ROISIN Are you about??

[MaureenMLove]

Well, I've seen you, so I know you've been here!

Just a few questions for you. Still trying to get the best out of our CS department!

The person in charge of setting your day to day cover. Does she/he give you your timetable in the morning and then set you on your merry way? What happens if you get an emergency cover during the day? How does she find you or are you always where your timetable says you are?

We had a situation today, where I was in a lesson, so couldn't leave and a cover came up. I knew I had a free body somewhere, as she had just had a lesson cancelled. She told me she was going to support another CS, in a tricky class, but along the way, she spotted another CS, who needed more support. Therefore, when I called her in the room I thought she was in, she wasn't and I couldn't find her!! Head teacher ended up doing the cover!

Hello! I'm here.

The person in charge of setting cover puts up a timetable in the staffroom "the cover board". This has all details for all cover for the whole day - ie staff absent, which classes they have, what rooms, and who is covering.

She also keeps a copy of this and a copy goes to reception (so that we can be found).

When emergency cover comes up she will contact us in the first instance by email and request confirmation. If she doesn't hear from us she comes looking. My office is nearest to her, so if she's stuck I often get lumbered

Generally we can be tricky to find, as we spend a lot of time walking round the building sorting things out, doing displays, liaising with staff, etc.

I'm pretty good and let her know if I am going to be out of my office and away from my laptop for an extended period, otherwise I always check my email at least every hour.

Some other CS are a bit sneaky and sometimes hide away, but she is wise to this and gets them back!

In your position I think you need to have someone you can delegate to when you are covering. If an emergency cover comes up, someone needs to be free to walk around and find a staff member to cover that class.

In our school if they're really stuck, then the Head of Department has to put two classes together and cope until cover staff are located.

"Emergency Cover" should rarely happen (IMO) and happens too often in my school. When it does it's all hands on deck.

She often has to use teaching staff for emergency cover, because she hasn't allowed for it in planning supply for the day.

Also, the theory is if teaching staff know they may be used for cover if a colleague goes home sick during the day, and vice versa, then they are more likely to soldier on if they possibly can.

Thanks Roisin. Been a busy evening.

We're not allowed to use normal teaching staff. We can use Senior leadership though, so we do have extra people, if we're stuck.

I also have a radio, so I can contact all office staff and leadership, so they do the running around for me if necessary! My problem came up, because the CS I was looking for was on the field assisting a PE lesson! I put a call out on the tannoy(sp?) and obviously she didn't hear it! I think I may have secure a few radios for them today actually, so that'll make things slightly easier.

Sounds like we are moving in the right direction. We are starting to sound like, we work along similar lines to you! I really wasn't sure at the start, if we'd make it!

We've certainly come a long way. We've decided that we will support and do as we are told re: long term cover until July. Afterall, we want to keep our jobs (made some redundancies last term) and we are doing it for the continuity of the kids. Come September though, we are going to get tough! 3 day cover rule will come into play and we'll be determined about that!

I posted for you something about that last week actually. There was an article on CS's on the BBC website. It was one day last week I think. Search me for the Easter hols and you might find it. Interesting reading.

Thanks for all your help and keeping me positive!

I'm glad it's working out for you MM. Lots of schools/teachers don't like CS, because there hasn't been someone like you battling and working hard to make the system work for everybody.

When it functions well, teaching staff seem to love it.

FYI we very, very rarely use teaching staff. ie never for planned absences (courses, meetings etc.) or when someone has phoned in sick.

But we are allowed to use them 'in an emergency'. This can kick in when someone needs cover for a meeting but has forgotten to put a slip in, and also when someone goes home sick during the course of the day.

These are situations the cover manager cannot plan for, so occasionally it is necessary. (Generally our staff do no more than 3 hrs of cover per year - i.e. 1 a term.)

Also having this policy means they do continue to 'think' about cover and cover implications occasionally, rather than just getting into the mindset (that happens very quickly) that cover isn't their problem and someone else will sort it all out.

Oh, one rider to that. We have lots of events where whole year groups of students are off timetable, doing trips, special activities, workshops, study skills days, etc.

When this happens the teachers who are freed up from not teaching those students, are used to cover for the staff who are running the activity.