Teachers given lie-ins and extra days off

[LaughingPig]

The Guardian is reporting today that state schools are offering perks in an attempt to attract and retain teachers. These include lie-ins, whereby teachers will start later one day a week, a day off each fortnight and even the chance to work from home.

Clearly there is an issue with getting enough high-quality teachers into the profession and keeping them there. However, I’m not sure how these initiatives will go down with taxpayers on the back of successive teachers’ strikes, schools closing for months during lockdown and now inflation-busting pay rises.

Would you be happy with your DC’s teacher arriving to school late after a relaxing lie-in or logging on from home?

YABU- teachers deserve lie-ins
YANBU- teachers should be in class teaching DC

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If the school can’t pay them enough then they have to attract/ retain them somehow.

Couldn’t say I’d mind personally.

Some of the things that would keep teachers in the profession cannot be changed, such as entitled parents, those who refuse to accept child's misbehaviour, for example.

If work can be done from home such as lesson preparation, then seems Ok to me.

Sounds like a good idea.
Teacher need a pay rise, they are underpaid.

I think if they can offer flexibility then they should. Both my nieces school and my sister in laws offer an extra day off per term for each teacher as a wellbeing thing. Of course you have to schedule it in but it seems to work as both schools have low turnover of staff (both state schools - one primary and one secondary).

YABU as we need to resolve the recruitment and retention crisis.

it will be factored into timetable planning - easy to do.

I think these incentives are a great idea - and could help reduce rates of PTSD amongst teachers while improving the quality of education!

I'd rather that my child has a teacher most of the time rather than none at all which is increasingly the case in secondary schools.

Since most teachers work well into the evening and weekends for free, I think it goes some way to recompense them.

One point I do think needs to be considered is that parents and taxpayers want to see teachers ‘working for their wage’ so to speak, given these are funded through taxation.

It’s not really a great look for hardworking parents to see class teachers heading off home during the school day or walking past a teacher’s home to see the bedroom curtains closed on a weekday morning.

Seems reasonable to me - this is what market forces means: if you can't offer an attractive enough job to people who are qualified to go and do other stuff then they'll leave and you either have to have worse people or make the job more attractive or stop the job existing. Given the latter isn't an option and the middle option sounds dreadful, the only remaining option is option one.

People tend to love market forces/capitalism when it doesn't involve people in the public sector using their freedom to make choices that negatively impact them instead of sucking up the negative impacts themselves.

Lie in makes it sound decadent. For many it'll probably be taking their dc to breakfast club later or catching up on a bit of sleep after running round like a headless chicken the rest of the week.

I think it’s fine as long as schools are making provision for learning during that time.

Lets face it - all workplaces are going to have to become more flexible and well-being conscious.

Teachers work really really hard. Why would I care if I see them heading off home during the school day as long as my child's education is being adequately catered for presumably by other teachers. And as for checking their bedroom curtains in the morning wtf.

Yes! And also what will it be? Arriving at school at 8.30 rather than 7.30? Hardly a lie in!

For Goodness sake. You might be nosey enough to be taking note of teachers' curtains and getting riled up about it, but most people aren't that sad.

@LaughingPig think you are worrying over nothing.

Most schools have a system where we can’t be put on cover for two periods - protected time.

I can assure you that practically every teacher works way over their contracted hours. Please don’t worry about the cost to the tax payer.

Your focus needs to be on recruitment and retention

I'm presuming this is actually their PPA i.e. their planned off timetable time for lesson planning etc?

Not abandoning the 4yos on the playground until 10am....

Many secondary school run a two week timetable, thus giving a teacher a 9 day in school fortnight should be possible, though one more thing for the timetabler to work around. Similarly a later start.

Why on earth would a hard working parent spend their time watching what a teacher does?

This sounds like a good idea to me.

Great idea. Hopefully it will help attract & retain teachers. Of course you will always get the teacher bashers no matter what…

If it helps them recruit and retain good teachers then it's a good idea.

I can’t see any problem with it as long as education standards aren’t affected. Presenteeism rarely improves productivity.

OP, my school offers what the media are calling a "lie in". What that actually means is that I can take one part of my preparation time at home. I still have to do the prep. Don't get me wrong, I really appreciate the gesture from them, but it's really not costing anyone anything extra.

The reason for stuff like that is that increasingly other jobs are somewhat flexible, so teaching seems like more of a bad option in comparison. DP, for example, could do that basically any day because he can start his hours earlier or later to suit himself and he can work from home.