Telling SLT

[SecondarySchoolTeacherMum]

I'm 10 weeks pregnant and high risk, work have not been particularly supportive recently and I really really do not want to tell them before I have to.

I need time off for a scan (11am, most inconvenient time ever). I know they're going to be shitty about it.

If I tell my LM, who is on SLT and the HT, but say that I do not want others knowing, do I have any rights if they share the information?

Ideally I just wouldn't tell them, but I can't deal with the stress of them not releasing me for my appointment.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

I would just call sick, no drama.

Trouble is they've been really horrible about attendance in whole staff briefing. I genuinely feel scared to call in sick, pathetic I know!

Sounds like you work at my school😂. They don't have a right to share your info and it's a prtected characteristic too. There may be a handful of others that need to know from a risk assessment perspective dependent on your role(some higher risk than others e.g. PE, tech) but other than that, they should respect your privacy. I'd tell them and they have to honour your appointments.

Could you just say it’s a doctors/ hospital appointment and only tell them more if they ask? You could also show them the hospital appointment letter but redact all the details so it literally just shows your name, date and time.

I told my HOD and the HT at 5 weeks simply because then I was protected from maternity discrimination! This time I was still on Mat leave so just emailed in at 13 weeks

Someone else has mentioned this to me. I think you're right

If you tell them it's a hospital appointment they have to let you out. We only have to tell our business manager who has to keep it confidential. Last time I didn't even need to say maternity, only hospital appointment.

You can just tell your HR person and ask them not to say anything - that’s what I did till 16 weeks and just used to put ‘as discussed with HR’ on my absence requests. I then told my HT in person. I’m on SLT and the only reason I said something is because there have been a few hairy On Call moments and I wanted them to know so they could be supportive. I actually wish I had just said something earlier tbh - would have felt far better supported but it depends on the team, I guess.

I just said I had a hospital appointment on my absence request(s).

I told my HT after my 12w scan, mostly because of big behaviours in my class, but asked it not to be shared yet with wider staff team (I have a history of MCs that HT was aware of so didn't feel comfortable telling others at that point) and HT honoured that - to the extent of not even telling the rest of SLT despite it being in my risk assessment that they would be more available for support if needed. That meant that when I needed to call on SLT support for behaviour, it wasn't forthcoming because they didn't know. It also meant that my DepH got arsey with me when I had a hospital appt (20w scan) as I couldn't turn attend pupil progress meeting. They all know now, only since last week, as I really can't hide it any more at 26w+ and am happy to have made it beyond 24w.

So there's swings and roundabouts to telling HT but asking them to keep it P&C!

Congratulations on your pregnancy and hope your scan goes well!

School has to release you for hospital appointments without question and especially as you are high risk you need to be looking after yourself. I would tell your line manager but ask for it to be kept confidential and then tell your HOD you have a hospital appointment as someone else suggested. Maybe once you get to 12 weeks and you feel comfortable, see what can be put in place to help you feel more comfortable / safe at school.

neu.org.uk/advice/maternity-rights