to think if I give notice as a teaching assistant by 1st august I don’t have to return on 1st September?

[OverworkedANDunderpaid123]

Lots of mixed feedback looking online and I can’t find my contract!
I am sure as support staff I need to give a months notice which surely applies over the holidays but lots saying this is incorrect and I have to return to give a months notice whilst working in September?
I have been majorly stitched up by being sent to a year group I have absolutely no experience in at all and want out.
help!

Check what it says in your contract?

Sorry just read you can't find your contract! Can you ask HR for a copy?

You need to get hold of a copy of your contract or talk to whoever is responsible for HR at your school.

Presumably your contract does not specify a year group? Are you paid throughout the year?

My friend was in this situation and she couldn’t resign until the term started as she was contracted for 39 weeks of the year so the summer holidays weren’t included.

so if you’re on a 39 week contract then it’s likely you’ll have to wait unless your contract includes any kind of paid holiday over the summer.

Phone the HR Dept of your L.A. I think they are the only ones who know your contract and L.A procedure.
Not sure how system works in England but teachers and Learning Assistants (titles differ) are completely movable and while preference and skill set are taken into account your year/class is entirely at the discretion of the HT. No-one is entitled to any set position.
You seem very upset. Maybe take a wee day or two to see if you feel calmer about the move. It sounds like you think it has malicious intent. Is there conflict?

I doubt you would be able to give notice 1 August, to be honest. Who do you think is IN school at this point (assuming you are in England). Who will you be giving notice to? Your line manager? How do you think SLT will get an advert out, shortlist, interview and somebody in place for September?

People are on holiday for the summer. It would be utterly unreasonable to expect that you had actually given them a full month to replace you. As a PP said, I don't think the summer holidays count.

In most LA schools it is 1 month but you're going to have to find out from HR or call your head to ask.
It does seem like an over reaction to being 'stitched up' by being moved year groups. I'm assuming it's a big move like Rec to Y6. You admit to having no experience so why not give it a go? You may enjoy it!

Check your contract. I've left all three of my school support jobs wef 1/9, that means that you also get paid for August (you would anyway as your July pay would be increased as you've 'earned' the pay despite not working as your tto salary is split over 12 months. One month's notice is one month's notice.

We have had support staff hand notice during summer break and then not come back.
Quite annoying though because no replacement could be recruited.

I know support staff who have resigned giving one months notice at the end of July and not returned to their school in September.

So I think it won't hurt to email HR who work over summer to give notice and see what they say.

I think if it was me I’d want to give the new year group a go! Is it Rec you’ve been moved to? Having been with older children before? It must be daunting but it could work out brilliantly.

I don’t know the answer to your legal question I’m afraid but just thought it might be worth trying the new class.

At our school you would have to hand in your notice no later than the last day of the summer term.

The official answer is, you need to find your contract or talk to HR. but I don't think my contract says anything about holidays not counting.

Unofficially, I think it's technically OK. But your name will be mud. Would you want a reference?? Are you prepared to try the new year group while you look for a new job?

Could you not just discuss the issue with your employer rather than stropping off. Seems a bit childish. No one here can advise what your contract says either.

I guess you need to speak to HR to find out your contract details. You will need to get in touch with them anyway in order to hand in the notice. Will anyone be in the HR department over the Summer?

I think you would be better off waiting, handing in your notice in September and just managing for one month with the new YG. It's not a long time.

Why not do the first month so at least they will give you a good reference. They may give you a very bland one if you leave them in the lurch.

What would your plan be work wise? Presumably you’ll need a reference at some point in the future? If so, it might be better to work with the headteacher to find a solution? (Working until half term or Christmas? Training for the new year group? Etc)

You need to speak to HR or your business manager about what notice you need to give as they will be able to look at your contract. Usually its 4 weeks unless you're in a probationary period but whether it includes holidays or not will be down to the LA/MAT.

Re moving year groups - it's scary I get it. I'm moving from Y6 to Y3 which is nerve-wracking enough, if it was a bigger move I'm sure I'd be feeling the same way. Talk to your head teacher before you make any decisions though and try to think of some positives about such a move - new group of colleagues to get to know, new children to get to know and maybe move up with?

It’s fairly typical to move around year groups. Could you discuss your concerns with the head/that years teacher before going straight for quitting?

The school business manager, for a start. And the headteacher doesn't switch off their emails for 6 weeks either.

Im another that can’t help without knowing your contract, but I think some others are being a bit unfair here. In what other job that barely scrapes over minimum wage would people try and persuade you that you’re wrong to want to leave? Or to make out that you’d be doing something out of order by leaving during the summer as if it’s your problem that they might not be able to replace you immediately.

I’m a TA too, we had 2 TAs leave right at the end of the school year and predictably, there were a few complaints about it. But when the head doesn’t give TAs their allocation for the following year until the last week of term, what do they expect? Teachers are told early enough that they can give notice if they don’t like where they’ve been out for a reason. We are paid peanuts and can’t fairly be expected to have the same considerations as teachers when it comes to appropriate times of the year to hand in notice.

I gave notice in my role (cover supervisor) on 31st July and started at my new school at the beginning of September and am on term time only contract. Good luck 🤞🏻

It's happened in my school every year! There is nothing written into our contracts about giving notice during summer holidays.

School holidays mean closure for the children, as they've had their year's entitlement. The business manager will still work over 'the summer' even if they take some annual leave. If yours is a standard TA contract, with a 1 month notice period, you ought to be able to resign at any time. It's teaching staff who have set deadlines for recruitment purposes. With a 1 month period, it'd be almost as hard for Heads to recruit for someone to start straightaway at any time of year.