AIBU not to go to work during the holiday (teacher)?

[Namechange7000]

I'm a teacher in a village primary school in England but I'm not originally from the UK. Since arriving in England I've only worked as a teacher and I can't tell if my work's expectations are normal for here or not.

We have today and tomorrow as inset days and the children come back to school on Wednesday. Before the summer break the head teacher told us that we couldn’t afford cleaners over the break and that there wouldn't be much time for classroom setup on the inset days and hinted that we should come to work during the break to do it. But by the time the email was sent (end of June) I had already booked my flights to spend the entire break in Australia. My parents live in Sydney and we haven't seen them since before covid so I really wanted my dc to spend some time with them and obviously I wanted to see them too. We had a lovely break and got back to England on Friday so I'd have time to recover from jetlag and be ready to start work today. We got the inset schedule emailed to us on Sunday and there is literally no time scheduled for classroom set up and no planning time. We have back-to-back meetings from 8.30 - 17.00 with an hour for lunch both days but actually today's lunch break was only 40 minutes because the meeting ran late. I had to leave by 17.30 to collect my dc but even if I didn't, the school building is only open until 18.00.

At 17.00 this evening I was in my classroom frantically trying to sort things out. I've moved year groups so I had to move classrooms and there was a summer camp using my new classroom for a month. The previous teacher had to shove all of the teaching materials, toys etc into the cupboards before the break to prevent the summer camp from using them. My manager came into the room this evening and commented on how messy and not ready it is (the furniture is all over the room wherever the summer camp left it, no displays backing paper up, no interactive learning wall displays, no materials out, no book corner set up, no role play area set up, I haven't put the children's names on their pegs, trays, exercise books etc). I explained that I haven't had time to do it but that I'd stay as late as I could and do as much as possible before leaving. She reminded me that we were warned that there wouldn't be time to do it during inset. I explained that I had already booked our flights to Australia before that email was sent and that we couldn't reschedule them that late even if we wanted to. She then said that I should keep in mind that it was paid holiday time and that it is my responsibility to ensure that the classroom is ready before the children arrive on Wednesday. There is no way I can possibly get the classroom ready to the expected standard in time because the building is not open long enough. I will go in at 7.30 to do an hour before inset tomorrow and Wednesday and dh has managed to rearrange his work hours for tomorrow so I can stay until 18:00 and I'll work through my lunch break but that’s still only 4 hours and it’s much, much too much work to do in that time. For context, the example classroom we were all taken to look at as part of the training today took the teacher 6 full days to clean and set up during the break and that wasn't finished. We also only have 1 printer and 1 laminator in the school so there are long waits to get access to them.

I am so stressed and I feel like I’m already failing my class and my own dc. I’m already behind and overwhelmed even though it’s the first day of term. I had a panic attack this evening. I feel like this is my fault for not knowing that I was supposed to work for a week during the holiday but no one told me until it was way too late. Is it common practice here to work during your holiday if it is a paid holiday? I have a salary which is paid in equal instalments throughout the year so I was fully paid for August even though I didn’t work a single day. We have similar arrangements in Australia but my schools there always gave us time to do the admin and class setup before the children arrived (and didn’t have such specific requirements regarding classroom setup). WIBU to go on holiday and not go to work to clean and set up my classroom during the break?

@meala Yeah it's my first full year in a regular school. I started here in January. I taught in an SEN boarding school during covid but it was a very different arrangement.

@countdowntonap They only managed to hire the last class teacher in July so no one knew which class they would be teaching until then. I found out I was moving from KS2 to KS1 during the heatwave week. I was hoping to stay in the same year group I taught last year but that didn't work out. I did the long term plan for the year and the medium term plan for this half term before the summer break but even if I'd known I was supposed to make all of the displays and resources then, I wouldn't have had time. We didn't have PPA in the last week of term because "you don't need it" so I assumed (stupidly!) that that meant there would be PPA time during the inset days. The exercise books didn't even arrive in the building until August so we couldn't do them last term.

