To complain to the board of governors?

[messicliche]

Hi all, below is a post from DH.

NC as post could be outing.

A bit of background about the situation. I am a senior leader in a secondary school. As a result, I am well aware that we are not bound by the standard 'Burgundy Book' directive document etc.

Essentially, last week was asked to perform a role outside of my general remit (supporting with sports day results outside). The day before sports day itself, an email was sent around to all staff (after school hours, approx 2.5hrs after school ended) noting that all staff are expected to wear normal formal attire.

Maybe naively, I automatically ignored it as I had seen the sports day support schedule and I was scheduled to be outside. As a result, I wore what I deemed 'appropriate attire' to support with this, think, sports shirt, shorts, appropriate trainers.

Cue the next day, turn up on site, instructed to go home and change into the professional dress that was directed the day before. Moreover, I then have received a professional letter of conduct for my inappropriate dress. To add, there was another member of staff that this happened to as well.

My issue is more the way it's been dealt with rather than the being asked to go home and change, although that's annoying. At no point did the head speak to me about this, I was hauled into a room with my SLT line manager. Also, at no point did the head mention that I would receive a letter of professional conduct for my dress. It was just placed in my pigeon hole. Found it by sheer luck.

So essentially the question is

AIBU - there was a directive sent the day before, you weren't mentioned as being excluded from it, even though it was sent outside of school hours, you should have followed it even if it would have meant dying outside in the heat

YANBU - ridiculous overreaction, petty, spiteful and vindictive and need to take it further to his line manager who is the chair of governors and potentially hand my notice in

FWIW - the PE staff were all in PE attire, and continue to be even when now outdoor PE can't take place because of the heat. I think I'm so frustrated by the lack of consistency shown by the top leadership in following rules and guidelines. I would stress that throughout the year I am (in my eyes) impeccably dressed and often gaze at other people thinking, how on earth are they getting away with that (think, open toed flip-flops, short dresses that are traditionally not professional etc.)

Would love to hear all of your opinions, apologies about the rant.

Happy to add any extra info if anyone needs it

Thanks!

As a parent I wouldn't be happy knowing school staff were being forced to wear formal attire at all let alone in the summer and especially on sports day.

Appropriate dress isn't that hard to figure out. My MD wears shirts, nice jumpers, t-shirts with suit jackets, chinos or linen trousers and always looks smart and professional without being stuffed into a full suit.

On sports day all the teachers at our school came in sports gear. The whole school did. Last week everyone (staff included) came in wearing superhero costumes.

Your head is dreadful and unfortunately he sets the tone for the whole school. I would look elsewhere for a job. There are heads out these who trust their staff and are fair and supportive. They do exist (I’m lucky enough to work for one of them). I’ve been wearing open toed sandals to school for the last month and no one could give a toss. We’re an Outstanding school with brilliant staff retention.

I went though this at my last school. At the end of the day, that head was desperately holding on to his rules and regulations as a way of feeling in control. It doesn’t work.

This is petty as fuck and your DH should move to a different school. Imagine treating someone like this. No wonder teachers are leaving in their droves.

Doesn't matter if you don't have an in school union rep - phone the union and they will advise

Something tells me that OP's DH turning up in a dress or a blouse and tailored shorts would have caused quite a stir.

If I was the DH I think I would turn up in a dress until the end of term.

As long as it’s formal there’s no reason they can complain and he’ll be a lot cooler than in a suit 😁

I havent attended sports day for a couple of years due to covid and this year we went on holiday🙄 However in my experience throughout junior and senior, teachers have always worn sport attire and that would seem normal to me as a parent.

Go to area/ regional rep for advice. It’s a ridiculous overreaction and very petty. He doesn’t want a Management Instruction sitting on his file if he’s applying for other jobs, as sometimes such things are asked about in the reference request. I have attended more than 50 sports days as a teacher, pupil and parent, at many schools and I have always worn sportswear, as have the majority of staff. And yes, agreed that running the results table is an all-day event, often involving at least three staff, as there are usually house points being logged and timings/ distances/ placing to be recorded.

