AIBU to ignore GCSE results queries during holidays before maternity leave?

[LilyGreenJade]

Currently 38+5 pregnant. Teacher and so fortunately finished for the summer as normal in July. Had it not been the summer holidays, I would have taken maternity leave at 37 weeks anyway. DH and I have also been ill for a few days this week with a fairly bad stomach bug.

GCSE results’ day yesterday. Only Heads of Department and senior staff expected to be in school/contactable on the day, which I am not. This is stated in contract.

Received an informal Teams’ message from Head of Department yesterday saying they needed to speak with me regarding a particular student (a simple case of organising a remark which only HoD can do anyway) and could I let them know when I was free to talk. I felt really annoyed that firstly I was being contacted during the holidays, secondly that they are fully aware I am close to my due date/would have been on maternity leave otherwise, and thirdly that there is nothing I can do to help. HoD has form for passing on work which is their’s to do. I ignored their message. I then also had several students sending me messages on Teams late last night regarding remarks. I very briefly replied to them saying to speak to the HoD.

I emailed the HoD and Deputy Head Academic this morning explaining that although I had seen the overall results, I was not really in a position to begin analysing paper breakdowns, discussing remarks, and contacting students/parents. I said I was happy for any remarks to be processed. As of tonight, I have had no reply.

YABU - results are important and you should be involved as their teacher.
YANBU - You should not be contacted during school holidays as per your contract, and especially given the proximity to your due date and that you would have been on maternity leave anyway if not for the holidays.

I'm a HOD. It's my job to check the grade boundaries, data and request remarks - that's what I get paid a TLR for. No idea why your HOD is trying to involve you, or why families don't seem to understand who they're meant to be contacting. There's literally nothing a class teacher can do in this situation unless it's a case of mit circs.

Your colleagues aren't great with boundaries.

I think that if you were to contact your union about this, the rep would remind you that STPCD says that you can be contacted during the 'holidays'.

After all if you weren't about to start your Mat Leave, you would be likely to be in school congratulating/ supporting your students or preparing for the start of the term. Breaks from school are NOT all holidays for teachers, as many of us keep trying to make the general public understand.
If you are too ill to speak on the phone/email you really should trigger the start of your Mat Leave.

I am a teacher and I would have just helped to make sure the student was sorted tbh.

"there is generally an agreement with HOD who will be available for results day"

In this case the hod is the one requesting a phone call during holidays when it is incumbent on her to know the terms and conditions under which her staff are employed/ contracted.

Staff at schools ignoring workplace rules and agreements wh n they should know better because it is convenient for them is one of the reasons why work life balance can be so poor in education. Unless the teacher has a TLR it should wait until sept and in this case the hod should do what's she's paid for and make the decision herself.

You are not on mat leave. You are able to start your mat leave later than you would have otherwise due to fortunate timing and school holidays.
therefore you should reply to the email. That is expected - I’m a teacher and have had four or five emails to reply to today. No big deal.
you can’t have it both ways!!!

Are you on maternity leave or does it start 31st August? I Cannot imagine anyone starting their maternity leave at the beginning of the summer holidays if you are healthy and due after the summer holidays. Its just emails and helping out your year 11 class. I'm a teacher and think you are unreasonable.

The MAT leave is irrelevant and I think non-teacher posters don't realise that. HODs get paid a TLR to deal with this stuff, you do not as a normal classroom teacher! I'll have a conversation in September about reviews of marking with my HOD out of professional curiosity but as a classroom teacher, it's not my call. It's their job to look at grade boundaries and recall papers, not mine.

YABU, If I've understood correctly you are not on maternity leave.

100% this. If you are trying to game the system by claiming to be at work until starting your maternity leave in September as many teacher do you are massively unreasonable.

The HoD/SLT are paid to deal with this during the holidays.

This is entirely on them.

Those that are saying that the OP should be working are part of the retention crisis.

You would have been on maternity leave if it wasn't the summer. It is the summer and you're taking that fully to maximise your maternity leave.

Not on leave yet. You're being asked to reply to a few emails.You're not being asked to do anything particularly taxing.

Honestly it's a massive deal for the young people involved and I think if you can you should help. If you are physically unable to of course that's different.

Presumably you could have started your maternity leave earlier, but it would have been financially disadvantageous to do so. So you're not maternity leave, and they shouldn't treat you as if you are. You can't have it both ways.

I hate it when teaches refuses to do any work just because it's the summer hols.

It will take you 30 mins. Just have a look at the data and speak to the HoD. If you're not willing to help then perhaps stick to KS3 classes in future.

I am not a HoD but I went to school on Thursday to congratulate the kids. I discussed a couple of re-marks with my boss and spoke to some parents. It took 4 hours of my time. I didn't have to go in but I went in because I care!

I do wish work-to-rule teachers would find another career. I work with one and its irritating and she never pulls her weight.

" if you were to contact your union about this, the rep would remind you that STPCD says that you can be contacted during the 'holidays'."

They would also say it is not directed time and you have no obligation to do anything

"After all if you weren't about to start your Mat Leave, you would be likely to be in school congratulating/ supporting your students or preparing for the start of the term. Breaks from school are NOT all holidays for teachers, as many of us keep trying to make the general public understand."

Many teachers go in to see their year 11 classes get their results. This is not obligatory and OP for fairly obvious reasons chosen not to do so

Lots of teachers use the holidays to catch up on work tasks marking planning for next year ( which op will not be doing for obvious reasons) . This is not the same as being contacted over the holidays by management to be given additional tasks...

Independent or state school?

I'm a fairly recently retired HoD.

YANBU. Your HoD should be dealing with this and students should not be contacting you during the summer holidays. I wouldn't have expected you to deal with this if you weren't as pregnant as you are.

Ignore any further contact and enjoy your maternity leave.

What would you normally do on results day during the summer holidays if you weren’t about to go on mat leave? I don’t know enough about teacher contracts to know if you are being unreasonable or not, but I would compare it to other summers. The fact that you are going on at leave at the end of the school holidays is a bit of a red herring to me, you have chosen not to go on maternity leave at the time you would have done if it was term time, presumably because it’s financial beneficial (not criticising that, I’d do the same).

Are you on maternity leave or not?
It not - yabu
If you are - yanbu. But why are looking at teams /emails?

I agree
how would you feel in 16 years time if it was your child and someone didn’t respond….

You are on annual leave. Don’t open emails or look at teams.
the pregnancy and maternity leave is not relevant.
it’s not a ‘bonus’ that luckily the school is closed. You are on leave.
The school has processes for this and should be contacting the staff that have the responsibility for dealing with remarks.

You 100% shouldn't be responding. I've taught Secondary age for over 20 years and, whilst I may occasionally suggest a student for a 'review' if they are really unexpected, it is down to HOD and the exams office to deal with those.
Please enjoy your MAT leave.

Why are you checking teams in the holidays if it is not expected and you don't want to get involved....not helpful now but perhaps before the end of term you should have put a message on teams directing pupils who to contact for any queries in school holidays and on your mat leave.
Tbh at almost 39 weeks pregnant I was bored at home and was happy to stil answer queries as wasn't doing much else!

In fact, set your 'out of office' to 'I am currently on MAT leave. Please direct any queries to 'HOD' '

"how would you feel in 16 years time if it was your child and someone didn’t respond…."

Someone will/should respond because there is someone paid extra to do this.

It's just not OP!