To be a bit annoyed at Supply Teacher not having to do any planning?

[ioryou]

I am a Year 4 teacher in a 2 form entry primary school, my year group teacher left at Easter for a job in another school. Therefore, we have a long term supply in until the end of the school year and the school are advertising for a position with a September start. With my previous colleague we shared the planning between us, however I have been told by SLT that I will have to do all planning by myself as the supply only agreed to do the role if she was not required to do the planning. Supply also has been told she will not be subject to book scrutinies and will not need to attend staff meetings after school or INSET days.

AIBU to be a bit annoyed at having to all the planning now? I thought long term supply had the responsibility of planning?

As a point of interest, the average primary school has around 270 pupils so much closer to one form entry than two. Only an average though.

This would infuriate me. They’ve doubled your workload but not doubled your PPA. Yes, single-form entry schools mean that teachers plan everything but you didn’t apply to a single-form entry school. You work in a school where planning is always shared. It’s a huge workload increase. Definitely ask to discuss how you’re going to manage this - with a union rep if useful.

That will help the kids! You know, the ones they are there, being paid to teach.

You should have planning available from previous years that you can tweak, rather than starting from scratch.
Most foundation subjects seem to use Twinkl or similar one size fits all resources available generically online.
Most schools seem to be defining success by outcome, rather than planning to five levels of need and differentiating now. So planning is less complex.
It might not be what you expected, or would like, but supply is a different job with disadvantages as well as positives. The school are probably delighted they’ve found someone to cover and have accepted those conditions.

When I was a supply teacher I literally just turned up and was handed the days work photocopied I barely marked and I definitely did not plan and big fat no to meetings !

This is the point of supply swan in , swan out , remember she is not paid for holidays and it's not a great daily rate

My job was to keep things ticking over so parents and kids are happy
If I wanted a full time job with all the stress I'd get a full time job

You are really lucky to have a supply turn up at all these days and exceptionally lucky to have one willing to stay till end of term - so be nice to her !

Interesting that people think going off sick with stress is the preserve of those not in teaching. Says a lot about the inbuilt expectations placed upon teachers - keep going until you break, accept less than decent recompense, just do another after school club… But remember, it’s the children who’ll suffer if you don’t. So many women guilt tripped into exploitation and then castigated by their own if they take a stand.

In certain areas this is the norm, I accept that, but nationwide, are one form entry schools really the majority?

You are really lucky to have a supply turn up at all these days and exceptionally lucky to have one willing to stay till end of term - so be nice to her !

This is true at the moment. Increasingly I'm arriving at schools that have no teacher and where they are having a different supply teacher for a few days and then another one. Or where TAs are covering.

Most supply teachers are doing it because they want to, not because they can't get a job. They don't want a full time position.

I’m in the SE, so not remote in the slightest.
Two form entry in primary is normal in the towns and cities, some have three.
But there’s a huge number of villages that have one form entry schools, often split year groups. Half the primary schools in West Sussex have under 150 pupils.

Speaking as a supply teacher myself. This is one of the many perks of the job!

It's our market at the moment. I've never been busier, and there's not enough of us to fill the roles out there.
Supply teachers don't want the BS that comes with the rest of the job - that includes planning, marking, performance management etc. And if schools don't want/aren't able to give us the conditions we want, we shrug and go elsewhere. Supply teachers get to pick and chose the conditions they want to work for.
Why work harder for the same money?

Yes, it's a pain in the arse for you - but it's not the supply teachers issue. This is an SLT issue.

I agree, I do daily and short term supply because it doesn’t come with all the baggage. And I have my agency and schools constantly trying to get me to agree to more.
There are downsides to supply, but after decades of being a class teacher, I was startled to realise just how lovely it is to be wanted, appreciated and thanked for doing my job. Rarely happened before supply, but now people are delighted someone reasonably competent has shown up.
Even on a day’s supply, I light-mark work, do a break duty if I can and am positive about what I see in a school. I’m still out of the door by 4.30pm, and take nothing with me. It’s worth the pay cut for the flexibility and lack of stress.