Pregnant and teaching - what are you doing at 28 weeks?

[Pixielou16]

Looking for some advice. I am 20 weeks and have been in discussion with my head about what to do at 28 weeks. My head is reluctant to allow me to work from home from 28 weeks, although it is current guidance from RCOG. I would prefer to be in school personally, but I also recognise that the situation is only getting worse and I teach in a local lockdown area. I am worried that my midwife will tell me that it's my choice and I will be put in a difficult position with work. I don't feel comfortable with this. What are other teachers doing? For context, I teach primary (Y3) and our school don't use PPE unless administering First Aid. The children are not social distancing (which is to be expected, they are children after all) and I find it quite difficult to support the children who need it whilst still maintaining an appropriate distance.

Im secondary here, I teach 14 different classes a week so I am seeing around 350 pupils a week. Whilst our school has tried to introduce strict covid rules, the bottom line is that pupils just arent following them. They arent staying in their bubbles, corridors are packed with pupils at the start and end of break times and even secondary pupils dont social distance from staff properly.

My head hasn't even done an individual risk assessment for me. I asked for one and she refused. I am coming up to 24 weeks and getting a bit worried about staying in work past 28 weeks.

Like you I am worried my midwife will say it is my choice to wfh or not, and I know the head will be reluctant to let me do so :(

@HopeWish sorry to hear that. You should definitely have had an individual risk assessment. I am hoping that the midwife will give me clearer guidance the closer I get to 28 weeks as I'm quite worried about the negative repercussions of being seen to "make a choice".

I’m also a pregnant primary teacher in Year 1. No social distancing at all. It’s impossible. I don’t know what will happen after 28 weeks. The head has made some noises about it just being guidance where possible. I think at the very least I’ll be pushing to be moved to upper key stage 2 where it’s more possible to teach from the front. The other teachers will hate swapping with me but if I need to keep working in a class then it has to be the safest available teaching role in the school.

Secondary:

My Head has insisted I wfh at 28 weeks.

The rules put in place are pretty good at our school but the reality is that kids can't manage distancing and lots of protocol falls apart in wet and rainy weather.

I will be updating and improving lessons for my whole department and creating a video lessons for GCSE students as a revision bank. The types of things you wish you had the time to do as a teacher before being drowned in data and admin tasks.

I'm switching between pangs of guilt and counting down the days until I go because I'm in contact with 100s of children a day.

I'm primary (year 1) and 34 weeks pregnant. I'm full time but only teaching 2 days a week with my class and 3 days working from home. I've had a personalised risk assessment done and my head says that if anyone in the school gets a positive test then I will be sent straight home and won't be coming back. It isn't ideal (as little children can't socially distanced from me) but I feel the school have done the best they can to keep me safe. I don't attend any meetings or teach PE etc. All our breaks and lunchtimes are staggered across school so I'm only ever with the y1 team and we socially distance as much as possible. Only 3 weeks to go until maternity leave so I'm counting down the days now.

I work in a reception class and when I told my head I was pregnant I mentioned that a friend of mine in another primary school has been told she will be wfh at 28 weeks. He said they haven't been given that guidance, but I'm hearing more about it and seeing as I'm working with such young children I would definitely feel better wfh from 28 weeks.

I don't think that is rcog advice is it? Only for nhs staff to work from home from 28 weeks? Don't think It's the same unfortunately for education. Correct me if I'm wrong!

I was advised to get signed off sick from 28 weeks which is what I have done! School wouldn't accommodate me wfh.

Not a teacher, but back when lockdown first happened I mentioned to my midwife work was offering a 12 week isolation period for me and I was unsure whether to take it or not. She wrote down in my notes that she was advising me to isolate.
Maybe if you mention that you're not sure and would just like her guidance in what she would recommend, you could use her advise as your decision.

I'm 32 weeks and work in a frontline public sector role. There is no guidance to say we should be home working from 28 weeks as far as I'm aware.

Secondary and evicted from school 4 days into the new term as I was over 28 weeks and therefore high risk. I'm teaching from home though.

I'm 32 weeks, work in a secondary in a lockdown area and have been working from home since the day I found out I was pregnant. My school have been very clear that they want me safe and at home.

My Academy Trust were one of the first to have a teacher die of Covid, she was only 33 so this may be part of the reason they are so insistent.

Preschool here and 24 weeks.. I took my risk assessment to my 20 week appointment and the midwife told me not to go in unless I can work in the office as there is no social distancing, ppe and obviously children get and share all the bugs.