I blocked my Headteacher on WhatsApp this week

[jsty]

To make this post as short as it needs to be.

I am an ECT who decided not to renew my fixed term contract at the school I have been working at this year, my contract ends on the 31st August. On the last day of work I handed in my work laptop and lanyard/fob before I left the building. Fast forward to now, I received a text message from my headteacher this week. Basically I have not completed some SEND paperwork, that was due before the end of the term. The headteacher was claiming it was essential to be completed. The message was worded very politely and wished me the best of luck for the future but they basically asked me to come into work, collect my work laptop and complete it before the end of the summer holidays, preferably as soon as possible.

I do not recall being told that this needed to be completed. The last half term I found so overwhelming and felt all I was doing was working for most hours in the day.

I responded by not replying to the message and blocking the headteacher. I have felt unsupported during my time working there from SLT. I have gone 3 months working there without a single meeting/observation from my mentor.

I probably have responded in the wrong way and dread what my reference from this school could be now but I just want to enjoy my summer holidays in peace and relax.

I am going back on supply in September to decide whether I want to stay in the profession or not.

In what way?

Ignore all the other replies. They either don't understand teacher contracts or didn't read your post properly.

1. You have learned your lesson about providing employers access to your social media (that includes Whatsapp because it isn't just a text message app) - get yourself a basic, non-smartphone and only ever give that number out, asking for it to only be used throughout recruitment and then emergencies. Or use dual sim cards and/or don't add employers to your contacts.
2. You said you weren't told about the paperwork. You're not required to work during your holidays and especially not on work not previously communicated to you. Teachers only need to do 'basic / expected prep' during holidays to be ready for day 1 of next term, not be given instructions from their employer during 'non-directed time'.

You need to send an email to your former employer, explaining that you weren't told about the paperwork and that this will need to be dealt with by a more experienced and/or senior member of staff who can be directed during their holidays. Thank them for the opportunity to have worked at their school. Give some brief information about your experience of working for the school, as you described in your post, and explain that you now need to rest and recharge, and won't be logging in to your email account for the rest of the holiday. Explain your mobile number is for recruitment and emergencies only, e.g. if you are injured at work.

It's good you're doing supply, maybe if it were required after training, more teachers would find the right fit school and stay in the industry.

I’m a primary SENCO….i have just sent a v apologetic WhatsApp to a teacher asking if they wouldn’t mind completing a questionnaire to support an external SEN assessment. I opened the questionnaire myself to see if I could complete it but all the questions were about this child’s usual presentation in the classroom so really it would be more meaningful if the teacher completed it (I have added sentences to say that the teacher really doesn’t have to, if they are, on a beach or whatever- just to let me know). But this is an example.

If the right systems were in place they wouldn’t have to ask. Mentors know these tasks need to be completed and should be building time into their support time, SENCOs know and in schools I have worked in plans have been written either in a meeting with the senco or in a staff meeting where the senco is present for support. In a school with proper systems and schedule this would not be allowed to happen.

This thread pretty much sums up teaching.
Parents: teaching is like this
Teachers: actually no it’s not and this information can be very easily verified with a quick google
Parents: yes it is. I demand teachers behave in this way
Teachers: there’s actually very good evidence for why that isn’t the best course of action
Parent: NO, YOU ARE WRONG AND AS AN EDUCATION PROFESSIONAL YOU DO NOT KNOW ABOUT THE EDUCATION SYSTEM. Also you spelt something wrong on that homework sheet, why do you hate children?!!

The OPs last working day was the last day of term. On that date she should have returned all school property (lanyard, laptop, keys etc) and made sure she had all of her personal property. Occasionally a teacher who is leaving will arrange to do that the week after term ends, but there is no requirement to do so as only SLT are contracted to work out of term time.

After that time her access to the school should have been cut off. Any digital access should have been revoked. There should be no way for her to get onto the school property, without being signed in as a visitor by senior staff, and even if she re-collected her laptop, she shouldn't be able to sign in to complete the work. Often schools do this relatively quickly as they use external IT staff that don't work normal term time hours. If she can't sign-in to complete the work, she can't just do it on any machine. Also, I assume the school's normal communication route is via email, which she should no longer have access to. The head would no longer be able to message her officially, so is have to resort to an unofficial message route as SLT have dropped the ball on ensuring the OP knew which paperwork needed to be completed and had the support and time to finish it before her time at the school ended.

