Teachers or anyone really how ill do you have to be to stay off work?

[flouncerpoppedbackforadvice]

I am on my third nasty bug of the term, have had 2 days off so far and am home today.

On Thursday I had a headache and sore throat but went in. On Friday I went in to teach with no voice and genuinely thought I was going to pass out with exhuastion. My head was banging, there was not way I could teach but feeling guilty I went in.

This weekend I have been ill all weekend in bed, awful coughing fits which have left me very sore, real dizziness, complete exhaustion and awful headaches whicb i think are sinisitus. I have made my whole family ill as well. I think I am fine until I go to do something, if I get out of bed or even sit up the whole room spins. If I try to talk I get a mad coughing fit which leaves me in agony.

I wamted to go to work today but dp phoned up the teacher who I go in with an told he not to collect me and turned the alarm off so I slept through.

I just know I am going to get into trouble when I get back to work but I do feel awful and know if I went in to work I would just make others ill over Christmas.

My current school is very good about things like workload although I have been teaching in a portacabin classroom for months which has an average temperature of between 4 and 10 degrees C. The last week it was 2 degrees for 2 days.

But for the reasons you said Roisin there is almost zero tolerance of absence,.

There are legally mandated minimum classroom temps. you should discuss this with your union rep.

Unfair on you and the kids

We were told there is no minimum temperature for a public services building, I let the kids wear jackets, gloves, scarves etc. The other rooms all have portable heaters but I teach in an open corridor so there is no point as the heat just escapes and the space I teach in is huge so it would not have any effect even if I had 4 walls. I am moving into my new block in Feb and can't wait to be honest as my class room is used as a dining room and common room at breaks and lunch.

We also have no union rep and no one is willing to stand as one.

At my school, nobody minds covering, or running around sorting cover work, for someone who is obviously genuinely ill. We have had people taking advantage, but they got the benefit of the doubt for a long time. You don't get medals for soldiering on. Nobody is going to give you a certificate on your death bed for going into work when you're ill. You'll do a crap job and the kids would be better off with a cover teacher - even someone sitting at the front marking is better than someone coughing, feeling dizzy and getting irritable at everything because they feel so awful. Set some DVDs to watch and stay off.

My school never closes, even in sub-zero temparatures when the heating breaks. We have also been told that there is no minimum legal temperature for schools.

Thermals may be the way forward!

Badger I don't mind doing it either tbh, one of my colleagues was off for a few weeks last month so I gave up my frees and swopped some classes so that I could take her exam classes. I was happy to do it, one because I know she was really ill and two because I want the kids to do well.

I know on Friday I was useless, I had to "teach" using a little whiteboard to let the class know what they were doing and relying on DVDs. I was also very irritable and had a huge fall out with a member of my form.

They are telling you porkie pies girls.

This from an NUT document just culled from the interweb

'Heating Standards for Schools

Minimum Temperatures

The legal requirements which specify the minimum temperatures which must be maintained in school classrooms are set out in the Education School Premises Regulations 1999. DfES guidance on meeting these requirements is set out in DfES Guidance 0029/2000, Standards for School Premises.

The Education (School Premises) Regulations require that schools must have heating systems capable of maintaining specified minimum temperatures. They also require that school rooms are actually heated up to at least those minimum temperatures and the temperatures maintained for as long as the rooms are used for their normal purpose.

The Regulations provide that, in areas where there is the normal level of physical activity associated with teaching, the appropriate minimum temperature is 18ºC (64.4ºF). In areas where there is a lower than normal level of activity (e.g. sick rooms) or higher than normal level of activity (e.g. gymnasia and also washrooms), the appropriate minimum temperatures are 21ºC and 15ºC respectively. Temperatures in school classrooms should therefore be at least 18ºC (64.4ºF).

The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, which apply to all workplaces, also set out requirements on minimum temperatures in workplaces. Regulation 7 requires that temperatures shall be ?reasonable? and the accompanying HSC Approved Code of Practice defines this as "normally at least 16°C" (60°F) (para 43) during ?the length of time people are likely to be there? (para 49). Although this is lower than the minimum temperature normally required by the Education (School Premises) Regulations, it applies to non-teaching areas as well as classrooms and also applies outside school session times.

Maximum Temperatures

There are no legally-prescribed maximum temperatures for school premises or other workplaces. The Workplace Regulations and accompanying HSC Approved Code of Practice require, however, that all reasonable steps are taken to achieve a reasonably comfortable temperature by, where necessary, special ventilation measures including provision for fans. DfES Guidance 0029/2000, Standards for School Premises, includes specific standards for ventilation in school buildings.'

sorry that is a long cut and paste, but I felt it improtant that you get the detail

I think the school's insurance shoulf kick in after three days of absence. If you are ill, stay home and get better. I ended up with a ripped lung when I kept going and fluid in the cavity beyond my lung.

