Teacher and maternity

[eskimod]

In a nut shell... so staff can have extra days off (I think 1 extra day at Easter and 2 in summer to make it a 7 week hol) we are doing extra staff meetings. Which is fine. However, I'm pregnant and will be on maternity before Easter and summer.
My question is... Should I still be expected to attend these extra staff meetings after school if I'm not actually going to benefit from these extra days? I won't be at school!
Any advice would be appreciated!

I imagine you would need to so that you have completed your years CPD. Otherwise you are asking them to positively discriminate based on your pregnancy. You will be having those days off - on maternity. Also you may need the training for the time you are in school before maternity starts.

We've had twilights like this throughout the year for past couple of years or so.
We are told that, if part time, you only need to attend the ones for the inset days you'd be working.

So in the summer the two insets will be a Monday and Tuesday - so you only do the corresponding twilights, regardless of which day they occur - or you can be paid to do them if you prefer.

Not sure what would happen for maternity leave if know you're not going to be there, but as it's a planned absence I suspect you wouldn't technically have to. However depending on what is happening on these twilights it might be worth doing anyway.

Supposing you have the choice to attend or not, it may be wise for you to attend regardless. Being in maternity means missing out on a lot of things.

@1ToughCookie yes there's obviously some meetings that I'll need and want to attend but I know there's some pointless ones scheduled that are only scheduled so we 'do enough hours'
My feeling is that I should only be expected to do some but not all. I'm sure they might find a way to make me attend though 🙄

@Aragog yes our part time staff are not expected to do all inset meetings and have been told that they don't have to attend all of these extra meetings. As I'm only going to be working half the year, I wondered if this would also apply to me? I asked my head and sage doesn't even know the answer so needs to ask HR.

SLT told me not to worry about doing my CPD hours as I couldn’t be expected to do a year’s worth when I was leaving for maternity

@Morningonthebeach do you think it's still considered as having the 'days off' if I'm on maternity? I won't be getting full pay for the days off because of maternity pay and actually isn't maternity a right/ entitlement that is separate to my normal work?
I'm not arguing about normal weekly inset meetings as I would of course attend these and I would also go to any really important additional meetings if I needed to but I'm not sure it's fair to expect me to attend extra meetings when part time
Staff aren't expected to?

I dont know but I also dont know why you would go out of your way to be difficult because of maternity especially if youre hoping to negotiate and PT arrangement afterwards.

@Scarydinosaurs this is my thoughts! I won't go up the pay scale next year I'm guessing because I will have only completed half the year at work. They should provide the most useful CPD now for me to put into practise while I'm there? Again, I'll attend the normal weekly CPD but it's the extra ones I have a problem with because I won't actually be there! Staff voted to do the extra meetings so they could have longer hols but my thoughts aren't relevant because it doesn't apply to me?!

@Thenotes I already know I won't get part time when I return. They say no to everyone because we already have 3 part time teachers.

I always go above and beyond and get no thanks, in fact they expect more and more just because I'm apparently a consistently outstanding teacher. I'm not UPS or anything.
I'm not especially trying to be difficult in fact some people are far more difficult than me. I just genuinely don't agree that I should be expected to do extra when I won't get any benefit from it. 🤷🏼‍♀️

Everywhere I've ever worked, except in schools, training has been considered a benefit and a priveledge to be welcomed and snapped up when the opportunity is offered

I won't go up the pay scale next year I'm guessing because I will have only completed half the year at work

This shouldn't be the case - you should be treated as if you'd been at work.

I also wouldn't make a fuss about this. I suspect if you do they'll give in and not make you go, but it'll cost you more goodwill than it's worth.

@Thenotes yes I agree, sometimes it is very good but some of the meetings are not training. We literally sit there and listen to someone reading a report etc etc. Some meetings are literally scheduled just so they can say we've done 'enough hours'
Like I said, if it's important or I needed it I would go but as I'm sure you can agree if you teach, most of the time you're time is better spent marking or planning lessons at home!

@LisaSimpsonsbff I'm sure this is supposed to be the case but I bet they'll argue I shouldn't move up the pay scale because I only work half the year 😕
I understand what you're saying but we already don't really get much good will... can you tell morale isn't so great at our school at the moment?! Lol

I read your other thread in the staffroom. I’m sorry that morale is low in your school but you should do the twilights. You don’t know what support or adjustments you might need in late pregnancy and it’s wise to do what you can to top up your goodwill bank. Sometimes it goes the other way- I returned to work in the summer term and benefited from disaggregated days which had been taken as twilights when I was off.

Incidentally as @LisaSimpsonsbff says, it would be discriminatory for them to refuse you a pay award due to maternity leave. Make sure that your PM targets are in place before you go on mat leave.

Yes I think you are required to do them. It will be part of your directed hours. Doesn't matter if you won't be there in Summer to 'get the time off' as it's part of your job which you are currently employed to do. The part time staff thing is a red herring. Their contracts are part time and they're paid a part time wage which is why they are only required to do a percentage of insets.

@BlueBilledBeatboxingBird yeah I get where you're coming from. It's just hard to think that way when morale is so low 😩

Thanks for the tip, I'll make sure that's all sorted before I leave!

Thanks for the advice everyone. I've had a mixed bag of replies and advice so will just have to see what they say.

@WombatStewForTea ah ok. Well I've asked, the head is speaking to HR tomorrow so I'll keep you all posted.

The head had the meeting with HR today and it turns out that because I won't be having the 'days off' I don't have to come to the extra meetings. Also, as I'm working only half the year i don't actually have to go to all the normal weekly meetings (but I will) because my directed time is indeed different because I'm only working half the year. If I do attend extra meetings, the head said she will pay me for them!
I'm not looking for payment for going it's just when I feel crap, I want the option to be able to go home instead. 😊

Thanks for all your advise!

So pleased you got a good answer!

@Scarydinosaurs I'm just pleased I have the option when I'm feeling tired!

Absolutely! You can use your professional judgement about going or not.