Any teachers taken compassionate leave due to family illness?

[cb2ndtimer]

My Mum was diagnosed with cancer this week and is going to the hospital on Wednesday to discuss her treatment plan - likely to be chemo from what I understand.
I would like to be able to support her at appointments and wondered if any teachers have any experience of being allowed time off to support a parent in similar circumstances.

I have no advice other than suggest that you put something in writing that explains what is going on and then request a meeting. Any good employer should be willing to discuss flexibility during what will be a difficult time, so that you can be as effective employee as you can be. Not all employers are good employers. My cousin who was a teacher said her employers were amazing in similar circumstances.

Aside from that can I offer my sympathy. Your mother will need your support and you are right to want to give it.

Go and talk to your HT - As a CoG I have agreed to this for two HTs, both of whose partners were and are terminally ill. For the first Head, her partner had breast cancer and we sat down as a group to plan what would happen when she was unable to come into school, we took the unusual step of agreeing an extraordinary leave of absence for half a term and the second half of term was signed off by her GP.

For the second Head, her husband has stomach cancer, she uses her agreed Working At Home day to accommodate hospital visits and lets me and the school know when these are happening. I know that this time is made up over the rest of the week and we have made similar arrangements for various staff to step up, when things worsen.

All of this has been done in consultation with our HR provider and the LA, frankly if I had not agreed to this I am not sure I could look at myself in the mirror, although I do realise that it might be difficult for schools who do not have a healthy budget.

So please go and talk to your HT and see what can be done and I hope that your mum responds really well to her treatment.

Thankyou for your advice and support. I have checked our leave of absence policy which allows up to 5 days of leave for illness of a near relative.
I am back in school for Inset tomorrow and will inform the HT of the situation. I only teach from Wednesday afternoon onwards (job share) so should be able to make this weeks morning appointment without any disruption.

Also my job share has offered to help out as much as she can which will help.

Just a waiting game now to see what the plan is for Mum's treatment.