Any work the OP does during the summer holidays would be for a new school, not her previous school. There are set days in teaching when contracts end, they don't tie up with school terms, but rely on everyone knowing that once term ends you will be working for the new school, not the old one. Again, they can't force you to come in until term starts, and it is irrelevant in this case at the OP is going on supply. If OP was moving to a new school presumably she would arrange visitor access to set up her classroom and start the planning for at least the first week of term, not because she is required to, but as everyone has said teachers often to choose to work on some of their non directed tasks during the holidays to get ahead of the game.

OP you will have no issue getting supply work regardless of anything the head might say, and she'd be silly to try since she's the one who dropped the ball in not ensuring you knew what paperwork needed doing and had time and support to complete it before term ended. September and early October are normally quiet, but after that they are desperate in most areas for any warm body that is even vaguely qualified. I quite often go into a school as a primary supply teacher to find that the person the agency has sent before me wasn't even qualified, sometimes had never set foot in a primary classroom as a teacher before and had been as useful as a chocolate teapot all day. The expectations are ridiculously low, they dropped through the floor during Covid, and if you are qualified, eager and useful the school will be snapping the agencies' hands off to have you back time and time again. It's a different type of teaching, a lot of teachers don't like it - or the conditions, but if you gel with it, then it's actually a brilliant job (pay aside!)

There are plenty of people commenting here that do not understand teachers contracts and are commenting as if the OP is a fully qualified teacher, which is not the case.

As an ECT 1 the OP is not a qualified teacher but a student learning on the job. An ECT 1 would not be expected to know all policies and procedures this would all be part of the training provided by the school mentor as part of this 2 year course. The OP is at the begining of this training with another year to complete as an ECT 2 student teacher.

If you didn't have any mentoring in the last 3 months this is very remiss on the part of the school. Teachers can only be directed on 195 days per year for a total of 1265 hours, so no management can direct you to do anything in the summer holidays even though you are still in contract.

As an ECT 1 you would have been entitled to mentoring and guidance about what to do. As an ECT 1 you are not yet qualified so should not be expected to know procedures without the mentoring and guidance you are entitled to as part of learning the job on the job.

Contact your training provider and union about the way forward.

No, it’s not true. 1265 is the amount of hours of directed time that is time when you were specifically asked to be in a specific place i.e. a classroom or a meeting in addition to that teachers have to do as many hours that is necessary to fulfil the responsibilities of their job which includes planning and report writing, et cetera, et cetera.

Threads like this made me so glad I left teaching after 22 years - I now work as a 1:1 SEND tutor. It is only term-time so all holidays are completely unpaid but...
I have 6 weeks in which I am not thinking about work, feeling any pressure to do any work, going into my classroom for days of unpaid prep etc. I can go on a little holiday with my family knowing I will not be contacted via a WhatsApp.
And before anyone says "Nice life if you can get it", I have just swapped roles to be a SAHM for these unpaid weeks. I have a teenager of my own and also a very lively 6 yo. So basically swapping one job for another.
Since leaving the profession I realised what a toll it has taken over the years on my MH. As just one example, my teeth have been ground down very badly due to clenching and grinding - I've paid out over £1k for root canal work and nightguard with more root canal to be needed on the other side. Interestingly enough, when I first went to see my dentist he said he could guess my profession by the level of bruxism as it's incredibly common for teachers.
Teachers need to start saying no and I would strongly advise leaving the profession if there is a viable alternative.

I wish we could pin responses because anyone reading the thread now basically just needs to read this.

The Head IS being unreasonable whether non-teachers agree or not. It doesn’t matter what it’s like your work place - this isn’t your work place.

In terms of the negative reference - you can’t put in negative things that aren’t evidence based. Evidence is disciplinary hearings or written warnings. Not ‘I dropped the ball and she didn’t bail me out even though technically we still employ her.’

I’m thinking of the poor child/parents who are prob waiting for this vital info so they can get help and support for their child’s needs

very professional of you

No I don't think this is right. The contract will include annual leave so I expect the op is now on annual leave. Unless school teachers are respected, even fewer will enter the profession.

