Extending school term at end of July

[NeverForgetYourDreams]

That's not going to work. Another ridiculous idea. What about all those people that moved their cancelled holidays for 2020 by a year. Summer holidays may go ahead if vaccine roll out happens and who is going to cancel and lose their money - I'm not. Will be lots of absent children.

I would be pleased if it were able to happen. My children's school is closed to them and there is no live teaching so whereas I'm doing my best and they're doing ok, I've no doubt they'd be doing much better with their teachers rather than a mum who is also trying to work (and Dad working outside the home so unable to help). I totally get it would be hard to manage though. I think they should have extended feb half term (for all) as soon as we went into lockdown and taken a week off Easter holidays but that ship has sailed.

@Aab1234

I already spend my own money on schools supplies, my day off marking and planning and see my own child for only a few hours a day during the weeks.

Now you want me to work for free despite the fact I am doing a full o line timetable, parents evenings, support school, marking and planning during the lockdown.

How much more above and beyond would you suggest? Working for free? Would you work an extra 10 days unpaid? I already do 10 extra hours a week to finish everything.

@Aab1234

Who are ‘the rest of us’?

Tell us what you do.

@Aab1234

I honestly don’t understand why teachers regard themselves to be in a different category to the rest of us. Please explain to me why, exactly?

They don't. HTH

Hold on a minute though, so far most of this thread has been that teachers wont want to work those extra 2 weeks - but if theyre being paid for them? They would get extra time off at Christmas and ultimately would be able to do a lot more work outside, have windows open etc and be safer - isnt that a plus point? If they have a holiday booked that would have to be looked at - although maybe the numbers could just be those children that are off currently (i.e. not taking up keyworker spaces or being taught, the ones who will need the catchup) and maybe smaller classes could still allow for those that need the time to take it unpaid if required?

@Aab1234

We’re not a different category. In what way are we expecting better treatment. No one can legally be forced to to unpaid overtime. Employment law applies to teachers as well.

Will someone please tell me what the point of these extra weeks is meant to be.

I think you’ll find that teachers are not the only ones who have worked beyond contracted hours. There is nothing unique about that.

@Aab1234

Let’s see how many days have been worked by teachers since March 2020. Then we can discuss it.

Every single one that I am contracted for.

First lock down wasn’t live lessons, but it was preparing resources to send via email, key worker rotas in school, marking all the work that was emailed back in.

Second lock down is a full timetable of online live teaching through teams. Remaking all my lesson resources so that they fit this method is done in my own time. Marking work that students send back, phoning parents of those that don’t attend, reporting on progress, all done in my own time.

My contract says I work for 195 days a year, that’s all I’m working unless the terms and conditions and pay are changed through consultation to add in an extra 2 weeks.

I have worked every day this academic year, in school. All staff are in with key worker children and that’s really not unusual. Those teachersable to work from home are busy providing remote learning , ( we have to do that as well as be in school, part of difficulty working in smaller schools) but no one is education is currently having an easy ride. It’s brutal at the moment! By saying this I am not saying other professions are not having a hard time before anyone makes out that I am, I am just sharing my experience.

[quote BelleSausage]@Aab1234

I already spend my own money on schools supplies, my day off marking and planning and see my own child for only a few hours a day during the weeks.

Now you want me to work for free despite the fact I am doing a full o line timetable, parents evenings, support school, marking and planning during the lockdown.

How much more above and beyond would you suggest? Working for free? Would you work an extra 10 days unpaid? I already do 10 extra hours a week to finish everything.[/quote]
but its not an extra 10 days unpaid... youre paid for a certain amount of weeks and would gain back those 10 days at other points in the year, when perhaps its not as safe to be in school. Wouldnt this benefit teachers too?

@palacegirl77

Hold on a minute though, so far most of this thread has been that teachers wont want to work those extra 2 weeks - but if theyre being paid for them? They would get extra time off at Christmas and ultimately would be able to do a lot more work outside, have windows open etc and be safer - isnt that a plus point? If they have a holiday booked that would have to be looked at - although maybe the numbers could just be those children that are off currently (i.e. not taking up keyworker spaces or being taught, the ones who will need the catchup) and maybe smaller classes could still allow for those that need the time to take it unpaid if required?

1. I don’t want the time off when the days are cold and the nights are long. I want to enjoy the summer, which I am contracted to be off.

1. That’s all.

Uh people work unpaid overtime all the time, across all industries. Get real.

@Aab1234

I think you’ll find that teachers are not the only ones who have worked beyond contracted hours. There is nothing unique about that.

Never has any teacher said they are

@Aab1234

Let’s see how many days have been worked by teachers since March 2020. Then we can discuss it.

What, you mean when the GOVERNMENT closed schools and suspended the National Curriculum, but when schools took it upon themselves to continue providing learning?

@MrsHamlet

Will someone please tell me what the point of these extra weeks is meant to be.

For those children not currently in school to gain an extra 2 weeks education to help them catch up to those keyworker children in school being taught. Extra reading etc - at a time it would be safer to be in school (windows open etc) than in the winter.

@Aab1234

Come on, tell us what you do...I’d like to be able to judge you and how hard I feel you’ve been working based on what I’ve seen since March 2020.

Anyone thinking U4T are back in business tonight 😂

Those saying they get the time at Christmas, what about teachers leaving or retiring?

@DBML you mean like it is currently? for those of us at home now, day in and day out? Would you not rather be in a school with windows and doors open and lower rates of infection?

@palacegirl77

By tagging 2 weeks on in the summer when we don’t need that time, all you do is reduce next years learning and curriculum by 2 weeks. That’s a guaranteed 2 weeks less learning for all new GCSE and A Level students.

@Aab1234 are you Dragon with a name change? Here to continue spitting the venom?

Because there cannot possibly be more than one poster who disagrees with you?

Also, dragons deal in fire. It's them lowly snakes who have venom.

@Aab1234

Let’s see how many days have been worked by teachers since March 2020. Then we can discuss it.

Since last March (from 23rd) I have worked 210 days. This also includes an extra 5 days last Easter, 5 days last May half term and 17 days from home whilst I had Covid (full live lessons streaming into my classrooms). I have not counted working over Christmas, which I did, including Christmas Day.

What would you like to discuss?

How productive do you think those two weeks will be when children are tired and teachers are tired? There are way better ways to improve educational outcomes. I hate the word catch up because it’s so meaningless .