You aren’t paid for August as a teacher! It is just the weeks you do work divided into monthly payments.
One year, I left one teaching job where my contract ended on 31st August, my next one began on 1st September and that was an INSET day. It was presumed I should start preparing my new classroom unpaid and without even being employed there at the time! This happens in no other industry.
It doesn’t sound a huge deal to non teachers but when combined with every other bit of bullshit teachers put up with it can be the final straw.
Thank goodness ‘working walls’ are now in vogue - a bit of backing paper and border is all you need to get started! A wonderful TA to help if you are blessed too!

The OP was away visiting family on holiday which she is completely entitled to do. I’m sure the OP has worked many late nights during term time. She shouldn’t need to work any of her holidays (many schools expect this). Teaching isn’t a 9-5 job where you need to work overtime on the odd occasion. You clearly don’t work in education.

Really? I don't know a single teacher who doesn't go in during the holidays to set up. Maybe it's a primary / secondary thing.
Whether it's right or not is a different matter. But what I do know is that unless I spent two or three days in school setting up during the holidays, I'd not have a classroom fit to work in plus a couple of planning days.
If you knew you were moving year groups OP, even more reason to allow some setting up time during the holidays.

Reminded you it was paid holiday? Cheeky cow! Everyone's holiday is paid, and most jobs don't expect you to work through it, that's why it's classed as holiday and not a weeks "preparation inset" or whatever!

Honestly op I would not worry about it. Maybe have a think and see what things you can do at home (e.g. measure paper for backing in class then cut it out at home) and what you can delegate (make it a "first day back" activity for the kids to design their own coat/tray name labels (or if they're really young give it as "homework" their parents can help with).

But honestly the cheek of expecting you to work over your holidays....

In my school support staff are taken off timetable in the final week and do all walls, pegs, trays etc. Our HT takes the kids for a movie and we all have that time to move rooms. We create our walls with the kids- class charter, goals and other walls are working walls which are also child generated. Some people like to come in for a few days in the holidays and prettify their room but it isn't expected and often it's impossible due to maintenance works. We also usually get a large section of the INSET to ourselves for preparation. You need a new school

You can buy your own laminator and printed just like everyone else?

OP. I've worked in a toxic school environment. It sounds exactly like here you are now. You don't get paid for your holidays, that is gaslighting. Look for somewhere you are valued. I did and it has changed mine and my family's lives.

You are definitely not being unreasonable! I'm a teacher and haven't gone into school during the summer holidays in years. Does your school have a union rep? Know that the rep in my school would tear a new arsehole to any manager who spoke to staff like that.

The SMT expecting immaculate classrooms with pre-made displays and evererything visually perfect are part of the problem. How ridiculous.
As a parent what I want is someone who can effectively make kids feel at home and support their learning.

I think pegs with names on etc, and basic classroom organisation are needed, but if the management haven't managed the space effectively during and after use by the holiday club that is on them. Wave and smile.

Teachers work really long hours in term time and there are so many pointless tasks and meetings they are expected to attend to.

Wave and smile op.

At our school the teachers are in several days before official opening. Plus Y 7s and other new students come in the day before the rest of the kids. I expect the teachers all started back last week.
It should be explicit in your contract I would have thought.

"You can buy your own laminator and printed just like everyone else?"

Sod that.

I'm a teacher, I did one 4 hour stint over the whole of the summer break, my classroom looks fine and the head has commented on how my displays really brighten the room. I have my own DC to worry about in the holidays, I don't want to be spending all day at work!

@IamMummyhearmeROAR see, your school is one I would want to send my kids to. Kudos to you, your colleagues, and the head.

YANBU but surely you read all the threads on here where teachers are always commenting on what they have to do in the hols?!

Don't stress - just stay a bit later each day & within a couple of weeks you will be fine.

I don't think it is just teaching tbh - I think in the UK there is a general culture of people being expected to go above & beyond for no extra pay. This could change with the current climate where people are generally dissatisfied.

I hope you had an absolutely lovely holiday. I'm sure you will welcome your pupils back with enthusiasm and they won't notice if you've anything on the walls or not. When you do get 5 minutes free I suggest looking for a new job in a different school. Oh, and book your next holiday 😁

Yes, pretty much every time. I'm in a professional file and there's an expectation that I deliver to professional standards. If I can't do that in the time I'm at work, I put in the extra effort, whether out of hours or during the time I'm meant to be in holiday.

