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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To complain about a teacher having honeymoon leave before the end of term?

168 replies

janegrey · 30/03/2009 19:01

DDs are both in secondary school, DD1 doing GCSE.

One of their teachers, who teaches both of them, has been allowed to take leave to go on honeymoon this week even though it is still term time.

DD1 has already had issues about this particular teacher, whose marking has been inconsistent...fortunately her class is being taken by the subject head while he is away...and the subject head has helped her sort out the problems she had because of the inconsistent marking.

But DD2's class was supervised today by a teacher of a completely different subject. They had no work set, and in DD2's words they did "nothing".

I'm seething - I just cannot comprehend that the school/education authority has authorised leave in term-time for a non-essential reason...why couldn't he have gone on leave over the Easter holidays?

Do others agree? And if so, what's the most effective way to complain?

OP posts:
nametaken · 30/03/2009 19:03

have a heart - it's his honeymoon

Thunderduck · 30/03/2009 19:04

YABU.

Original poster
janegrey · 30/03/2009 19:04

Oh I have a heart - about my kids' education first and foremost, and the knowledge that the official school hols start on Saturday.

OP posts:
nametaken · 30/03/2009 19:04

If you've got issues with the quality of his teaching you should have addressed them long before now, especially if it's a GCSE year.

EyeballsintheSky · 30/03/2009 19:04

Maybe his wife is a heart surgeon. Just maybe that was the only time they could go. It's not just about him.

Hulababy · 30/03/2009 19:04

It is unusual for a school to grant such leave IME, unless there are strong underlying reasons. Without knowing the whole story it is impossible to say where the schoolw as wrong or not.

twinsetandpearls · 30/03/2009 19:05

I would complain, perhaps one day would be ok on friday but not a week. My school would not allow.

Letter to headteacher and governors

BitOfFunnyBunny · 30/03/2009 19:05

YABU. I take it you'll want his wife to time any babies for the summer holidays?

BecauseImWoeufit · 30/03/2009 19:05

YANBU. I hate this. Something like a wedding/honeymoon is usually planned well in advance and therefore I think should have been planned around school holidays.

twinsetandpearls · 30/03/2009 19:05

This is just before exam season as well, outrageous.

JudithChalmers · 30/03/2009 19:05

We had this once where the teacher had booked it before starting at the school, that had diffo holidays to the ones we had.
Maybe he has taken it as unpaid - I presume so.

HecAteTheEasterBunny · 30/03/2009 19:06

I dunno. I think I'd let it go, tbh. It's a one off, a honeymoon, isn't it? And I know that really, she could have married and gone on it during school hols, but is it really something you want to complain about? They will think you are awful, begrudging someone a honeymoon.

The issue of the cover is quite another thing and you'd be totally justified to complain about that. they shouldn't be doing nothing.

TheFallenMadonna · 30/03/2009 19:06

My school wouldn't allow this either on the face of it, so I suspect there may be more to it.

tiggerlovestobounce · 30/03/2009 19:06

YABU.
In the LA I live in teachers can have up to 10 days a year unpaid leave in term time without needing special authorisation.

twinsetandpearls · 30/03/2009 19:06

There is a slight difference though Bitoffun.

abbierhodes · 30/03/2009 19:06

Is he new? I'm wondering if it's a holiday that had to be honoured. Even if he's been there a year, weddings/honeymoons are often booked way in advance.
Otherwise, though, I'm surprised this has been allowed.
Where I work, you can request time off to go to weddings of close family if absolutely necessary (usually unpaid) but this would only be one day, two at most if you had to travel.
You can't have time off for your own wedding though, as you get to decide when that is, (iyswim)so shouldn't book during term time!

OrmIrian · 30/03/2009 19:06

It does seem odd. There are 12 (?) weeks when they are not in school.

nametaken · 30/03/2009 19:07

You can complain about him taking time off in term time but do you honestly think he'll cancel his honeymoon if you complain?

The Head has given him permission for time off and won't take kindly to you telling him how to manage his staff.

oxocube · 30/03/2009 19:07

How long has she been teaching at this school? If she is relatively new then it is quite possible that her wedding was planned before she started working there and her taking time off was already agreed to. Don't people plan weddings/book venues several years in advance these days?

JudithChalmers · 30/03/2009 19:07

I bet you dont know the story.
How long is it?

twinsetandpearls · 30/03/2009 19:07

Do teachers take this time though? I may be "allowed" so many days off without facing a disciplinary but I would not take them. Why would I need them? I have holidays and weekends,

TrillianAstra · 30/03/2009 19:07

Maybe. As nametaken said, it's possible that his wife couldn't get leave in the holidays. But in most cases these things are arranged very far in advance so she should have been able to sort it out.

DSM · 30/03/2009 19:07

Is his honeymoon only one week?

If so, yes he probably should have tried to take it during the school holidays. But he didn't. Would you complain if he was off sick?

Its not the end of the world. Your children aren't going to fail on the back of one week of lessons from a different teacher.

hatwoman · 30/03/2009 19:08

there may be all sorts of reasons why they had their wedding and honeymoon in term time. I doubt it's going to have a seriously negative effect on your dd. I also doubt very much that the class really did do "nothing". they may have been supervised whilst told to get on with some independent study - which is no bad thing.

if there are other problems with this teacher then you should raise them with him first and then the head. but that's seperate from the honeymoon thing.

twinsetandpearls · 30/03/2009 19:08

yes she may be new.

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