He's a senior leader who received an email about what he should wear but he decided to ignore it. What normally happens at the school when staff are told to do something and they decide to ignore it? If the head normally just shrugs their shoulders and does nothing, then I'd definitely challenge it, with the head first.

ALL pupils, spectator or participant, were told to wear PE Kit. Additionally, they then allowed PE Kit for the rest of term due to weather.

They sound barking mad. Find another normal school to work in.

It's op husband 😂

RTFT. He did not see the email as it was after the curfew of emails (6pm). So he was unaware until he showed up in the morning at 630am. So no, he didn't choose to ignore it.

The head does not just shrug his shoulders, he is quite notorious for this and as his wife who hears the brunt of it every day, I wasn't surprised when he told me.

I forgot to add - someone (probably the other woman who did the same thing) challenged the time the email was sent as being after the agreed hours for emails (their school day is early 750am-210pm, so 6pm is far outside of hours and this email was sent after 6pm) he then sent a passive aggressive email to the whole school stating that the 6pm curfew does not apply to him. Found that funny.

As a teacher (PE) and previous SLT, I'd say it's 100% time to find a new job because who on earth tells their staff on sports day to wear formal attire and then treats a staff member like that?! All of our staff and children wore PE kit for sports day this year and that has been the case in all schools I've worked, not just this one.

I'd contact my union as their job is to advise on the next steps. I would also write a letter, copied to HR, asking for clarification about why I received the letter of professional conduct so that I could respond to the points in writing to defend myself.

Absolutely do not let DH meet with the headteacher unless an outside, impartial person is present as this headteacher is clearly not rational.

That doesn't wash with the statement that he automatically ignored it.

Maybe naively, I automatically ignored it as I had seen the sports day support schedule and I was scheduled to be outside.

Deciding that instructions for all staff don't apply to you is different to then claiming 'Oh, this came a bit late, I'll say I didn't see it'.

Bet he'd have read the email if it had been saying 'due to the Red warning for excessive heat, the school is closed to staff and students on Monday and Tuesday of this week' - even if it had come through at ten o'clock Sunday night.

The day before sports day itself, an email was sent around to all staff (after school hours, approx 2.5hrs after school ended) noting that all staff are expected to wear normal formal attire.. So the email arrived at about 4.40pm then? Probably still within the bounds of working hours. And as PP had said - staff would have all probably checked emails before heading out for work - just in case a last minute change of plan.

So it does sound to me as if he has been caught deliberately ignoring and explicit instruction. No quick email from him to check it meant him...no - he just decided to ignore it.

Whether or not it was a sensible instruction is irrelevant here. He didn't bother to check.

I wonder if your DH has form for doing things the way he wants - and this was just a straw on the camel's back?

And I agree with yout DH and many PP - daftness to be in formal wear. But if you have a tricky relationship with your manager/head FFS don't just unilaterally chose to ignore it. a) Check if it seems daft and b) find another job somewhere he fits better.

@NeverDropYourMooncup DH was unclear, he ignored it when he saw it in the morning at 630am. The line manager spoke to him at 730am on the way to a morning meeting. It was irrelevant either way as he was at school when he read the email and home is still 25mins each way.

If any one is wondering, I had to drop off a suit and shoes for him during my working day!

RTFT. He did not see the email as it was after the curfew of emails (6pm). So he was unaware until he showed up in the morning at 630am. So no, he didn't choose to ignore it.

Um, I did read the whole thread. He wrote...

The day before sports day itself, an email was sent around to all staff (after school hours, approx 2.5hrs after school ended) noting that all staff are expected to wear normal formal attire.

Maybe naively, I automatically ignored it as I had seen the sports day support schedule and I was scheduled to be outside. As a result, I wore what I deemed 'appropriate attire' to support with this, think, sports shirt, shorts, appropriate trainers.

Cue the next day, turn up on site, instructed to go home and change into the professional dress that was directed the day before.

