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?

It's better than a kick in the arse.

I'm shocked by £110 a day. Please tell me that rates in London (OP name changed but in London) are higher.

That's shockingly low if you can only work 39 weeks of year with no holiday or sick pay. Has it really got that bad?

I thought NQ started on about £26k in London. I must be miles off the mark.

Unfortunately, our off sick teacher has held a senior management position, has been teaching 20+ years and probably earns £45k or more which is a serious dent in our whole school budget when she is never there and has to be covered.

Poor DC had terrible anxiety tonight going to bed. And I mean terrible, sobbing and sickness. Caused by supply teacher (the 6th) mistakenly punishing for misbehaviour in a line. Removed Friday golden time, never happened to DC in all years at school. Without sounding a martyr of course.

Funnily enough I made DC laugh as I got a parking ticket today. Nobody is perfect.

At the school I was a governor at they had an insurance policy or similar that covered wages for long term sick. It was the shot term stuff that was killing them

Supply wise last time my wife did it was nearer £200 per day.

The maximum I earnt on supply was £126 a day. That was long-term cover and was therefore higher as it was expected I would spend more time on planning, staff meetings, reports, etc.

Standard pay for various agencies around her seems to be about £110 a day (£65 for half a day). I've got 7 years experience and work from EYFS to Year 6 anywhere within about a 90 minute commute of home.

No sick pay, no guaranteed work, and no real pension (legally they have to offer one, but since you don't work anywhere long term it seems pretty pointless). Also you end up paying far more in National Insurance as it gets calculated differently. Since I don't work full time (I'm available full-time, but I'd guess I average just under 4 days a week) then I'm on roughly half what my salary would be as a regular class teacher (approximately £15000 a year).

However I love teaching and my feedback from schools is excellent so I get invited back to the schools regularly. I get to work with a variety of age groups, cover a fantastic variety of topics and get to visit many of the surrounding towns and villages. I get all the best bits of teaching without having to do the long term planning, staff meetings, paperwork... I get to leave by 5pm each day.

My agency can't get enough supply teachers though. People can't take the pay cut, the uncertainty, the stress of early morning phone calls and commutes to strange suburbs and villages in rush hour, being provided with no info from the school (no timetable of day - or at least break and lunchtimes, no access to the interactive whiteboard or online register, no paper if the teacher has taken books home, few if any details on SEN in class, no pointing out the staffroom/toilets/hall/playground to collect children from...).

for Ramblin. There's not enough of you about

Ramblin You've described the life to a tee. It's always good to get good feedback and want you back permanently and you have the option to say no when your face doesn't fit the staff a bunch of nasty feckers

My agency can't get enough supply teachers though. Surely they could take a cut on what they keep and put the pay up? Schools pay far more that £126 a day for a supply - isn't it about £175 or more. At the end of the day, offer higher pay and more would make the move.

AFAIK, Bank nurses get considerably more than the hourly rate they would get working for NHS, this is why so many agencies poach them as they qualify. (And why the NHS is ££££ is debt from paying for them.)

Agree with Dugan - quality supply seems very hard to find. Well done to those who manage it.

There's a supply teacher group in Facebook. Agencies just take the mickey! People are often offered work as a TA (60-70) a day or even unpaid--to give experience!

OP here with a name change sorry.

She's sick again. She came back after the bout above, missed parents eve but school sent a letter from her personally, saying gastroenteritis, saying please come to a new parents eve next week.

She's done four days after half term and Head has now written to say she's not in next week and parents eve cancelled again.

I didn't put anything in writing last time, I was empathetic to the Head in person but said my biggest concern was consistent supply. They had 7 diff teachers over 7 days in the end plus 3 with a known supply at the end.

Any thoughts or helpful ideas?

I guess I feel I should check the curriculum for the year and tackle some of the components at home so any good links for parents?

I haven't yet told DC teacher will be off again, my DC has had a very unsettled start to the year (stbxh related) I want a decent night sleep as DC worries (current symptom, not usual).