Coping with Teacher Training days

[bacon]

I'm new to education, DS1 in reception DS2 19 months old. But this is really going to get right up my nose. Teacher training days tagged onto half terms. 1st one Friday just before the weeks break.

How do mums cope? Ive got something planned - booked months and months ago and have to leave really early and now just checked diary and DS1 is home and I'm paying for DS2 to be in nursery!

Why cant they do these training days in the evenings or even Saturday morning like the rest of us? Why has education have to be so disrupted? Surely with the number of weeks off they get it wouldnt be too much to expect a few days to be put towards training?

Struth, we are self employed here, hubby never hardly gets time off, when we were farming we worked well unto the night, expected to get up at the crack of dawn, 7 days a week, working when completely exhausted and so hanging and no paid holidays!

So many families are struggling with childcare, trying to hold onto their jobs, and then this is slapped in our faces.

Surely this doesnt happen on the continent??

The problem with that Boffinmum would be accessing appropriate speakers/trainers at times that suit schools rather than when their schedule allows but it does give a bigger window.
Also would the DfE return the 5 INSET days into teacher's holiday entitlement?

Dam I must be in minority who likes inset days when was working and calendar came out start if term would always try book one or two of to take dc out as knew lot places be quiter

But do feel for teachers ta who have to juggle childcare for those odd days

Feenie, it is not up to you to tell me what I find hurtful or not. That is just more evidence of your lack of empathy or respect.

I find it hurtful that the fact that I, and thousands or working parents like me, have no childcare during the INSET days is seen as a personal weakness and a failure to care for my children properly hurtful and depressing. I think you'll find that IS my right.

Now perhaps you'd like to answer my questions.

No - it was because I was only moved to post because I couldn't quite believe you were claiming to be hurt after your horrible attitude towards two posters. I was debating that point only with you.

1.) Do you think more could be done to reduce the inconvenience of INSET days on working parents?
Perhaps, but I don't see it as necessarily the responsibility of the school.

2.) In principle, do you think, an out of school childcare facility during INSET days would be a good thing?
It would depend very much on the quality of the childcare.

I was suggesting a compromise - teachers losing 30 hours of holiday but being financially compensated. In reality schools could cram all this into 3 long days, 10 twilight sessions, or even organise online training and include this into the 30 hours. Other professions do things like this. Plus it would mean £500-£600 in extra pay, which some teachers would like very much. I know teachers value their time away from the classroom but it might be a way forward, and also really help those teachers who are also parents (i.e. quite a lot).

But BoffinMum we already had the 5 days taken from our holidays so if they aren't going to be used can we please have them back?

Yes, well, finding problems in the way of solutions is your forte isn't mrz?

I think Boffin was saying that the (very costly) outside trainers are of dubious benefit anyway.

That's what I said some time ago too. Often the people who most resent the INSET are the teachers who'd rather be teaching or at least making their own priorities about what work they do.

"Feenie, it is not up to you to tell me what I find hurtful or not. That is just more evidence of your lack of empathy or respect."

You asked me repeatedly what I thought about the things which had been said to you, so I answered you at your own request.

I haven't been disrespectful towards you. I have just pointed out that bleating about attitudes towards you is a bit rich, to say the least, given your terrible lack of empathy towards a poster with severe PND and one who was widowed.

What you are proposing is lengthening the school year by 5 days then boff? And paying teachers accordingly? Because if we have to teach the days that we currently have as training days, that is lengthening the term for the students effectively.

We already do disaggregated training, so three of our training days are tacked onto holidays, and we have directed time until 5.30 one day a week. I hate it. I find there is very little motivation or engagement, and also of course we tend to rely on in house CPD provision. Which is not alwys great.

I think teachers have got to be more realistic about holidays in the current climate.

School holidays are based on arrangements for harvest from centuries ago. They are currently too long for the children.

Both sides have to give, mrx. At the moment teachers are doing themselves the most appalling disservice in terms of public relations.

BoffinMum really?

Teachers work pretty hard during term time, and if you amortise those hours over the school year, they do as much as many other professionals.

That was why I though 30 hours would not be completely bonkers, expecially if teachers were paid extra.

I would have bitten someone's hand off if they offered this, when I was teaching. I often did extra CPD in my own time anyway, at my own expense sometimes.

I would however very much like three days in the holidays of concentrated CPD. That would I think ne effective. I wouldn't like to lose the first day of the school year, which I think is very necessary, or our coursework moderation day after Easter. Both are of course on the end of holidays though.

Blimey! Is this still going?

Fivecandles Can you not come to some arrangement with other parents in your DCs' class that they take your DC on Inset days and you return the favour in the long holidays?

After spending a whole term in ds3 classroom so I was on hand for anythinv that cropped up with his sn .Mind they also made good use of extra pair of hands to and yes I enjoyed it .But it opened my eyes to just how much goes into a school day and all the preparation required as I was helping with prep for ds3 with his ta and that's just for one dc let skins class oc 30

Then there's the addtional training know they spent whole inset day learning signing etc so afraid I'm with the teachers with this one

Feenie, 'bleating' is a loaded and highly offensive word. I think you need to look at my comments in context. I was offended by her previous insults not least being called 'pathetic' and the implication that parents like me resented looking after our own children and I said that some of her points such as her suggestion that i should reconsider my job because I have noone to look after my children during 5 days of INSET were 'bonkers' because they were. Obviously I couldn't know that she had PND at the time. Can we move on from there? Because you are sounding increasingly and unnecessarily hostile.

Contractually teachers don't have holidays anyway, they only have 'permission to be absent from school'. So to be seeing the whole 13 weeks as holiday is fuelling the idea that teachers are a bit lazy and only work the equivalent of 3/4 of the year for a full time salary, which is not very accurate.

Oh and I have 4 dc 3 school age all at differnt schools with differnt days

But can understand why teachers need them

I agree Boffin. School term dates were set by medieval harvest arrangements and the long holidays are not helpful for our children. Teachers need to be more realistic. It would be better for all of us if we could work more evenly thoughout the year rather than the all or nothing approach as it stands.

'Can you not come to some arrangement with other parents in your DCs' class that they take your DC on Inset days and you return the favour in the long holidays?'

Sometimes I do this with 1 child but I find that there are lots of onlies in my dcs' school. I've yet to find anyone who could cope with both my 2 for a whole day.

I actually suggested to our school they consider having a system whereby teachers and parents could 'book' holidays like in the workplace. Nurseries work on this basis. People couldn't get their heads around it at all. Shame.

I often do extra CPD in my own time too Boffinmum and at my own expenSe.
I'm a SENCO so like to attend NASEN live during school holidays and have attended a number of weekend conferences because they have been led by experts who's opinion I respect.
I've experienced good and bad CPD over the years ranging from tidy your classroom to some fantastic thought provoking speakers who leave you fired up and raring to try out ideas immediately.

However I remember Ted Wragg writing many years ago that he had over 1000 requests to deliver CPD each month so not sure if putting all CPD into a certain time frame will improve CPD or limit the availability of inspirational speakers.

My comment about holidays was really for the pupils.

The school I teach at, and the school my DC go to, put the training days immediately before or after a holiday, so they are definitely holiday for the pupils. And stopping them being training days would lengthen the school year for the pupils.

So you are proposing increasing the time children spend at school, leaving teachers to one side for a minute?

I would rather have less contact hours per week and less holidays. In such an arrangement you could have CPD time built in on almost a weekly basis. An hour a week where you met with you HOD or did some research or worked towards a further qualification, for example. INSET priorities are currently chosen by senior managment and are often at odds with your departmental or personal priorities.