wanted to.know there was something festering so I could sort it. I was always grateful for a heads-up if something wasn't working well for the team

I can only assume you didn't work in a school

kimchi almost. FE and HE.

@CuriousaboutSamphire

kimchi almost. FE and HE.

You sound like a brilliant lead then. IME my head's would be more angry I'd brought nonsense to their door that wasn't my business.

@Radio4Rocks

Not sure why OP is being given such a hard time - surely the lazy fecker should be getting the criticism.

OP is being given a hard time because it's obviously a load of bollocks...

@Wheresmykimchi, but the very important difference is that you know it's none of your business - OP clearly thinks otherwise.

@ConsuelaHammock

Cansu - those in school are doing both . Some teachers are in two days a week while this one teachers isn’t in at all . You are all correct , it’s none of my business. I shall go to my own doctor asap and request a letter permitting me to work from home for the foreseeable .

Staff like you make me sick.

@Mookie81 no wonder they're bloody phoning in with OPs attitude!

I've spent all day and a lot of the evening trying to sort out school staff who piss and moan when we've had most of a year working mostly from home.
Most of us crack on with our jobs but there's always a few in each school who are awkward for no good reason and the OP is a prime example.

Most of a year working mostly from home? I assume you're not in the U.K.?

@Mookie81

I've spent all day and a lot of the evening trying to sort out school staff who piss and moan when we've had most of a year working mostly from home. Most of us crack on with our jobs but there's always a few in each school who are awkward for no good reason and the OP is a prime example.

Whereabouts are you that you have school staff off for most of a year?

If in England, are these staff shielded or vulnerable?

Our school was open fully January to March, and then September to December. Closed for normal school holidays for 6 weeks in summer and 1 week in October, and the Christmas break but open for some in Easter and May holidays.

Almost all out staff have worked full time, though with some PPA time, all year, including 3 weeks of their holidays.

I know some parts of the world have been closed since March. Are you there? Is there no remote learning for those areas?

@Abraxan I'm in England.
The staff I'm referring to are support staff who from march lockdown until the summer sat at home with no work to do, as the curriculum was suspended and teachers provided work packs, then since xmas are working mostly from home supporting the teacher on live lessons, with a shorter day than if they were at work.
My point is that the staff who are complaining have had full pay all this time and are now fussing about being asked to support in a way that isnt convenient for them, even though they are not being asked to work extra hours, and they are creating an atmosphere.
Most school staff are working hard and haven't really stopped since this began. Then there are a contingency (a few I have seen with my own eyes) who are lazy and awkward. It is them I have a problem with.