To think some teachers are getting away with all sorts with no way of challenging them??

[RedEyePen]

Mainly SLT! So today my ‘high needs’ son who the school tried to off roll had a head bump. On the way back from A and E I bumped into the Head getting her weekly shop in the supermarket. During school time. She didn’t seem stressed at all! Just getting her shopping in. V happy to interrogate my son as to why he wasn’t in school. Head and non teaching SENCO are always in the playground chatting every morning, yet can’t do any of my son’s paperwork without - at worst - an 8 months delay because they are ‘snowed under’.
I also work in a school where planning meetings, courses, computer based admin trumps : actually attending to the children’s needs.
AIBU??

And at ops school the staff can obviously go shopping during the day! As op has been doing the multiple times she's seen the teacher!!

I’m a teacher and it would be unheard of fjr anyone to do their food shop in school time. If they get an hours lunch I guess they could do it then (as it’s their time) but then what do you do with it. The only reasonable thing I can think is if she was getting stuff fjr the school. Teachers at the three schools I worked could no way do this

There is a formal way to challenge them. Put in a formal complaint to the trustees ( MAT) or governors (maintained school).

Provide your evidence.
Moaning on here isn't going to solve this for you.

School complaints procedure is on all school websites. Available publically. Follow all stages so that there is an objective investigation.

You've never left work during your lunch hour? Why?

Why not? You could have quite easily asked her why she wasn’t in school either?? She didn’t have to answer you.

Exactly! If I went up to my boss and said - I’m just off to the shops for a bit, I’d be slaughtered!

Yet I’m paid about a twentieth of what she gets paid!

I came to say this. Parents once spotted me at the shop in the morning when I should’ve been teaching. The food tech ingredients had all gone mouldy and the children would’ve been gutted to miss out. I drive, TA didn’t, so she took the class for the 15 mins it took me to drive round the corner and buy the stuff. The parents made a joke about me being out buying my shopping. Yes - for your children’s lesson and with my own money!
Try not to make assumptions OP. I agree it sounds like you’re not happy with the school so you should do what is best for you and your child and move elsewhere rather than making allegations about someone’s professionalism.

So are you going to challenge the school?

Have you downloaded the school complaints procedure.

That is what you asked.

My toddler used to think that his nursery teachers lived at school and never left the building. Quite a common belief in pre- schoolers. Though most people grow out of it by adulthood, perhaps the OP didn't realise that teachers are actual people with lives and responsibilities outside of school.

All true. Our TAs are fabulous, and not paid enough, but they all start at 8.45 (As a class teacher, I’m in school by 7am) and they finish at either 12:30 or 2:30 depending on which Key Stage they work in. (I’m still in school at 6pm and am kicked out by the caretaker…so continue to work at home!) They have no responsibilities outside their contracted hours whatsoever.

They are, of course, worth their weight in gold, but even stretching the truth, do not carry ‘the brunt’ of the workload! That’s such a hyperbolic statement 🤦‍♀️

We use supermarkets in our school for wrap around food, staff room consumables, cooking….all sorts.

Zero evidence the head was shopping for herself.

If only teaching were a 9 to 5 job with an hour for lunch...

In my engineering job then no i couldn't go to the supermarket In the middle of the day. But nor would I have a meeting or event til 8.30pm, or be in charge of kids for 5 solid days on a trip from 7am until 11pm for no extra pay.

Another know it all about teachers who has no doubt never worked in a school.

You’d be slaughtered?? Even on a lunch break?! EVery job I’ve ever worked in, teaching or non-teaching, has allowed people to nip out in their lunch hour. Because, y’know, they’re adults.

I had to nip out to the local high street today to get some bits & pieces for the Y6 leavers production. I was on my PPA so wasn’t skiving. Is that ok with you? Or should I have done that after the hours of 3:30pm when you think teaching is all done & dusted? 🙄

You’ll get no sympathy I’m afraid OP. Weirdly Mumsnet is either full of teachers or some kinda teacher bootlicker gathering place. Anyway. I hope your son is ok !

I would also add that our head was responsible for buying our staff room bits (tea, milk, coffee), food for breakfast club (cereal, bread, jam) etc. It is perfectly reasonable for her to do this during working hours. So what may seem like a ‘weekly shop’ is very possibly just normal school things. Yes, maybe it isn’t and she has just pissed off for half an hour when she shouldn’t have. Yes, this would be wrong. But ultimately the odds are stacked against that being the case and you’ll never know anyway. I find it nicer to trust that people are doing their best unless they give you a reason not to.

So that £250 per week = standing in the playground (very occasional chat to parents, children don’t approach her at all and she rarely speaks to them, 95% of chat to other dubious member of non teaching SLT) - and on a jaunt to the local Sainsbury’s. How much is that per year?

It was about 11am, so not really lunch break hours.

If I did that, I’d be trusted that I was working hard enough to justify popping to the supermarket. You likely have no idea how many hours beyond her contracted time she does.

Address the actual issues regarding your child and stop attacking school staff.

Sorry I just can’t see a HT doing a weekly shop in school time. A HT was sacked recently for swimming in school time. It’s highly unusual and sackable… so if it’s genuine, report her!

picking up a few bits for tea/ lunch on her lunch break, maybe. Picking up stuff for breakfast club/ a class party/ a teacher staff room spread… maybe.

and yes. They are SNOWED under. Not a chance they aren’t.

So 8.30 til 9.15 = chatting to SLT chum in playground plus locking up and making the odd sarcastic comment to a late parent. Then 9.30 til 10.30, bit of office ‘stuff’, 10.30 til 11.30 - browse round Sainsbury’s….

So why exactly was your son not in school? Surely after his A+E visit he should have either been back in school or at home, not mooching around the supermarket.

I'm a full time teacher. We are not paid for our lunch hour, so why on earth shouldn't we pop to the shop? Quite a few teachers at my school pop out to pick up some lunch. I very rarely do it, but there is no reason I shouldn't. What's it got to do with Ofsted?

It’s the second time I’ve seen her in there…during school time! Not looking particularly ‘snowed under’…

So she likely worked through her dinner hour and was taking her break later than anticipated and you are pissed she took a break and dared leave the site and use it to do some shopping.

Teachers are a) legally allowed breaks and b) do not have to stay on site at all times.