Inset days

[Perfect28]

Two working teacher parents to (luckily) just one child. Child has started school this year and we are finding inset days impossible to manage. 5 per year, usual wraparound childcare is closed on insets as they mirror the school. No family less than 300 miles away, my mum has come up twice now but she won't be able to come up 5 times a year for the next however many years. As we are teachers working from home or requesting annual leave is impossible. We can take parental leave but that has to be in blocks of one week at a time so not helpful here.

Just posting in case someone has any grand ideas or suggestions I've not yet mentioned. Otherwise I guess it will have to be sick days? Not hugely helpful when I'm already managing chronic illness.

Anyone?

It does not have to be requested in week blocks. I am a primary teacher, and if needed we can take a single day parental leave.

Unpaid parental leave: Overview - GOV.UK https://share.google/0qOpjgMw6eIjw7tNf

This also says you can take it as a single day if your employer agrees. I reread your thread again and can’t see that you have specifically asked them about this. It is worth explaining your circumstances and asking them to take this inset day as a 1 off? Or for your partner to ask as well?

Ok so your options are -
family come stay
use a babysitting service like childcare .Co.Uk
go on families information service for your area and see what registered childcare is available
local sports/holiday camps (these are often around 4-6 hours though.
ask friends/childs friends to do play date swap

Any private schools near you that do holiday clubs? Private schools often have longer holidays so the state inset day will just be part of the holidays for them.

So @Perfect28with all the suggestions do you feel you have some options to explore now?

if not then it might be worth getting your other half onto finding out what options there are as it’s not just your responsibility. Maybe he has some dad friends that he could organise a play date with and then reciprocate

Yes thank you @Hobbitfeet32a few things to explore and I'm going to approach my head about taking one week of parental leave next academic year but split over separate days. Nothing to lose by asking!

I think as long as your school allows it just take them in. If you are teaching pshe that day just change the lesson to something less contentious, or get your husband to take them in that day.

It is not ideal and may be a tricky day but we are lucky to have that option.

Other than that you can take days off for childcare but your school probably has a policy on how many of these will be paid. Mine allows two and then any further can be taken unpaid. There is no need to qualify for anything to be allowed to do this.

Well it is for some. We are lucky enough to have an after school club that covers some holidays - but not all, and they close for 3 weeks over the summer. So it’s still a juggle.

Both being teachers is obviously the major challenge here as usually the non teacher would cover inset days.

I would look at - spending the day at your mum’s if she’s willing but not able to drive. You can do the driving. If your child uses after school and likes one of the teachers you could offer to pay for inset days - some would be delighted for an extra day’s pay to watch one child. And yes, there’s babysitting services all across the country but I’d prefer to start with known people myself.

Yep and it says it can be taken as a single day.

My daughter's friend's mum is a teacher with this problem. I take the friend on inset days and the teacher mum returns the favour one school holiday day when I'm working.

You literally cannot take a child in to school as a teacher. Seriously it's not the 90s. There are safeguarding procedures, it would be completely inappropriate.

I'm truly shocked at the number of people who think this is ok. It wouldn't be fair on my son, my school, my students or on me.

Have you asked though? DD’s teacher secondary brought her (albeit a bit older) kid in twice this year.

I genuinely can't believe people think bringing a 5 year old to a high school for an entire day is an option either. Totally shocking and really inappropriate. At my daughter's school I'm not even sure how you would keep a wee one safe (or prevent them hearing something deeply inappropriate!) Really unfair on the parent here as well.

Some schools you can. I was doing it up until a couple of years ago (my kids are now secondary age so can stay home alone).

Other staff at my school still do it.

I understand that your school may not allow it but many do. My kids always quite enjoyed it. When they were younger the students made s fuss of them, when they were late primary age they were able to join in with the lessons a bit.

I am.not talking about the 90s. I was a child in the 90s.

There's no official rules on taking your children to school with you. It would be at the Head's discretion.

My head brought his pre-schooler in several times. I took mine in once or twice last year.

However, it is usually assumed it's a last resort for emergency childcare failures only (unless your the head and make the rules!). I wouldn't count pre-published INSET days as an emergency and would expect parents to sort out childcare well in advance.

@Perfect28, you said no childminders in your area. But have you searched for childminders near your or DHs school?

Sorry but there's so much naievety here. Trust me. It would be inappropriate.

If I was a headteacher there's absolutely no chance I would ok it.

What would he even do all day? What if he said 'mummy I need a poo', what then? I mean I could go on and on and on. It would not be appreciated or appropriate. Full stop

Primary is different and we have teachers bring in their secondary aged kids. But taking a primary child into a secodary school is a no no as you've said.

I still don't think that's ok. They would need escorting everywhere. I would not be happy with my teacher bringing in some random, unvetted teenager either.

I'm genuinely pretty shocked you think that's ok.

With a younger child, you will get students (via their parents) complaining. Do you think a 5 year old will be quiet all the time?

Part of the issue with all the suggestions you’ve received seem to be that you’re judging them based on what you think and how you feel. So they automatically become a no because you wouldn’t do it/like it. However , the world is not necessarily so black and white and it is made up of lots of different people. Including babysitters during the day, parents who would be happy to have a kid for a whole day, heads that would allow a teacher to bring their child in, an ad hoc childminder and so on.

At the end of the day, of nothing works, you’ll just have to take the day off, arrange planning and cover if possible and that’s that. Better to give them notice so they can sort out the logistics , which would be doable with inset days.

Why, what do you think will happen? They are with their parent the entire day. They aren't doing anything inappropriate. Our entire SLT are happy with it so I'll go by what they say rather than a stranger on the Internet. This is also the same SLT who are happy for us to take are a days parental leave if needed and planned so to be honest I much prefer my workplace rather than yours who do not support you.

I’ll be honest, I don’t know if anyone complained. DD had no issues (in fact she really enjoyed it) , and neither did I. Tbf, I prefer it to yet another sub and watching a movie.

How do you feel about work experience teenagers coming in? We have at least 10 every year and yes they need escorting everywhere.

As I mentioned up thread, I nearly complained when my child had an interrupted maths lesson. I didn’t complain but a few of the parents of another class did and it didn’t happen again.
I think as a teacher, when you complain how hard it is to do your job, you seriously can’t be looking after your young child as well.

I was a teachers child and I remember sitting in the medical room on my own drawing when my parent’s holidays and mine didn’t agree. I was left on my own at home as soon as I was secondary age.