Now when i am ill, I stay at home. In the first couple of years of teaching you catch everything, then it gets better!

Get better, and teach well.

Twinset, my friend teached in a school thta has an almost zero tolerance for absence also, and finds it tough going.

They too have back to work "chats".

However, they were very understanding when a member of staff was off for depression for quite a long time, so i guess that's good.

I htink it costs the school both the salary of the teacher, plus the supply costs? And this particular school seems broke.

Hope you feel better soon

My room has never ever been anywhere near 18 degrees.

I have just remembered that I was supposed to be taking food to a homeless shelter today as well, but dp just laughed when I told him that and said me turning up and making them ill would not be much of a gift.

I have been teacing for 6 or 7 years so not a newbie but am new to the area.

If you are moving in Feb I can see that it might not be worth your while raising the issue.

But it is useful to know this.

It isn't worthwhile to be honest and if I rock the boat I could loose my new classroom which by rights i should not have. But the portacabins have been there for almost 7 years and lessons have been happening in those conditions.

flouncerpoppedbackforadvice,
I'm right in thinking you got a job interview on Thursday, from this thread.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/education/661784-What-would-you-like-to-see-on-a-school-websi te?pg=4

I hope you are feeling better and the interview goes well.

The school I work at is nowhere near as harsh. In fact I think that by being a good employer they get more out of the staff at all levels. I have been told that when I get to the third trimester, that I might be able to reduce my hours a little bit and still get paid full time. Can you think of a nicer employer than that!

I think a zero tolerance on being absent due to illness is at best silly and at worst outright dangerous.

Yes I have an interview on Thursday which is why I need to be back at school.

I don't know what to make of the harshness of the school, it is by far the most professional and most successful school I have worked at and the staff work harder and with more success than anywhere else I work. A lot is expected of us and we give it because we know we are lucky to work there.

I have worked in places more tolerant of staff absence and they have been a shambles, perhaps the 2 are related. I dont know.

When I say zero tolerance they don;t stop you from having the time but back to work interviews happen and they are often difficult. There is a frostiness when you get back as well and people with less absence or who are seen as the teachers who go the extra mile are treated favourably. THere is an award for those staff with 0 absence.

Hope that the interview goes well.

I think that there is a middle ground that management need to tread. Yes, you have to encourage people to be professional, but even the most professional of people get ill.

I've had a day off this term because ds was vomiting in the night. and I have just had a week off as my mother died a week last Friday. the only comments that I had today were supportive ones.

I agree but that middle ground can be very hard to tread especially as the people who make it into SMT tend to be married to the job or complete workaholics and just dont get it when others are not the same.

I know because I am a total workaholic, married to the job perfectionist and it is a trait that does not always do me favours withh colleagues but does get me promoted quickly.

So sorry about your mother, MB. What a year.

The school I work in has back to work interviews for repeated absence, but not for just having a day or two off because of illness, once in a blue moon. That is just plain silly and a waste of everyone's time.

There has to be balance with stopping people taking the piss and supporting those with true illness. If the staff is happy then they will be loyal and not take the piss.

If there are repeated probs people can be sent to occupational heath chappies.

Never known it happen as people are, in geneal, happy and don't take the piss

What are the awards for staff with zero absence?! I've never heard of that before.

MB, sorry to hear about your mother.

TWAP, how are you feeling today?

Whenever DW (teacher) has been off sick she has sent in work to cover. If she doesn't do it nobody else will. That does indeed involve being up early to email it. It used to involve my taking it round to a colleague who lived nearby, or that colleague stopping off at ours to pick it up.

MB - hope you are OK, I am so sorry to hear about your Mum.

Twinset - I had missed you - set GCSE questions and A level questions to be done in the lesson, and then get them to peer mark them with a mark scheme.

Incidentally, Edexcel are recruiting atm for June 09, and I have had a contract through today. It's roughly £850 for marking the whole lot on time (includes bonus) plus £15 for internet connection and £50 for online standardisation. There's also a bonus if you mark more.

roisin it is only a certificate.

Well I went in today and must have been visibly unwell as I was approached by SMT and told that they were worried about me being in and that I could go back home there and then if I wanted or if I needed covering or relieving in the day I must let them know, I then got a sympathy squeeze - so I must have earned my stripes.

I am OKish though, was a bit crabby with the kids, but apologised, they are nice kids and know we are only human. I did get to see my new classroom which was very exciting.

I am exhausted now though and had a bit of a funny turn walking home with our Christmas baking shopping.

Thanks for the info about marking scary teacher, I would like to mark for OCR as that is the board I teach as well. Will look into it .

We get £100 voucher for 100% attendance over the whole year - a gift from the governors.

Hope you're feeling better.