teacher off sick AGAIN

[HeisInfuriating]

Advice please
DD new teacher this year is off sick all week.
This follows a three year pattern of her returning every Sept and then going off sick by half term. Doesn't return at all until following Sept.

Teacher has been moved year group from 6 to 4 this year so I wasn't expecting to suffer this.

In previous years a permanent supply is eventually sought.

What sickness benefits do teachers have? How can this be still happening?

I'm thinking more along the lines of when will the head act and source something permanent?

mouths.

Lord, my typing first thing...

It can actually be really difficult to find supply.

Many supply teachers are doing supply because they don't want the demands of a FT post. By asking them to do this, it isn't what many want. We had a similar situation in secondary once, so I sympathise with everyone.

I think that in any letter, you need to concentrate on the need for consistent supply cover and the DCs covering the curriculum thoroughly. Basically I think you explain that you are concerned about the effects of long-term absence on the class without being accusatory about the teacher.
"Dear HT,
I understand that DC's class has been covered by a variety of supply teachers during Miss X's recent absence. I feel that DC has not been getting to grips with this year's curriculum because of this. The class seems to have been reading a lot of books rather than having lesson based sessions.
If, as in previous years, Miss X is likely to be absent on a long-term basis, can you please confirm if a more consistent supply cover will be sought to help the DCs work their way through the curriculum for yr x?"

I have a friend who is a teacher who has a colleague who plays the system so to speak.

I can't remember the exact details but she would be signed off on sick, then be signed back on as fit to work at the start of the summer holidays, and over then earn enough back at work time to get signed back off again at the start of term. I think at most over a period of 4 years she worked one short school term each year before retiring.

My son's A level and many others were ruined by a physics teacher who did this to three years intake. She would start term go sick come back for three days after her six months full pay and go off again. There is nothing can be done about cheats like this you get them in every level of society. I do think if you are too.sick with stress to work you should get six months if you are still too sick you should change jobs our children's education is too important for this shenanigans.

MsMarvel she wouldn't be getting paid if that's true ...contrary to common belief (on this thread) teachers don't get full pay for being absent for a whole school year (not even if they sign off for the summer holidays).

I'll caveat (?) what I'm about to say married to an ex-teacher

But it's funny that so many public sector workers sickness record is off the scale. My business private sector 24 employees. Total sick days this year - 5. My wife's old school 5 staff. Total sick days approx 300 - say approx cause that only account for the two staff playing the same game.

We really do need to massively reform the public sector sickness benefits.

Wonder what sickness rates would be in the NHS/Teaching if they just had SSP?

The OP' child is entitled to receive a proper education, which she isn't getting at present.

Former teacher here and I am not sympathetic to the member of staff who is off - that pattern of sickness is very convenient. I also believe that if you cannot do the job you were hired for, to the point where your attendance is less than 50% over 4 years, then it's time to go. No teacher can start a year without having done any prep. That's just not on and very unfair to the kids.

There is clear guidance for heads and governors on how to deal with persistent short and long term absence; it comes under capability as if you not at work then you are not 'capable' of doing your job.
Teachers do have a generous sickness benefit, the full entitlement kicks in after two years. They receive six months full pay followed by six months half pay, though obviously they have to provide sick notes.
Capability proceedings can be started at any point, whatever the reason for absence. Once started they can result in dismissal in three months although this will vary from case to case.
The responsibility for dealing with this in the case of a teacher lies with the head, although any long term absence would be queried by HR as to what was being done. Heads would supported by HR throughout the process, in a state school.
Finding good quality supply is a daily issue for many heads. Few excellent teachers choose supply as a lifestyle and it is a tough job. For many heads there are sleepless nights and heightened anxiety when they are unable to fill vacancies with good calibre staff, it doesn't only affect the children but also the morale of the staff as when someone if off it invariably increases the workload for others.
As others have said the op needs to write to the head, governors are fine but it is the heads responsibility day to day, ask for a meeting and focus on what is being done to ensure a good level of education for the children.

In the public sector you do get 6 months full pay but over a rolling year period so you couldn't come back for a few days and then go off again on full pay.

Tiggy
Succinctly put and actually nails the point of why I am annoyed. I shall gather points of what THE HEAD should be doing and present a letter on Monday.