Wow does that mean some poor child is going to get screwed over because you couldn't do your job.
You are contracted through 31 August, and are still an employee. As such you are required to follow lawful and reasonable management instructions, perform duties that fall within your role and act in good faith.
Handing back your laptop and keys does not end the employment relationship.

Yes but this is a management issue ie the responsibility of the head to finalise. Errors are made but they need to own this one not try and bully the op into doing something which either hadn't been agreed or which she didn't know had been agreed.

my contract ends on the 31st August.

OP has said her contract ends on 31st August.

She cannot do any work for a new role before this date as she is still currently employed.

She would be breaching her contract if started a new role before 31st August.

If she did get a new role, she would need to discuss with HR and have her current role terminated sooner so she can sign the new contract.

She can be onsite as the head has already said she can be.

I use to do wages for teachers and support staff including TAs.
Support staff contacts always stated 31/8 (or whatever the last day of half term was) but they aren’t actually paid for the 6 weeks of the summer holidays, their pay is prorated for the holiday - so they get paid 52-13 weeks (and again on hours if they are less than 37). We add on statutory 4 weels annual leave then the figure is divided by 12 to ensure they get paid once a month (so paid in the holidays but not for the holidays).

I would not expect a TA (or equivalent) to work after school breaks up just because the contract states 31/8 because they aren’t getting paid.

Everthing else in my previous comment stands.

No, that's not the way teaching contracts work.

In the past, pre-academies, it didn't matter who you worked for at any specific moment in time, as you were a teacher. You work for your previous school until the last date of term (unless you are SLT and so on a different contract). You may be getting paid until 31st August, but you should no longer have access to the school buildings, IT systems, any school documents... There should be no way for a headteacher to assign you any work, or for you to complete it. You are actually on unpaid leave over the holidays (but the pay is divided into 12 monthly payments). Normally you then start working for the new school 'straight away' although it is undirected time and you cannot actually be required to go in until the start of term. It would be extremely unusual for a teacher not to visit their new school or start any paperwork they can do outside of school. The OP is going on supply, so won't be doing that - unless the agency contacts them in the holiday's and they make arrangements with a school to visit in the holidays (I have voluntarily done this in the past, ready for the first week back).

So there were set dates for contracts, resignations, pay, etc. These dates were kept when most schools moved from LAs to MATs. It doesn't matter which date any exact school runs it terms on, but ensures teachers can move jobs between schools without it being a logistical nightmare.

For example I work in the West Midlands. Term time ends here mid-late July and term starts 1st September. If I took a job in the East Midlands my new school term would start (county dependent) mid-late August. I would be being paid by my old school until 31st August and my new school from 1st September. Even though I'd actually be working in school for different dates. Teacher contracts do not match up to school term times and school holidays cannot be directed time.

The SLT at OPs old school have dropped the ball. It is not OPs responsibility to pick up the pieces. Especially as a previous poster has pointed out they are an ECT and so not actually fully qualified and should have been supported more to understand any outstanding paperwork.

So essential no one missed it for 3 weeks?

It is almost certainly ‘essential’ for ticking boxes for ofsted rather than for an EHCP application or similar.

I’ve left 2 teaching jobs and both times I had full access to the building and systems until the 31st August.

I was then required to start the new role at the beginning of September, even thought the term didn’t start until after the 5th.

Both times I went in for things like clearing out the room before the new person started, downloading all my files, collecting personal items that I had bought in etc

I got paid my August salary in September and the new role September salary in October so I didn’t have a month without pay.

So obviously different places do things differently.

As the head is saying that OP can go and collect the work laptop then she must still have access to the building and systems until the 31st August.

The head and OP is going to be more familiar with the rules of their school than you are.

That depends entirely on if you're going to get paid for your efforts. If, like me, you're often still in contract on paper, but not being paid/employed for any time off at the end of contracts then I wouldn't do it unless I came to a fair financial agreement. If I was still being paid I would do the report. I don't work for free, ever.

If you chose to volunteer your time when you are not being paid or are currently actively employed by your employer, then that is up to you.

I guess your headteacher could authorise you to be on school property until 31st August, but it would be unusual and potentially very risky for them. You should have had your access revoked on the last day of term to cover the school. I mean you can volunteer (as I said in my post) to collect or return belongings out of that time. But it is undirected, unpaid leave, and many education and non-education related businesses would quite rightly restrict staff access.

