To think my HOD is being a bit of a jobsworth?

[anniebolen]

Hello,
I'll start with some context, I am a teacher, currently I work 2.5 days a week through a job share, my co-teacher and I get on really well and have been working together for years. We both have 2 children each and our children are the same ages (both have 4 and 1/almost 1 year olds). This year we are both coming back from maternity leave. My co-teacher works Monday, Wednesday morning and Friday, I do Tuesday, Wednesday afternoon and Friday.
This year we both have children starting school, her DD will start on the same Monday as we go back to work and my DS will start the Tuesday. Now obviously this means that if we both work our normal days we will miss our children's first day of school. We decided to jointly ask our head of department if he would mind us swapping the first 2 lessons each day so we can go to our children's first day of school. We have seen our timetable, we don't have Y7 in either slot and as we teach all our classes together it won't make any real difference. The HOD started last year while we were both on maternity leave, however our previous HOD was happy for us to sort between ourselves any swaps, the only time we utilised this was when our children's respective nursery Christmas plays fell on the opposite days.
I have asked why he has said no and he made it clear he doesn't want to mess with the timetable while everyone is settling.
AIBU to think he is being a bit of a jobsworth? Should I challenge him again or accept that I'll miss DS's first day of school and that is part of the parcel of being a teacher?

I'm a secondary HOD and I'd allow this. It's a very workable solution and if I valued you and your colleague it would be an easy way of winning your loyalty.

Either he's very inexperienced or he doesn't value you IMO

As a HoD I really wouldn't see the issue with it, especially given that you share the classes anyway.

Why not go straight to the Head, surely the HT is the person who would need to approve time off anyway, not the HoD?

I agree with you, but I'm assuming that the OP is worried about the optics of going over her HoD's head.

Not a teacher, but sounds like a jobsworth to me!

He’s setting the standard now though isn’t he. Any flexibility you may have been willing to offer will be off the table.

Does he definitely understand what you’re proposing? From experience managers can be Hard of Reading so I would spell out exactly what it would mean for your students, ie. minimal disruption and with their other usual teacher.

Apply to the head for unpaid time off - both of you - and state that you had already submitted a suggested day swap with your job share counter part but this has been rejected.

Head may overrule HOD or may grant unpaid leave. Or may so no to both, in which case at least you know where you stand and that you tried.

Your HOD is being absolutely ridiculous. What a knobhead. This is a perfectly reasonable swap which won't make any difference to anyone.

That might work.

Go to HR or your head and ask them instead.

Well, when he wants a volunteer for something that would be manned by good will, you know to say no.

Yeah your Head is being twat but PLEASE it's not just bloody teachers who may have to miss their kid's first day at school.

It's all "part and parcel" of working!!

Can you just swap anyway ?

These are moments you won't get again, seeing your little ones to their first day at school. Ex Head of Faculty here - I'd have been v happy with your proposal, keen to support parents returning to work. Allowing the Kodak moments mean staff are likely to be happier and loyal. Hope you get it resolved.

This. God this is why so many teachers are leaving. Its a big day it only happens once. He is being soo unreasonable.

It might be, but if you can book the time off as annual leave, or use some flexible working hours to start late, or work a different shift that week you're much more likely to be able to arrange it that you can go.

Teachers literally have to be in front of their own class when their timetabled lesson is happening (which is why the OP's HOD'a refusal is so ludicrous in this situation, as it would be the kids' normal teacher for the same proportion of time!) It's not like a teacher can bring the kids in during the holiday or that evening to get the lesson done and then let them stay home Monday period 1, or Saturday's teachers might be willing to swap etc.

I’m wondering if they didn’t really understand your proposal? If they thought you were asking for external cover then I could see why they might object. Additionally, perhaps they asked the other teacher and they weren’t happy with the arrangement but found it difficult to explain that to you?

He is being v unreasonable. He has now caused unnecessary stress and resentment on day 1, literally. Very foolish IMO.

It used to be that the difference between "jobshare" and "part-time, happening to share the classes" was that jobshare partners were responsible for covering the job between them. I used to work with a jobshare pair. One was married to a farmer, which meant term-time worked better for holidays, and the other had a child in private school, which meant it was helpful to have time off when their term was shorter. They just sorted it between themselves.

I don't think it's essential to be there for your child's first day, but I do think your HoD is being a jobsworth in not allowing the swap.

Just thinking about this. The next time one of is off sick, and the first person the HOD would call is the other one as cover - that is dead in the water now. What an absolute bellend. Talk about cutting off his nose to spite his face.

I think he’s being a jobsworth. I used to have a job share (primary) and our head was happy for us to sort any swaps between us. At the time I didn’t have kids but my job share did and I was more than happy to swap days so she could see them in plays, sports day etc. it made no difference to the pupils. We appreciated the head letting us do this and so it was all in all a good working relationship.

He’s being unreasonable. I was an HOD and had two staff who job shared, I had no problem with then swapping days occasionally if they needed too. The alternative is that you put in a LOA request. See how he likes having no teacher when it’s approved. Honestly, I’d speak to his line manager, it doesn’t sound like he knows how to manage staff effectively.

I think I'd be tempted to put in a formal request for unpaid leave for that week and make reference in the application that you are requesting it, as per your right under the law, as your informal request was denied, despite a workable solution being put on the table. Think about how you word it.

It won't be approved but it will give HoD some paperwork to do and, woth any luck, when they have realise they have to put pen to paper and put their name by the decusion, where the acknowledgement of the first refusal will need to be justified in writing, you may find HoD changes their tune. If not, then you may be able to escalate the request to someone who will give HoD enough of a raised eyebrow that they backtrack.

He’s being a jobsworth. The stupid thing here is, this would be an easy win for him to give you something you’re asking for, that requires nothing from him and has no impact. Then he could be the good guy for free and say no to things he doesn’t want to give in the future. But instead, he’s flexing his muscles. At least you know where you stand and the kind of manager you work for.

Also bet if he’s got kids that his wife is the one doing the lion’s share of the childcare.

Yes he's being a knob your classes will be fine. It's just one swap. The amount of supply in secondary schools atm means having a different teacher is hardly an unusual event and they'll be seeing you again anyway.

My HOD and my 2 previous ones would absolutely accommodate this.

Personally I would check in with your SLT line manager and go above his head. It's difficult enough accommodating your kids needs as a teacher. This is such a simple solution which will not affect him in anyway.

For one of my kids first day I had cover because why would I miss that??

A colleague had a whole day off for her kids sports day on Friday.

Teachers are leaving the profession in higher numbers than ever. What's wrong with a bit of give and take?!

Yes he’s being a jobsworth. I would speak to HR. Our school would approve this, no problem… which is why it has loyal staff. It also means that when many people are asked to step in to cover other staff for illness / trips etc. (against union guidelines), people do just do it. It’s much better for the kids to have actual teachers covering their lessons as opposed to random agency staff. It works both ways.