Schools Reopening?

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When do you honestly think it will happen? And when do you want it to happen?!

I've already posted that (in Wales at least) the minister for education has said that the summer holiday won't be changed and will go ahead as normal.

It's the case that people who have their leave cancelled will be able to carry it over into the next 2 years. Teachers don't get paid for most of the weeks off that they have, and have the same holiday entitlement as everyone else, which is possibly why they have been able to be asked to use those days to work through the Easter break.

But there's no way of taking term time leave, so no way to realistically allow teachers to take even that standard amount of leave over to following years to take time back there, never mind all the extra days we aren't contracted to work.

We aren't childcare (normally!)

@refraction two week October break? Instead of the two days + 2 days inset nonsense (Scotland).
As I said it was a passing thought 💭 and Now it has passed 😉

We do get paid during holidays

They won't change the summer holidays, simple as that.

As I mentioned earlier, there is no way my school could go back before June, as one of the reasons we partially closed before Friday 20th March was because 30 members of staff started to self isolate.

I'm very interested in how, at the end of twelve weeks and with the numbers of dead currently ballooning, they will be 'safe' to return...

why do teachers keep saying they dont get paid over the holidays? do they not get a salary paid over the year (every month) like everyone else. and do lots of ppl not become teachers because of the long holidays?? Our school teachers sure arent doing much at the moment as we broke up last week officially. a few bits of paper sent home fort the week and a couple more emailed by the head of year. Thats it!

I don't think the 6 weeks summer holiday is going to be like any previous 6 weeks holiday. With families flying off around Europe or camping at the beach.
So the "downtime" or pre planned holidays go out the window.
Teachers are (understandably) opposed to any cancellation of the 6 weeks holiday. It would be detrimental and breach of their terms of employment. But so it is for all those frontline workers who are having their leave cancelled, the employees who are having to accept 20 or 25% payouts in order to hang onto their jobs, those who are being furloughed or those whose income has completely dried up are also struggling.

I would love it to be after May half term. Or even the last 2 weeks of July. I have a y6 DC going to a different secondary school from his schoolfriends. No transitions, no goodbyes, no gradual independence, just straight into secondary school would be so harsh. I would prefer they change the school year so that they stay in current year until December and move in January. If they are not back in September then for a repeat of the year.

Teachers are paid for the holidays but they aren’t contracted to work them . TA’s however are only paid for around 5 of the 13 weeks holiday. No one knows yet what will happen. I’m guessing that if we do reopen during the summer break, TA’s will be offered payment? However most TA posts have been severely cut as the current government don’t think we are necessary so I’m not sure where the extra funds will come from. 🤷‍♀️

Regarding the holiday carry over - furloughed employees can't take holiday. And if your holiday can't be carried over from one year to the next and the holiday year runs out during furlough then you have lost the holiday. This really isn't so different for teachers as the rest.

Because (ffs... this has been done again and again on mnet and not just in the CV threads...)

We are contracted and paid to work for 195 days a year.

That pay is simply spread over 12 months as a salary.

TAs can choose to be paid for the weeks they work, or take a pro rata rate and have their pay spread out too.

When supply teachers weren't paid by agencies but (properly) by schools/county councils, they were paid for the days they worked, but then were not paid in the holidays. Their pay evened out to be exactly what a salaried permanent teacher was paid.

How can teachers themselves not know this, I don't know!

So, yes, Freddie, we get paid over the holidays. But not FOR the holidays (over and above the standard holiday allowance days that most jobs have).

A teacher friend has been told she won't be doing lessons before Sept

I don't think the hardship would be losing having the holidays at the end of this period of home working (and I'm working very hard at home), it would be not having had holidays and then teaching a full year on top.

Furloughed employees aren't (or shouldn't) also currently be working. Not really the same at all

There seems to be a lot of variation, some teachers are working 1 in 3 weeks, in that case reasonable to expect to work extra ie over Easter. But others are working pretty much the same hours. It’s going to be really hard to be fair to everyone. For example, it’s not fair that key workers are putting themselves at risk for normal wage but others are paid almost the same for being at home (or more as not paying commuting/childcare costs). I think there’s going to be a lot of resentment.
I really hope schools open before September but I think it’s very hard to predict, what happens in London over the next 2 weeks might help give an idea. I know some itu’s struggling already. Kings are having a dreadful time.
I noticed supermarkets were giving bonuses which I think are so deserved. As nhs Frontline staff, we’re not expecting anything, they’ll probably be no money to do so. It feels a bit unfair but we all have to try and do the right thing. Please no one say at least we’ve got a job - many people works rather be at home rather than putting themselves/ their families at risk, there’s no choice but to step up.