I get teachers work long hours, I really do. But so do many professions, and it's not acceptable to leave work undone.

This is going a lot faster than I expected.

@mondaytosunday My contact does specify "directed time" which I think is what you mean. It quite clearly says that my directed time is the days the children attend school and the 5 days of inset. The rest of the school holidays (i.e. the non-inset days) are my holiday time. Today I discovered that it is normal to work during the holiday as (somewhat) voluntary unpaid overtime but I could not possibly have figured that out from the contract because it says the exact opposite! It wasn't even made very clear verbally, they just implied it and that wasn't until months after I'd booked my flights.

When I was a class teacher in primary I used to go in for 1 to 2 days towards the end of the summer to get my classroom straight. 6 days is ridiculous! It doesn't have to be finished and perfect, you're going to create displays with your class too.

It's hopeless queuing for printers on the first few days back so I did print a lot of stuff at home. It also helps to have your own small laminator too.

Your HT doesn't sound great to be honest. I've worked for super-unreasonable heads. In the long term you might want to look for somewhere with a nicer SLT. Where I work now ours are lovely.

Are there any TAs you could ask to come and give you a hand? In most schools where the staff are decent, if it gets to the final hours before kids arrive and one or two classrooms are still in chaos, in my experience those of us whose rooms are mostly sorted will pitch in to help with what urgently needs doing. Do you have any colleagues with 15 mins to spare who could come and stick up some backing paper or label pegs or books?

Good luck OP. Hope you manage to sort out the worst of it - the rest can be done gradually.

(Confession: I used to choose my desired backing paper and border colours in July and then hide them in my classroom over the holidays to avoid the mad scramble later on and the danger of being left with the colours no one wanted - always the orange, purple and black left till last!)

It seems a pretty normal expectation to me that you'd need to get the room ready for the start of the year.

I do a job which is a 'performance/front facing' role, and in order to make sure that I'm ready to start, I always make sure I'm available a few days before.

And yes, I've done some work during a lot of my holidays (usually unpaid) as well, including my honeymoon!

As a teacher you aren't paid for set hours, and so above and beyond classroom hours/meetings etc, how you arrange your workload is your own responsibility surely.

The alternative I guess is that the holidays formally end a week earlier for teachers and it's mandated that they cover in and do prep, which seems unnecessary and counterproductive considering most teachers that I know would prefer to organise their own workload in terms of preparing for the school year.

However, just do your best with the time you have. The important thing is the teaching your do, rather than making pretty displays.

ex SLT here. We did always give time at the start of term but it’s also normal in UK to come in at some point to get ready. I think your boss is being unreasonable but personally I wouldn’t have booked to go away for the full summer. You are entitled to though, which is why your boss is being unfair.

Is it your first full year in UK? Can you have a heart to heart with HT and ask if you can be released a bit early from the inset? I would have let you in the circumstances.

Honestly I would be quite cross if none of my DC teachers made an effort to show up on GCSE results day.

I think like nursing , teaching is a vocation.

Iv massively appreciated the teachers who went in over holidays to prepare for the children- we have always voiced our appreciation.

I would be less confident about a teacher if I thought that the classroom was dull and disorganised at the start of term.

With these types of jobs it is very much swings and roundabouts - whilst office jobs can be very routinized , nursing and teaching just aren't.
There needs to be radical acceptance of that or a complete change of job .

@Namechange7000

This sounds awful but not unheard of

I can beat this
(I'm a parent not a tea her btw!)

Our school sent emails to all the parents before the end of term explaining that owing to the latest budget cuts etc etc they were unable to afford to pay for a deep clean and some decorating over the summer and please could they have some volunteers to do this!!!

They also sent a begging email with a link to an Amazon gift list

Your not being unreasonable - your a teacher contracted to be in school for 39 weeks of the year and the holidays are just that foe you to do as you wish - I'd be contacting my union if I was a teacher

I think importantly don't panic. Make a plan of important tasks. Dont do any displays just stick up backing paper with title saying what you are going to put there. Pre prep stuff at home like name tags etc.

Essentially a lot of us who care about the people we look after / teach / nurse etc will be filling in gaps we shouldn't be filling simply because we care about the people / children.