One for teachers- release time and snow day.

[Catcatcatkitty]

I’m owed a day of PPA time from earlier this term. We had a snow day today and I was told that it would count as ‘paying back’ that day of missed released time.

But I left my planner and laptop at school yesterday so I couldn’t do any work today.

My colleagues who have children had no expectation of having to work today.

Should I tell my line manager that I need another day release?

Well if nothing else this tells you your ppa time is non-negotiable in future. Which it should have been already.

If the school closed unexpectedly we would be expected to use it as PPA too so I’d be surprised if they gave you another day. That said I don’t know how they can ask one person to work but not others.

Yes, I think it should be too. But the person doing the cover called in sick and getting a supply teacher on the day is like finding a hen’s tooth. It’s not that my normal release had to be cancelled, but that they want to call today’s snow day my PPA time.

Do you not take laptop home with you when there’s a weather warning? It’s not like the snow wasn’t forecast.

Sorry, OP, I’m with them.

1. You knew there’d be snow, you should’ve had your laptop on you.
2. You got paid, you should expect to work.
3. Teachers are absolutely expected to work because anything not completed in PPA is completed in your own time. So, whether it was official PPA or their own time, the same amount of work needed to be done.

Your complaint appears to be that you were expected to work your hours but colleagues weren’t because it was feasible for you to work your hours but not for your colleagues. For the colleagues who had PPA today if you had been in school, do you think the school will offer that to them another time? It’s no different from how some teachers who can’t get to school have a snow day when other teachers who live closer or less rurally have to go in and work.

I think they're being reasonable.
You're still being paid, the students aren't in, and you chose not to take your laptop home when there's been fairly consistent weather warnings.

The people who would have had PPA today will be expected to today and are highly unlikely to be given another half day somewhere else.

You absolutely should have taken your laptop home with you as the weather was predicted to be snowy today.

We had to take ours home every night in the run up to the first lockdown' just in case'. I remember because I thought the very idea that schools would close was absolutely preposterous.

It's a good idea to take your laptop home with you every night. I got into the habit of doing this during Covid, when I never knew if I would have to suddenly switch to online teaching or have to stay at home isolating.

My initial response to this is it's just too bad - you should have had your laptop with you. It's a bit precious to have a day off and then ask for another one because everyone else got to share your day off.

Take your laptop home.