As tiggytape says it is up to the head but...if you cannot find good supply, or of you cannot afford good supply cover, costs vary and insurance will only cover 60% at best, you are in a no win situation. Regardless of the type of illness, or the prognosis, capability procedures are there to make sure that children are not affected long term. It can seem harsh but as many posters have said, public sector sickness benefits are really good, and the bottom line is that children are entitled to at least consistently good teaching.

There's no breach of confidentially here to the teacher. It has been openly discussed on newsletters over four years now.

That is an outrageous breach of confidentiality by the school.

It's difficult to get a competent long-term supply teacher because supply teachers earn less than even the cheapest NQT (not that NQTs aren't competent) but will have to do the same level of work as the salaried teachers, without any job security.

Schools and health facilities are germ factories. A small private office is not. That is part of the reason why public sector employees take more time off sick than private sector ones.

public sector sickness benefits are really good

Assuming that this teacher is on a public sector-type contract. If the school is an academy or free school then they're probably not.

ItchyArmpits is right in pointing out that Academies, Free Schools, and others will have different pay and conditions, including sickness pay.
Additionally, whilst you cannot be sacked for being ill, you can be put through ill health capability and lose your job that way. I know because my school decided not to wait to see how my breast cancer treatment went but 'got rid' of me before my year of sick pay was up (9 months of it if you're interested). As it happened I would have been able to go back, fit and well but minus a boob, just a month after that. I'm surprised that some of the schools in the accounts given here haven't made similar steps.

I would write to the chair of governors and cc the head, expressing your concern that, whilst you are sympathetic to the teacher's continuing illness, you would like to be assured, that in the event that she is unable to return in the short term, robust measures have been put in place to ensure that the continuing education of the pupils in thst class is not compromised.

The school could manage this if they wanted to, the HR procedures are there. In your shoes I would complain not about their management of the sick leave but rather the quality of education the DC are receiving.

PerfectlyPurple public sector workers may get 6 months sick pay ...teachers don't!

Sick leave and sick pay:

As set out in Conditions of Service for School Teachers in England and Wales, informally referred to as the Burgundy Book, teachers’ national sick
pay entitlements are based on a sliding scale according to their length of service, as follows.

During the first year of service:
Full pay for 25 working days and, after completing four calendar months’
service, half pay for 50 working days.
During the second year of service:
Full pay for 50 working days and half pay for 50 working days.
During the third year of service:
Full pay for 75 working days and half pay for 75 working days.
During the fourth and subsequent years:
Full pay for 100 working days and half pay for 100 working days

This saddens me. Also no one has mentioned that actually, they may not be able to get decent longer term supply. At our school ,we have bagged as many of the best supply teachers as we can, but some days, you just cannot get the better ones, in fact, some days, there is no supply available!

Definitely speak to the head, make your letter or conversation solely concerned with your child's progress however.

Bearing in mind the long time sick problem is supposedly solved, bearing in mind the huge volume of sick leave persistently taken, how quickly should a good head act? And I mean decent supply, not sacking which is none of my business.

Bearing none of that in mind, a responsible HT should always have about five good subs who could be called the A List and a few more after that, the B List. A good HT should always be developing leads on subs. Current teachers could even provide recommendations.

There are barely any decent supply teachers around. Those prepared to prepare and mark thoroughly and get involved with the life of the school are as rare as hen's teeth and are normally begged to sign a permanent contract.

That should solve it!!

I do think if this is a pattern, the HT should perhaps have tried to avoid giving this teacher a class and maybe given her a role covering non-contact time or something more coverall. It's hard on the pupils to have all these changes.

In defence of (most) teachers, most teachers I have worked with will drag themselves into school rather than be off ill, or will keep running themselves into the ground then be ill in the holidays (a not do well - known side-effect of teaching, being ill in the first week of holidays).

I've had perfect attendance for many of my years in teaching, with at most a handful of days in any given year. It's more hassle being off ill than going to work ill. Plans don't get followed, your classroom gets messed up/jotters go missing, your favourite pen disappears and the kids are high as a kite when you get back. When I started to burnout with stress after years, I chose to resign rather than go off long - term ill. We're not all in it for a skive, many of us are very dedicated and don't look after our own health enough. I mean, have you seen the amount of germs we are surrounded by all day, and ill pupils knowingly dumped in school by parents who then can't be contacted?