Teacher lunch hour!

[everychildmatters]

First off, I am glad I left primary teaching last year after 20 years in; things are only getting worse. I feel for the colleagues I left behind.
It is now becoming a common expectation that, for many different reasons, teachers are now being expected to supervise children over the lunch hour.
I used to avoid this by taking the time to which I was entitled but in order to do this I had to physically leave the building - go for a walk etc. In reality of course this was only for about half an hour or so as I wanted to be back in time to prepare my afternoon lessons.
AIBU to think teachers should be entitled to a lunch break?!!

Meanwhile, back in the real world...

I work in a profession that’s no where near as intense as teaching but it’s completely expected to sign a waiver upon the start of every job to “opt out” of the working time directive. So the idea that a lunch hour is unpaid and therefore we get a full hours lunch break is irrelevant - as we can be expected to work unpaid overtime anyway at any time that our employer requires it.

ACAS can be helpful for understanding your rights, regardless of what your employer expects.

It's true, per month salary is very good. On paper. You also misunderstand why teachers complain about pay issues to begin with. Part of the complaint was that our pays were frozen for many years despite inflation and while technically we earn more than in the past, the value of the money does not take us as far. The other part of the issue is that pay rises are funded partially from school budgets, which means schools have less money and are already in the red. The pay rise should be fully funded, but it never quite is. It's also more when you count that teachers often work 60-70 hours per week, once you factor that in add the stress, it's not as appealing.
The biggest part of 'pay and conditions' dispute however are the conditions really. Toxic environment, workload, schools cutting services meaning we have even more work. And then someone telling me I shoul clean and make food for the students to save a headteacher some money.

At my school (secondary) lunch duties are optional and paid. Lunch is an hour and if you want to, you sign up for a paid half hour. You either get £10 per duty (although taxed) or you get free lunch from the canteen all week. It’s open to teachers and support staff and LOADS of people do it. It works because there is then a half hour to have your lunch. All our clubs are at lunchtime too, so lots of people do them instead of duty - or neither. Lots of people do several duties and it must be a really good way of adding a bit of extra money to the pay packet.

You’re not being unreasonable, it’s part of the reason I went on supply. Even if you’re not on duty you would have a lunchtime supervisor bringing or sending a child to you which you are then responsible for. Or SLT would ask if you’ve got 5 minutes to discuss something which then turned into half an hour or discussion. Teachers are treated disgustingly and if my children wanted to become a teacher I would tell them that they absolutely shouldn’t.

Also, 12% of people think a human being shouldn’t be entitled to a lunch break? This is very telling and makes it very clear why children have no respect for teachers. Shame on you if you think a human being shouldn’t be able to use the toilet or make a phone call in their legally required lunch break.

I don’t think anyone would argue that teachers shouldn’t be allowed to run to the toilet or have a quick bite.

However, the core school day is relatively short, so I do think it’s reasonable that teacher time should be fully focused on students during this time.

Easier said than done I promise. If you do say no to SLT you often become a target. You would think that it doesn’t matter as long as you’re doing your job right, right? Except in most jobs your targets are tangible, did you turn up for work on time, did you type documents quickly enough? (I can’t think of enough examples but hopefully you understand what I mean) In teaching SLT can observe a lesson and decide it was completely inadequate based on their own opinion! You could teach the exact same lesson elsewhere and be told you’re outstanding but if you’re a target they could say anything, ‘you didn’t push your higher children enough’ is a favourite they use so you end up given those children more and more work and of course this needs planning, printing, trimming and sticking in books even though you know they won’t get on to it in time because you know your children. Some HT’s do this so that they can put teachers who say ‘no’ on a support plan and eventually they have no choice but to leave because if it gets to the end of the plan without improvement (even if you have ‘improved’ but they are lying because they want rid because you’re awkward, stand up for yourself or too expensive) you won’t get another job with it on your record. This hasn’t happened to me but I’ve seen it happen to so many people. Likewise, if a lunchtime supervisor sends a child to you then you are now responsible for them, you can’t use your phone around them, you can’t leave them to change your tampon or have a wee etc. Teaching is almost impossible.

@BeachLife2
A head teacher is also a teacher. By your own admission he should be spending time with the children in the day rather than locked in an office. He can do strategic stuff after school core hours when the teachers at his school are planning, cleaning and chopping carrots.

It is awful and I am glad I am out of it. In one school I was at (not for long!) a colleague was not happy with the fact I dropped off my 4 yo child to my mum's before driving the half hour to school and felt I should be in earlier. I was always in by about 7.45 (very, very latest 8 am) but she deemed this as too late.
Now I EOTAS tutor I even have the luxury of taking my daughter to school myself - it is something I never once got to do as a teacher!

"They"

I'm lucky to be in a pretty humane school. Not many teachers are in before 8 and the car park is pretty much empty when I leave at 4:45. Presenteeism is actively discouraged, we are not supposed to email colleagues put of hours, nobody is actually made to do anything in lunch time, and we are allowed to go off site during lunch and also during PPA time as long as we check we aren't on cover and we let our HoD / line manager know. It's a shame that so many school leaders don't seem to understand how much they would benefit from the increased goodwill of their teaching staff if they actually treated them properly.

Rotas should be arranged to ensure children are supervised and staff get breaks. Teaching is mentally and physically demanding, I want my child taught by someone who is on the top of their game.

Due to chronic underfunding, there often isn't the slack in the rotas to enable staff to have a break, so staff have a stark choice - keep kids in at break time (less staff needed to supervise) and deal with the consequences of children who haven't had an opportunity to socialize, go to the toilet, run off some energy, OR give up their own break and power through the afternoon.

@Periperi2025 I assume her husband is a man? 😆

You're no educational expert.

This is great! But a school that I worked at actively shamed staff who left before 5pm, with the head commenting on the exodus of cars out of the car park within an hour of school finishing.

Now, in theory, he couldn't police it. But you better believe it was enforced through extra demands, duties and lack of promotion for those he observed leaving earlier than he deemed appropriate.

In my experience as a primary school supply teacher, in MANY different schools. I don't know of any where class teachers are expected to take a turn in supervising lunch hours, except in very unusual circumstances, like when OFSTED are visiting, so more people are in meetings, or on Christmas dinner day.
From what I've seen, about 50% of schools manage lunchtime exclusively with paid lunchtime staff. The other 50% with paid lunch staff, and various members of non-teaching SLT "supervising/patrolling".

In my 7 year supply career, I've only twice been asked to do a lunchtime duty while there as a class teacher. Both times in the same school. The first time, I begrudgingly did it. The second time I was annoyed, grew a spine and said, "I'm on my unpaid lunch break. As I'm not being paid for this hour, I'm afraid my contract won't cover me." I held my ground, the member of SLT huffed and puffed a bit, but walked off.

This cannot be a state school

Or promoted staff, such as DHTs.

It’s a school in the posters imagination as the things posted about don’t happen in the state schools in the uk - they would be blocked by governors (was school governor for 20 years across a number of schools) and teachers unions.

Teachers aren't insured to go into the kitchens and cook. This is BS.

Free schools have much more freedom to operate in creative and flexible ways that benefit students.

Union membership is also much lower at free schools.

Teachers aren’t ‘cooking’ at DH’s school. Catering provision is a heat-from-frozen offer with all meals coming in pre-prepared and simply heated up on site by teachers.

Ok I’ll bite. Where are the children when teachers are heating, serving and washing up?

As I said, not insured to be in the kitchen. Cooking or heating.

You're full of it.