Teacher colleague absent all the time

[laughingcowismine]

I'm getting to the end of my tether with my closest (professionally) colleague.

She has had 9 and a half days off work in the last 25 school days. Some of them are for her, some for her children. Every term so far this year, she has been off work for at least 5 days.

Getting cover teachers last minute seems to be impossible at the moment and I end up having to prepare, resource and organise everything that she's not doing, on top of my own class. We're both in Year 3 together, two different classes, so it's similar planning but each class needs different alterations.

I expect our SMT are on it with absence policies etc, but AIBU to be pissed off about it? I don't even know what, if anything, can be done about it.

n many private sector jobs you get nothing for the first 2 days then statutory sick pay, amazing people are sick less

do you have any links to credible research that shows less illness in the private sector when compared with education?

There is somewhere like this where I work (not teaching). So far beyond the absence policy but gets away with it because of personal friendships with senior managers, general laxity and the fact she is qualified to supervise in a speciality that the management want to say we have. It has caused complete chaos and loads of people refusing to do the specialist work because of the fact that they cant be confident she will be available when needed for advice. Senior team get tetchy when it is brought up, but has caused so many problems.

Are you my HOD?

You're doing a great job, btw!

@Photosymphysis not sure 😂I changed jobs in September so no longer at the same school although still a HoD.

It was hideous last year trying to manage so many absences all of the time.

Thankfully, things are better at my current school.

You're still doing a great job, I'm sure!

I imagine, like in any profession, there are some teachers that are great and some that take the P and expect everyone else to cover. Sadly, in teaching it appears it's difficult to sort out the underperforming ones. They seem to just stay there annoying everyone unless you have a good SLT who are on it, needs sorting for the good of the school.

"New figures released by the CIPD have revealed that workers in the public sector take more sick leave than private sector workers. There is a difference in the number of average sick days taken per year – 7.9 days in the public sector compared to 5.5 days in the private sector."

Written in an article https://www.uniqueiq.co.uk/public-sector-vs-private-sector-on-sick-leave/#:~:text=New%20figures%20released%20by%20the,days%20in%20the%20private%20sector. CIPD https://www.cipd.co.uk/knowledge/fundamentals/relations/absence/absence-management-surveys have a look at the data.

People really take the piss, I have had colleagues who I knew were faking and fully aware co-workers had to work late to cover the bare minimum but weren’t bothered in the slightest. However, I don’t think your SLT will do anything about it as if they had, she would have ether left or stopped taking so much time off.

Has it occurred to you that these minor ailments might be to cover for private issues? I had a colleague like this, she was having intensive and invasive fertility treatment. If the absence is difficult for you professionally then discuss with your boss but try to use empathy for your colleague as you never really know what anyone else is going through.

In the good old days, the headteacher would step up and take classes if there was no supply available. In the days before TAs, I mean.