Oh ffs, not this AGAIN!

why do teachers keep saying they dont get paid over the holidays? do they not get a salary paid over the year (every month) like everyone else. They are paid for 195 days a year, plus 5 weeks (I think) holiday. Of course that is spread out over 12 months, as we have rent and mortgages and other bills to pay on a monthly basis.

and do lots of ppl not become teachers because of the long holidays?? No. Or rather, only stupid people, who won't last long in the profession.

Our school teachers sure arent doing much at the moment as we broke up last week officially. In which case they are on holiday, meaning they shouldn't need to "do much," even though many of them will. Unpaid.

We are contracted and paid to work for 195 days a year. That pay is simply spread over 12 months as a salary.

What @DrMadelineMaxwell said.

The above includes 5.6 weeks holiday pay, I believe.

Teachers don't get paid for the holidays. Well, not all of them.

Good grief. How many times do teachers on here need to spell it out that we are NOT CONTRACTED over the Summer 'holidays'. Those weeks do not form part of our contracts and we are therefore NOT PAID for that time.

We are contracted for term times (and the holidays within those - Half terms. Christmas, Easter form the 6 weeks annual leave that all contracted employees get). The summer 'holidays' are unpaid and we not required contractually to work those weeks.
We choose to have our pay spread over 12 months for ease of financial planning but can get paid over 10 months.

Therefore we will need to be consulted and paid accordingly if there was to be any change as unlike other jobs our annual leave can't be rolled over. We can't exactly swan off for two weeks to the Caribbean in the middle of Spring term 2021...

From a 'when do you think schools should start back?' perspective - probably September.

Yes it's a bit sad that the kids can't do their end of term things (prom, plays etc) but it's seriously not the end of the world. Health is more important and all the other stuff is quite frankly irrelevant if it saves lives. I've seen so many parents on social media banging on about 'how sad' it all is and how awful they feel for their children. They need to tone that down - if you don't draw attention to it, children generally won't either (especially younger ones).

Instead people need to focus on positives and take this chance to do things differently with their children. Don't stress over the home learning. You're not homeschooling (as in homeschooling you get to go out/teach via immersive experiences and plan effectively with lots of time to work out the best curriculum that works for you and your children).

This is crisis teaching led by teachers who are desperately trying to make a classroom-based curriculum vaguely work within a home environment. Teachers are being told not to teach live lessons by their unions for their own safeguarding safety.

Teachers are also juggling looking after their own children, which makes them being able to do their jobs (as they are still working) almost impossible.

I think things will start to return to normal by end of May/start of June but personally I think schools will stay closed until September. I'd like to get back to work but if they reopen too much too quickly, it'll start again.

I'm a teacher. Hoping they open again as soon as possible! Working from home is a nightmare and I'm worried about students all being at different places and having to try and get the ones who have fallen behind caught up. I wouldn't mind if we went back a month early instead of summer hols. Like others have said, everyone has to make exceptions at a time like this and we all want things back to normal.

In teaching, as with everything else, there are some who are working huge amounts, and others not so much.

Likewise, in the much -lauded nhs. Don't automatically assume that because someone has an nhs badge, that they are single-handedly fighting Corona without any PPE. Many are, yes, (and I'm not decrying the dire situation in many hospitals) but I've just heard from my best friend, a Consultant in a large Home Counties hospital, who has said things are eerily quiet as they've cancelled all routine appointments and so far, there are only a trickle of CV19 patients. That will all change soon, probably, but so too will things alter in school as even more people succumb to the virus.

The Home Counties hospital will likely fill up pretty quickly in the next few weeks. Routine ops have been cancelled for logistical bed reasons, mainly itu admissions. It’s the calm before the storm in some places- but not for long.

Was your ‘lauded’ remark sarcastic? It read a bit that way which is a shame most people
(with an nhs badge) are working very hard in extremely difficult conditions

Scottish schools finish up at the end of June for summer holidays......
Usually go back mid August.
But actually I have no clue.

@JosephineKarlsson what the media isn't telling people is that teachers are working currently and will continue to do so be that at home or school. Our school will be open full time 7 days a week for the next 4 weeks- yes that includes the Easter holidays. Not a single member of staff is complaining however many are petrified of passing this virus onto their families and are working more hours then they normal would as they are trying to balance kids and working at home.

Summer holidays are the 6 weeks a year I can concentrate on my own child. I love my job but often my own child doesn't get my attention as I'm concentrating on providing an engaging and personalised curriculum for the 30kids in my class! My daughter is also a term time only nursery place. Where would you suggest I just drop her?

My friend is a head teacher and was told they'd reopen in September.