Teachers to get 1 day off per fortnight in a School in Solihull!

[dottydodah]

Not a Teacher but friends/family are.Just wondering whether this would make a difference to those who are thinking of leaving (many are!) YABU Wouldnt make a jot of difference to me .YANBU May help me to stay

I'm not a teacher so I can't vote, but if they are having issues attracting and retaining the right talent, I hope this helps them to resolve the issue.

That 1 day will be their entitlement to PPA which for a full time teacher is 1/2 a day a week. It’s so teachers can do all their planning, prep and assessment. It’s not a ‘day off’.

It’s an interesting idea. Absolute nightmare to timetable though and I don’t think it would work with part timers.

I want to see what the underpaid over worked support staff will be receiving.
As I'm assuming it will be the HLTAs doing more cover. Or in some cases an exploited TA.

I'm about to start my PGCE in Sep. After being support staff. And all the focus is on Teaching with a lot of ignorance over support staff.

Many schools, especially special schools could not open without them. They outnumber teachers 4 or 5 to 1.

If it works and does not end up being changed at short notice, then I think it is a good idea. Saving the time of travel and costs even one day a fortnight, or just not having to be up by a set time, may be valued and help teacher retention.

That's not what this article says. It's a 9 day fortnight. Not their PPA.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/crgr3rpd4p3o.amp

@Soontobe60 maybe you should have read the article before assuming you knew the answer.

What exactly is it though? A day out of the classroom to do all the planning etc? Or an actual day off to do whatever they want-and fits a full weeks planning in in 4 days as well as 4 days actual teaching?

What I read said that ppa, salary and length of day and pay were not affected so I'm hoping this means it's in addition to ppa and not 2 weeks ppa done in 1 day once a fortnight.

Teacher Retention and recruitment is in crisis, so it will be interesting to see if this helps! It’s certainly better than having no teachers.

I would definitely love a weekday off every fortnight, I get burnt out especially during longer terms and I neglect things like doctor and dentist etc appointments because they’re so hard to arrange when you never get a weekday off, we’re not allowed to use our phones on school premises so can’t even call on my lunch break/ after kids have gone. Having a regular weekday off would really help with my mental health, not sure it would work in the primary sector though as imagine it would be harder to cover than in secondary.

Haggisfish the HT has said that it wont be the same day every week .To ensure that timetables will continue to tun smoothly

Well said 👏

Ah, well the current government line seems to be that support staff are ‘superfluous’, so not worth thinking about!

https://www.tes.com/magazine/analysis/general/teaching-assistants-schools-kemi-badenoch

Several essential public sector professions are in a recruitment crisis, healthcare, social care, teaching etc, particularly in areas of the country with very high costs of living.
It’s sensible to look at how that can be addressed rather than ignoring it.

The government has left that to individual schools, councils, etc to sort for themselves because you know, it’s nothing to do with Rishi.

I thought it seemed a good idea ,however not the same day off every week! Also when so many other industries allow a 4 day week ,is it that great?

I think they mean that the teachers all get different days off not that your day off could change - so not everyone would have Friday off (which would mean no teachers in to teach the students)

I can’t wait to get out of education. One day a fortnight, changing constantly, and needing to set cover for it no doubt, wouldn’t be enough to make me stay.

I don't know. Tbh one day off per fortnight would certainly help me get through my work to-do list if I used it to catch up on work. I suspect that's what most teachers would use it for. Rather like teachers who go part time in order to make workload manageable and end up working as many hours as a full-timer ought to. So yes, it would be useful, but I doubt it would feel like a day off. If you had to set cover for it, that would reduce its usefulness too.

This isn't available to part time teachers and so wouldn't affect me. Would still mean setting work for the day you are off and as every teacher knows when they are ill it's often easier to just be in the classroom yourself. However I'm sure many teachers would love this idea. It's good to see schools trying to do something. Good luck to them!

As a timetabler I thought this would be a logistical nightmare but it seems from that point of view its just going be handled with a rota so wouldn't be an issue. Seems a good idea but surely creates a cover cost/implication though?

It’s a secondary. They have two options really. Overstaff each department so classes will not always have the same teacher in a subject. Up to the school how that is determined. Or a cover supervisor will take a class once a fortnight with work left. If the latter, the teacher will likely still need to plan (and mark) and work set. The lesson will largely be wasted and the teacher will need to cram the curriculum into the other lessons. The former would be better if there is good communication between the teachers sharing classes. There is a third option, I suppose. Perhaps no one has maths every second Wednesday and the maths department has that entire day off at the same time. Logistical nightmare all round, but I understand why it’s happening.

Other than special schools the TAs do not out number the teachers, I rarely saw a TA in my lesson due to the school struggling to employ any.

Presumably, they’re not getting paid on their day off? Personally, I couldn’t afford to lose the pay for a random, useless day off each fortnight. It’s only helpful to take a day off when it’s because you have a commitment/invite/plans.

From what I have read their pay will not be effected.
So they will be paid for it.