AIBU to suggest that an INSET day on 12th September is annoying?

[Kbear]

1 and 2 Sept were INSET days and they went back on 3 Sept. Another INSET day this soon is annoying. Get 'em in and keep 'em in I say!! Seriously, when you've juggled days off work all summer another INSET day this soon is a PITA. Couldn't they tag it on to half term so if you're going away you get an extra day, or something useful like that?

[Hmm] Am guessing from the deafening silence that you were warned months in advance!

thanks for clarifying it for me Hula.

Don't all jump on me, I'm not having a go at teachers at all. But sometimes the defensives are way up when you question the teensiest thing about teaching and schools.

And I got a letter from school tonight about the INSET day so not much notice.

If nyone fancies the 13 weeks holidays - no problem, go for it. Lots of shortages for teachers, esp in secondary.

Feenie, you must be a teacher, you sound like one. HMMMMMMM

I would certinaly not be happy with such short nitce of an INSET day. TBH I would probably go in and complain. Def not on. That is a week's notice?

The holidays are great in that they do give you some extra flexibility, but for that flexibility we are paid less. It is a trade off that I'm personally very happy to make, but it doesn't come without a downside

I don't do as much work as other teachers in the holidays, but I possibly do more in the working week.

At present I get into school at 8, and I leave at 4.30. I then do another 2 hours an night, and also spend about 4 hours planning/marking on the weekend

Hula, that is my point. The notice.

Teacher way underpaid, definitely.

See I love ya, all of ya!!

The notic for this isn't on. I would have a word with the school.

the irritation for we teachers is that the second someone mentions INSET there is always a post that says, 'Why can't they have INSET in the holodays which are so long etc etc?'

when we post saying that they were taken from the teachers holiday time, the poster seldom then says anything!

Re, notice - you need to go in and express yur thoughts. make sre school know it is a problem.

No way could working parents on the whole be able to sort this out at such shrt notice.

Are you sure you haven't missed a letter at all?

I am Mrs Organisation Hula, I get the list of dates at the start of time and meticulously write them on the calendar and in my diary. I even keep the lists from last year to double check I haven't missed anything. I am the person people ring when they are not sure if it is non-uniform day or an INSET day or wear red to school for no apparent reason day!!

Agree with mb and others, notice is well out of order, there would be uproar at our school.

It was meant to be a hmm emoticon, not just a teacher emoticon, is it??!

Usually I love an INSET day, good opportunity for a day out without the rest of the world's kids there too.

Bit sarky I felt Feenie, as I had only posted two minutes prior to your "deafening silence" remark.

Still let's not fall out!

I am not a teacher, I work in IT support. I also get paid in 12 monthly installments. My job is nice as I only work 37 hours a week, but I get paid peanuts.

I get 11 weeks of holiday a year as I work in a school. (Term time plus five days) I have no flexiblity when I take my holiday though and it can be an absolute PITA.

For example this week my son has been off with flu. (Ie. proper flu not manflu) There is no way I can take him to work me as he has be throwing up everywhere. My husband was off with him for two days and I was off with him for a day and half.

My school has been very kind in that they have given me compassionate leave, but a lot of schools would make me take the leave unpaid.

A school will begrudely give time off for dependents because the law forces them to, but the amount of guilt heaped on is horrendous.

Just wanted a confused face because I had asked you twice, 'tis all.

Not wanting to fall out either! I would have a moan to the school re the lack of notice - I would moan to the head as a teacher or a parent if the same happened in our school. It's not on.

I agree that the notice for your INSET day is too short, but not the fault of the teachers, and possibly determined by factors beyond the school's control.

Training days are fab(if childcare is not a problem, obviously), it's great taking dcs to theme parks etc that are practically child free.

IMVHO, school is not there to provide childcare whilst parents work. They must provide your child's education, childcare is the parent's responsabilty.

However, YANBU about the amount of notice you have been given, unless the school has only just arranged the INSET day with an outside service.

I know that they are not there to provide childcare while parents work but the reality is in 2008 most parents both work and it can be a problem. Our employers can be as grudging as yours when our kids are ill or have a day off school.

This wasn't supposed to be a thread about teachers, it was about last minute notice about inset days of which teachers have no control but the headteacher presumably does.

To a degree it sort of depends what the inset is about. If they have an area flagged up for development and the key person in that area is suddenly available, then they might have to jump at v short notice. But it is a PITA, and the teacher who have kids in the same school will be just as miffed, I expect

I know you didn't start the thread to bash teachers, Kbear.

But someone else said that the teachers should work in their already unpaid holidays so parents would not have to arrange childcare

Kbear,

I don't think you understand. I do not get any say when I take annual leave. You may get 20 days a year, but you have some choice when you take the days. By law your employer has to allow you some annual leave.

I cannot take an inset day off which makes a childcare a bigger nightmare. It is absolutely non negiogable. For most people who work in schools any time taken off during term time is unpaid unless the person is ill.

I have worked in the commerial world and I know that you do get a some annual leave. When I worked in the private sector I could usually get a day off provided I gave my employer a month's notice. It is worst in a summer holidays as everyone wants time of in August. Inset days at weird times are generally easy to accomodiate.

I can't see why you are complaining, most schools only have five inset days a year. Even then a lot of schools do twilight inset days, ie training in the evening. Its really hard doing a twilight inset day after a heavy day of teaching. In reality you only got the odd day in the middle of term.

It also has to be remembered that teachers have to do parents evenings and sometimes concerts as well.

The parents at the special school I work at have it far harder. We have far more training days than a mainstream school because the kids are so much more challenging. In theory we only have 5 inset days a year, but we have 2 health and safey days a year and a tutorial day each term where IEP are sorted out as well.

we have one on the 22nd September
Would have thought it could have been added on to half term too

Sometimes , if the INSET is being run by an external person/agency, term time dates are the only ones available.

sorry I didn't mean in half term , I mant the week beofre or after

but I see your point that maybe the school can't dictate dates

Lots of INSETs are run internally. Many schools run them as twilight sessions after a normal school day, so the parents would be unaware that they are happening.

But schools do get external people in, many of these are experts in their field, and are in demand. Our last one of this type was on G and T children.

And if schools do tag an inset onto the end of a holiday someone on MN will always post 'Why can't they run the training in the oh so long holidays!!!!!!!?'

basically we can't win