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??

Obviously none of us know the circumstances of this particular situation and I’m not making judgement- teachers taking time out to do personal things in school time doesn’t go down well generally
www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/former-county-durham-head-teacher-30803741

It’s amazing how quickly OP’s story keeps changing to suit the narrative of terrible HT. First she sees her in Sainsbury’s once - when she could’ve been on a late lunch- then suddenly it’s more than once, then suddenly HT spends all her time gossiping, is never in school etc. It’s suspiciously like that thread with the school mum who claimed her kids’ former teacher hit on her in a bar and she wanted to get them sacked.

Which is why they were probably taking their lunch pre 11/11:30 before chaos descended on the playground 😪

My sister in law completed an 87 hr week last week.. paid for 40… (that’s taking into account holidays) .. so anyone talking about teacher hours can fuck off.. when it’s worked out it’s below minimum wage .. for people who have degrees and put in the extra hours for OUR children and their education…

Oh my god! I remember that one! She tried to have him sacked and couldn't understand why people didn't agree!

A teacher at a primary school I was governor at used to do a huge amount of work at school after hours (think events after school, governor meetings, union meetings, clubs for the children) and the HT allowed them once a month to use their prep time to go home early. One parent spotted this teacher going for a run. Bunged it all over FB about them "skiving".

The teacher stopped doing the events and organising all the clubs - it was the children who missed out because no teacher was able or willing to take on all the work they did.

Well they should be!
In my experience, they never seem to know half of what goes on in their own school!!

Don't be ridiculous. You have no idea why she was in the shop.
Could be on her lunch break - which she can choose to have at any time.
Could be that she hasn't had a lunch break all week, and is using an hour to shop.
Could be that she will be at the school until 8pm tonight for the many various reasons they often are.
You say you work in a school, but clearly you have no idea what SLT do.

You're a governor and you don't think the head leave site? My school doesn't even have a full time head! But heads are allowed a lunch hour, even if that's at 2pm or whatever. A well run school should not need the head in the building at all times - they can be out for courses, meetings, on trips with a class, not to mention all the reasons people have already given for bumping into a head in a supermarket. I (not a head) used to do a massive supermarket shop for a residential in my own time with my toddler in tow until I realised I was being a mug; now someone has time during the school week to do it.

Why should someone not be allowed to leave the premises during an unpaid lunch break?

Early lunch hour as she has meetings all afternoon? On her way back from a meeting knowing she’ll be in school until 7pm? Nipped out because she knows she won’t get to have lunch break because she will be busy dealing with “high needs” pupils that we are now expected to accommodate in mainstream often at the expense of all other staff and learners?

Teacher exists and has a life outside school shocker

So should they not be allowed to attend meetings off-site then either?

I’m a head. I was ‘caught’ by a parent in a local coffee shop at 2:40pm who asked if I’d escaped. Told them I’d just left a four hour meeting in town and was grabbing coffee and cake before I went back to do parents evening.

Parent paid for my lunch. They didn’t slag me off on social media.

You mean Organise own time by shopping for groceries in work time?
Autonomy & Trust doesn’t usually extend to getting the grocery shop on work time

You're usually allowed to leave site in your lunch hour though.

Shock horror - they have lunch breaks! It's perfectly normal for slt to cover at lunch or be in meetings / on a course during school hours and so take their lunchtime at a different point in the day. I know slt often have to work late for say, a full governing body meeting that may run from 7pm to 10pm. God forbid she picks up some stuff for her kids lunches (or whatever) during the day.

I don't think heads have set working hours. If they're on a course or doing a twilight meeting which is very very common then absolutely fair enough to grab some bloody food.

Never heard of a teacher doing a shop during school hours. Don't think it's ok.
But you seem hell bent on making it a larger point so just crack on I guess.

You should change schools. I'm sure everyone would be much happier!

You've never heard of adults using their unpaid lunch breaks to go shopping?

The problem that no politician can articulate because of the pile on that would ensue is individual productivity. There's no point worrying about whether to fund the NHS better or schools or whatever if people are not being sufficiently productive and generating the wealth necessary to fund public services properly. The work ethic has deteriorated significantly in the UK, particularly since Covid, and not only due to working from home. So you are not wrong at all to question this, and people should not get defensive because they like teachers, or are a teacher, or want to defend own their habit of popping to the shops during work hours, etc.

Based on what?

Popping out for sandwich/lunch no issue
Someone was suggesting certain jobs one can organise work time to include own tasks eg the grocery shopping. I’m observing that’s not usually how autonomy and trust in work manifests itself

Is it okay for people in other professions to pop to the shop on their lunch break? Just teachers where it’s not ok?