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Original poster

Teachers - are you allowed time off to see your childrens' christmas shows?

57 replies

puddle · 12/12/2006 16:42

A bit of a rant really.

This is the second year that dp (a teacher) hasn't been allowed to have a couple of hours off so that he can see ds performing in his christmas show.

many teachers would say that the thing that makes the difference with children is parental support at school. It makes me so cross that dp who spends his time supporting and teaching other children, isn't allowed to support his own child once a year. DS is very sad he can't make it this year - he has a speaking part.

Are you allowed time off? Is it pretty much the norm that all teachers miss this sort of thing in their childrens'lives?

OP posts:
Ceolas · 12/12/2006 19:20

My DH will manage this year and did last year

janeite · 12/12/2006 19:47

I'm a teacher and haven't seen many of my children's plays. In fact, am missing dd2's tomorrow. To be honest, the only time I've ever asked to go has been when I had a free period at the time it was happening and then I've been allowed. I wouldn't ask otherwise. Dp has always been able to fit his work around them though, so that makes me feel a bit less guilty.

hulababy · 12/12/2006 19:57

This is one of the things I factored in when making my decision to leave teaching. I didn't want to miss DD's first nativity, concerts, assemblies, etc. and knew there was no way I'd be allowed the time out.

Parental support is important, especially to little children, IMO and often schools make a big thing about this in newsletters to aprents. Yet, they fail to find ways to let their own parent teachers give their children the same support. I am sure if schools really wanted to there are ways round this. Myabe not everyone every year, but somehow.

hulababy · 12/12/2006 19:59

I would be very happy for my child's teacher to miss a morning or afternoon session to support their chilld. I'd rather they had time off for that than some of the training courses I have been to whilst teaching!

Judy1234 · 12/12/2006 20:00

In fact this myth that teaching is the right job if you have children isn't correct. My ex husband had much less flexibility in his job as a teacher than I had because I can largely plan my meetings and engagements but for him if it were school hours he had to be there.

Original poster
puddle · 12/12/2006 20:02

Hulababy - exactly. As you say you don't expect to be able to go to every assembly, sports day etc but on one occasion a year should be possible I think.

OP posts:
Original poster
puddle · 12/12/2006 20:04

I think also when they get older the events tend to be in the evenings so it's really a very small amount of time when teachers who are parents need this sort of flexibility.

OP posts:
ptmum · 12/12/2006 20:11

I think its swings and roundabouts - no ,us teachers dont have much flexibility in term time ,( though as people have said it is really downto the head) but we do get the chance to take longer summer holodays. My brother works in the private sector and can get half a day for school plays, sports day etc but can only have shorter summer hols and is even then bothered by phonecalls from work. As long as one parent can get to performances etc I think thats ok.

twinsetandpearls · 12/12/2006 20:13

luckily dd show clashes with my other job who have no issue with me taking time to see dd show but I am certain thatI would be allowed to go and see it. Have been given the time to see assemblies before.

PanicPressiePants · 12/12/2006 20:15

I couldn't get time off to see ds if he was in a play either

JollyOldSaintNikkielas · 12/12/2006 20:15

I am a TA and I can have have the time if I can swap days with my job share , as she is at Uni its not always possible.This time and last year the Xmas performance at my school and the kids school was on the same day but it was my day off so it worked out.
SMT is usually fair about having unpaid leave for things like this as long as it doesn't clash with anyone else/anything happening in school.Just the problem with my job is that there is only the 2 of us that can do it so its more difficult.

Donk · 12/12/2006 20:25

Hmm, if the HT doesn't want you to have time off, then 'red book' conditions are pretty restrictive. You can go to funerals, weddings and degree days for 'close relatives' i.e. parents, siblings, sons and daughters. But thats it!
My last head even tried to stop someone going to their OWN wedding - until the union pointed out that he couldn't!
'Personal days' depend on the Head - I tried to take a personal day to go to the memorial service for my best friend. He wouldn't even let me go when (having talked to colleagues, and having the support of both deputies) I asked for half a day's unpaid leave, which would not have involved any cover whatsoever.......

