It's in a school setting, I'm here through agency. We're given a 30 minute unpaid lunch break in a 7h day, the first couple or days i was here we were given the break as the pupil went to lunch in the canteen. However, the pupil has said she wants to eat lunch in the classroom as she doesn't feel comfortable in the canteen.
I do understand this, however it means we are with this pupil for 7 hours straight as we supervise her during the morning break too.
We can eat, but having lunch with the pupil next to us is not a proper break in my eyes. The other TA seems to have no issue with it but I am absolutely not being denied a break which is unpaid anyway.
There needs to be a lunchtime assistant or something similar who can come and sit with the pupil. I've never worked in a school where I wasn't given a break on my own.
I mentioned it to the other TA who said that the teacher is planning to do a rota after Easter as to who stays with the girl one day, who takes their lunch the next day etc.
However that's not good enough, we're entitled to a daily break. Shall I report it to my agency?
I'm sure there will be posters who work even more hours with zero break, but it's not for me personally, it's illegal