That reads to me that he did see the email the day it was sent, he decided to ignore it, the next day he turned up and was sent home. You're saying he didn't choose to ignore it but he actually does say that that is exactly what he did. ”Maybe naively, I automatically ignored it". I can't see anywhere that he's changed that story. Have I read it wrong somehow?

Sorry DH shouldn't be allowed to tell stories - he left school at 330/4 so 2.5 hours was after the time he left. i.e. after 6pm.

He specifically said he ignored it, not that he didn't see it.

I suspect there's more than one version of this story.

DH was unclear, he ignored it when he saw it in the morning at 630am.

I'm sorry but after you telling me off for not reading the full thread, I've got to say, your husband was definitely not unclear.
He was very clear and sequential.
The day before sports day itself, an email was sent...
Maybe naively, I automatically ignored it ...
Cue the next day....

If he'd only read it after he'd arrived, he wouldn't have worded it like that. He'd have said, "I didn't read it til I arrived at work the next morning but I was already dressed in my sports stuff so I thought it would be ok." Perfectly reasonable position but then he'd go and check if it was OK and if not go and change.

It's not that I think the head was reasonable or your husband was unreasonable but I just find it difficult to believe these revised events. Your husband didn't once mention that they're being unfair to punish him for disobeying an instruction he never received. Instead he's complaining that he should have been allowed to ignore it because it came outside school hours.

AIBU - there was a directive sent the day before, you weren't mentioned as being excluded from it, even though it was sent outside of school hours, you should have followed it even if it would have meant dying outside in the heat

If he's going to take it further he needs to get his story properly sorted out.

He needs to get his story straight before going to governors 😆

His version of events through this thread is kind of irrelevant. As stated, he doesn't disagree that he was potentially in the wrong. It is how they handled the situation.

For the avoidance of doubt, since I have all the messages I will clear it up.

2 days before D-Day: 'DW I get to wear PE kit on Thursday, it's sports day'
Thursday Morning; DH wears PE kit to school
Thursday 630am: 'Shit I got an email from HT about professional dress today, oh well I'm here now'
Me at 6:42am ' should I drop in spare uniform?'
Him 6:42am 'no it's fine'
Him 7:34 'just been hauled into SLT person office been sent to change'

Then he went on a wild goose chase for a brand new uniform in the retail park nearby before I had to drive to his school 25 minutes away and deliver the uniform.

The email time stamp is 18:06 from the Head the day before, he just checked. It's a weird email tbh.

Also, just to add to DH's point about the handling, he had no lessons that day - only the results - along with 1 science teacher and PE teachers (in PE kits).

Im a teacher and I officially finish work at 3:15. I complete work at home but don’t open emails I’m not expecting unless I’m in work, this stops me forgetting to action things because I can’t deal with it straight away and it stops me staying up until 1am doing little jobs. If I’m doing unpaid overtime it’s up to me to decide what I’m doing. Him seeing the email is irrelevant because he didn’t read it.

And he needs to bear in mind that they also generally work fulltime - and then go on to do the Governor part, such as meetings until nearly 10pm (the ones that include approving teaching staff pay rises and progression and the ones where they try to find ways to not make people redundant despite a reduction in real terms in GAG and the hugely increased costs of utilities tend to go on the longest).

In short (or in this case, NOT in shorts) - if he's going to go down the grievance route for receiving an email he both read and ignored or didn't read and chose to ignore until he was told 'everybody' also included him and then had to get his Mum wife to bring him some clothes like they were his Geography homework, he really needs to consider his audience - and whether it's really an effective use of everybody's time to deal with a middle manager complaining that he received an email so shockingly late that it was received at the sort of time that Governors are usually having meetings after a full day at work and then got told to put some clothes on because nobody wants to see his thighs or hairy shins.

The other teaching staff (except one) managed to read the email. The support staff managed to read the email. He managed to read the email - and ignored it.

Submitting this as a grievance is going to get one reaction from the Clerk as it's read - 'Oh, you're joking' - one from the Chair - 'Is he joking?' and one from anybody else who knows of the grievance - 'Is he having a laugh? He's submitted a grievance against the Head and unioned up for this?'