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??

Key word in your example is pop to the shop on their lunch break that defines the parameters

I was a teacher for 15 years. I often popped to get lunch.
I don't think a whole weekly shop would be reasonable as outlined in the utterly goady OP, but then if I say what I think about this whole thread I'll be deleted for troll hunting.

I did it for 44 years as a primary school teacher and on the whole I loved it......when it was good it was really good, when it was bad it was awful.
I have to say, the awful times were predominantly down to parents.
I once got slated by a mother who said I'd worn her son out in a pe lesson, the lesson was 40 mins long, couldn't think of what I'd done wrong.
The son came along and said " you made us run round the field twice"
To which I replied, "I led the class round the field, didn't I ? "
Mother soon changed her tune.

Let’s face it, certain staff if the public see them out buying lunch or snacks they get a hard time
Police - time to be in Greggs, but no time to catch crims
paramedics - quiet day in the truck?
hospital staff - dint you have patients to see
and teachers it seems too

I don’t know though, if i’m not with my child, I can v quickly whizz round and do the weekly shop quickly

If they are on their unpaid lunch break it's irrelevant and also nobody's business what they bought, wether it be a sandwich for lunch or a food shop. It's their own time to do as they please.

Maybe she's listed your son as high needs because he has a parent who is…

Not sure what your problem is. Just because she did this during the school day doesn't mean she is not working the hours she is paid to work (and probably a lot more).

She is managing her own time and just because it's not necessarily 9-5 in school 100% of the time, that doesn't mean anything. She could be working again at 9pm (and probably is).

You are jumping to ridiculous conclusions based on no facts.

Dsl can't be off site without clearing it with the deputy dsl. Both could do what they want at lunch but they have to have one on site even if they are doing a 20 hour shift. What's point of having governors if I saw the dsl off site while the kids are on site and i said nothing?

I know the smt leave the site. I hired the HT. Occasionally most of the smt are off site during the day at planning days. I'm with them.

When you saw her private contract did it state what her hours of work are?

There are several reasons she might have been in that shop at that time and it is none of your business.

I genuinely don't ubderstand what you are trying to say here. It is unlikely the head was away from school for even a whole hour. If that is how they choose to spe d their lunchbreak, that's their business. Its perfectly possible their lunchbreak was at 11 or 2.

Perhaps it's her lunch hour. When I worked in a school in London I used to go out during a free period occasionally, there was a market two minutes from the gate. Why not move your son, you obviously don't like the school.

You seem to have two issues - one with support for your child, and one with the head, which may be a result from frustration with the first issue .
It’s not long since I was spotted in a supermarket shopping during school hours. It probably would have looked like my own shopping to any onlooker - I was actually buying something to feed 5 siblings whose mother hadn’t sent in their lunch boxes or let us know in time to order them school meals. (I was Senco so didn’t have a class - but also SLT and as such managed the school when the head and Deputy were both absent).
Needless to say I paid for the food myself - as indeed for the weekly food when we set up our first breakfast club (and the toaster, and the kettle) just as one of my colleagues took a child shopping - and paid for it herself - in school hours to buy him a warm coat because his mother was ill and couldn’t (she was very grateful). We’ve done lots of little shopping trips for the welfare of various children over the years because the children come first. It’s part of what we do to support the children - no reward or praise expected.
At the same time the staff car park is full from 8am (if not earlier) every day, we rarely leave until 6pm if then; we have a meeting after school every night bar Friday; plus parents evenings (2 per term), fundraising events like the school fete, (on a Saturday), Christmas Fairs etc - oh and the 5 days residential each summer where we are never off duty - it’s a full 24 /7 (and the last one with very little sleep as we had a d+v bug going round and as soon as we drove one back home, it hit another - we spent the nights changing bedding, swilling sheets etc out , and washing them.) Then of course there is planning, assessment, etc etc.

The responsibility of the head is even more onerous. There was a day our head was close to collapse on hearing they were now responsible for checking the hot water in each tap - daily - to ensure it was free of Legionnaires disease. Who’d want to be a head with responsibilities like that?

Let’s not also forget the emails from parents (even at 2am) and the calls to your mobile. It’s full on (and I was previously a senior manager in the NHS on a nursing grade - that was far far more relaxed!).

The most important question therefore is was the school covered? Was there a responsible staff member left ‘in charge’? Was it clear that that person was in charge? If so, then what is the problem?

Your issue with your child is different. Have you tried contacting your local authority SEN advisory team - most are still in place if only just - and asking for their advice on the best way forward?

Mumsnet get worse as the days go by. So teachers are not even allowed a break now or to go into a shop without being judged by parents.

Wow! What a generalisation. I find that really offensive. I’m SLT, definitely not a bully and am with the children as I have a class.

Firstly, I’m directly addressing the pop to the shop on their lunch break? Frankly do what you want in your designated break, inc go to the shop. So on that I agree with you
Secondly, what don’t you understand?

Actually, legislation has changed and a DSL or DDSL has to be reachable at all times but it may not be possible for one to be on site, sometimes.

In fairness teachers are observed, judged by parents, it’s a role that is subject to harsh comments and unrealistic expectations

Your thread title says teachers but your post says HT and non-teaching SENCO? A teacher can't just leave a class and nip off to the shops. If it's their PPA time fair enough, ours have been known to go out during PPA but make it up in their own time.

Please don’t judge teachers for having time out in the day. I use my ppa time to do errands or clean. It helps me stay sane. Parents might see me do that but they don’t see the hours I work at home.

well to me rightly or wrongly that is the point of the head to guide things etc

There isn't necessarily set "work time". That's the point. The OP is assuming that the HT work hours are automatically the same as the school opening hours and her lunch hour (during which apparently she mustn't actually have a break) is precisely when she thinks it should be. I teach. If I have a free or a lunch break when I'm not running a club, a revision session or a duty I might go into town, meet my dp for a coffee even. Then when the kids have gone home I'll be there for another couple of hours. The work gets done. I am fortunate to have worked in schools where the management trust their adult professional teachers to work out when and how they manage everything.

DH is a teacher and yes plenty of people get away with a lot in schools. I’m shocked at times with how it appears almost impossible to sack a teacher. That said you could say the same in any job that there’s people getting away with a lot.

It is hard to dismiss a teacher but it’s very easy (frighteningly so) to get rid of a teacher.

but heaven forbid you judge parents etc