TillyRose · 12/12/2006 20:31

TBH there are alot of jobs where you acn't get time off to go to school plays etc. I am not sure if I would think it OK if my dc's teachers all missed a morning or afternoon to go these.

Original poster
puddle · 12/12/2006 20:40

Donk that's really awful about your friend's memorial service.

Tilly I am absolutely sure you're right that there ae jobs where it's hard to get time off. What I find hard to reconcile is that schools accept that the support of parents is key in the child's success at school and them make it impossible for their teachers to give that very support to their own children.

OP posts:
MordecaiAliVanAllenOShea · 12/12/2006 20:42

Yes but if there are 15 teachers with kids in a school and each had 2 kids, then that is 30 sessions off school. No school could financially or logistically accommodate that.

hannahsaunt · 12/12/2006 20:48

Evening things would be great but our school has a policy of everything involving children must be scheduled between 9.00am and 3.15pm as they're not paid to do any more than that...

My work is very flexible and accommodating (university) but sick patients aren't quite so accommodating and dh has made it to v few school/nursery events to see either of our children. It's not just teachers.

Original poster
puddle · 12/12/2006 20:49

Well in that case the school would have a good reason for limiting time off and also staggering it - eg you wouldn't be able to have every Xmas.

In my dp's case he is one of only two staff out of a department of 20 who have children.

At my ds's school out of 12 teaching staff only three have infant/ junior school aged kids.

As I said, once they get older there are opportunities to attend events and performances in the evening.

OP posts:
Mog · 12/12/2006 21:03

Let's be honest, not a whole lot of work goes on in the last week of school before Christmas. Kids are too excited for one thing. Think it's only fair if teachers could get time off - how many hours extra do they spend getting our children ready to perform. And they probably wouldn't miss a whole morning.
most nativities I've been to you could be there and back in an hour.

roseylea · 12/12/2006 21:13

I was lucky enough to be able to go to my dd's nativity play this morning and yes I was there and back in an hour. (I used to be a secondary teacher and now am a library-based teacher).

It's a tiny weeny amount of time to have off. But it means so much! thankfully my headteacher was understanding. And I must say it wuoild be a big factor in my decision whether or not to go back to work, whether I was able to go to these specila things or not. I'd hate to miss them.

fizzbuzz · 12/12/2006 21:18

Ooooh I must be v lucky. My school will bend over backwards to help you in this. We usually manage to do it by internal cover, eg. begging nice colleague to cover your lesson, and you repay them at a later date.

Have to say though if this can't be sorted Senior Management are usually quite helpful.

Sorry

Celia2 · 12/12/2006 23:05

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

blackandwhitecat · 13/12/2006 10:37

Really depends on who you teach and at what level. I teach at 6th form level and my students have exams in January (the week after we come back) so it would be pretty hard to justify taking time off for any reason right now. Have had to send my dds to school/ nursery when they've not been 100% for this reason also. I haven't heard any of other teachers asking for time off for children's shows etc at my place because they probably feel the same as I do. However, I 'm sure that there are those who kind of work around the system unofficaially (e.g. swap a lesson around or set exam practice or whatever)like I will do tomorrow. I wouldn't be happy if my dds were about to sit their AS/A2 exams or other exams and their teacher took time off for any reason but if I taught at primary level or early secondary or my kids were at this stage I probably wouldn't mind. I know a lot of schools use this time of year just to show videos or do quizzes anyway so that wouldn't be a problem.

Glitterygookwithchocsonthetree · 13/12/2006 10:40

My friend is a teacher at a different school to her ds and she can't get to see the performances. She was quite upset really - she only works mornings but all our shows were in the morning so she couldn't get to any

Waswondering · 13/12/2006 10:46

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

slug · 13/12/2006 10:46

As I type the sluglet is being an angel in her first ever Christmas play. I'm gutted I can't go, but that's the price you pay for doing this job.

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