Teachers should know the requirements of their pay and conditions. SLT definitely should know them. Unfortunately a lot in teaching goes on 'for the good of the children', which is ultimately no good for the staff and the poor conditions end up affecting teacher retention and therefore the children.

Requesting work from ex-staff once term has ended is ridiculous. Many teachers would quite happily comply - unfortunately it really is not helping the profession. There are certain things I probably would comply with just to be helpful - pointing out were to find a resource on the system (that I no longer had access to) for example. But official paperwork should have been completed before the end of term - the responsibility for assigning it, supporting it and checking it lies with SLT. Not an unsupported ECT who has moved on from employment with the school.

There are two major issues -

1. The head/SLT has the responsibility for assigning the task, supporting it and checking it BEFORE the end of term.
2. Teachers need to know and abide by their employment terms and conditions. Teacher retention is a major issue. It is not helpful for everyone to just 'do it for the sake of the children' continuously. Many, many things do need completing out of directed hours and do have an impact. However, it needs people to draw lines in the sand as well - otherwise teacher burnout and unhappiness (which is causing a lot of the issues in school) is going to get catastrophically worse.

At the end of the day the OP is no longer actively employed by the school, cannot be directed to do any additional works, has revoked their school access and laptop (which I assume at the time the school were happy to get back!) and is being hounded via an unofficial channel to complete a task that is no longer their responsibility. I hope the OP has a lovely summer off and that a stint in (or permanent move to) supply enables them to re-find their love of teaching and the will to continue to teach in the future.

Not saying that at all. 🤣

My comment is in reply to someone who can’t be bothered to complete some paper work they have been asked to complete before their contract finishes on 31st August. And who thinks it’s appropriate to block their boss who dares to remind them to do it.

Children with SEND are some of the most vulnerable in society and teachers need to support them the best they can. By ignoring this piece of work they need to do, they are just another example of a teacher who is not professional. This is one of the reasons why teachers get such bad press and parents of children with SEND have a much harder time than is necessary getting the support they require.

I'll fix it for you...
Your issue would be with SLT who have not ensured an ECT was told about a task, supported with completing it if necessary and who did not check that the ECT had completed the task before the end of term.

The OPs directed work finished on the last date of term (that may not have been the children's last day - some schools had inset afterwards). They should no longer have access to complete the task and the head therefore has had to ask them via an unofficial channel to complete the task (to cover the SLT who dropped the ball) as the OP probably no longer even has access to their school email (regardless of the fact that their responsibility to check it has long since passed). The OP is on unpaid leave until the end of their contract. Depending on when they start any supply work for a new school, they may actually be starting work before their current contract ends. School employees have 3 possible contract end dates each year (very rarely this may alter if a teacher moves at half term, but this is very, very unusual and HR would be involved in negotiations.) These DO NOT tie up with the teachers working days. IT IS NOT UNCOMMON to start term before the contract starts and finish directed employment before a contract ends. Otherwise schools would be in chaos with different term dates (remember teachers can't have term-time holidays).

@RamblingFar I agree with some of what you say but I'm wondering if you are a primary teacher, because what you say about ending contracts is not true of my experience as a secondary teacher.

Secondary teachers are needed to be on email and responsive over the holidays to support with exam results and remarks. We do accept this is part of the role and we know we have to be able to get online/be contactable on results days. I have never in my 15 years of teaching with three school changes in that time had my email access or physical access to the school revoked on my last day in a school - I am contracted until 31 August and would be expected to support with any issues with exams and remarks until that date. We also usually go in for results day if we're around, whether we've 'left' or not. It's not formally 'directed' time but the reality is, if advice on a remark is required, or a paper needs to be recalled and checked, it's difficult for someone who isn't the class teacher and doesn't know the child's work to be able to do this with any accuracy. When uni or sixth form places hang in the balance, we have to be able to give this support within a tight time frame, and if a teacher refused to help at all with exams over the summer, students could be really disadvantaged.

I am not a martyr, but I do also accept I've chosen a career that gives me a certain amount of responsibility towards the children I teach that I can't just choose to switch off from entirely when the holidays start. Our work does impact on other people's lives and futures and if you don't want that kind of responsibility, then you shouldn't be a teacher.

Spot on.