PPA withdrawn for all for 1st week back. Advice needed please?

[Shelledwarrior]

Looking for some advice on PPA entitlement.

I work 0.6 (Wednesday-Friday) and this week the children return on Wednesday following two INSET/training days on Monday and Tuesday. I do not work Mondays or Tuesdays and was not required to attend those training days.

I’ve been told that teaching staff will not be receiving their usual PPA time this week, apparently because of the two training days. My understanding was that PPA cannot be replaced by INSET time and that, as I am working my normal contracted days this week, I should still receive my usual PPA allocation.

Can anyone clarify whether this is correct? Has anyone experienced a similar situation, particularly as a part-time teacher whose working days did not include the INSET days?

No you are correct they cannot remove your PPA time you are legally entitled to it. I would ask for directed time calender that should be worked out for part time staff and raise it with your union rep for advice.

We don’t have a union rep. I’m just the awkward bugger that always raises these things! I’ll make the request for a directed time calendar as that seems like something we should have as a matter of principle. To make matters more complicated if we have job shares (like me) then we have always still had a full afternoon of PPA together and our class has been covered. It’s quite generous that way but has been going on for the whole 22 years I’ve worked there - I’ve only been part time for a few years. I think that afternoon now falls under the “customs and practise” element of employment law as in they have been doing it for so long that it is now a reasonable expectation. Happy to be schooled otherwise of course!

I would ring your union for advice if you have ano rep they will be able
to tell
you clearly

Were they given the PPA on Monday Tuesday? We've had that happen before (I don't work Mondays) but my AHT always made sure I'd get it?

If you are a part-timer who gets a full half day every week, I’d let sleeping dogs lie. A (very unionised) colleague argued the point in similar circumstances, and ended up having their PPA reduced to the statutory level - as did other colleagues, who hadn’t argued the toss.

If others get one afternoon, and so do you, then you're getting more than your entitlement by a long way. I wouldn't be wanting to encourage them to reconsider this...

How can you logistically not receive it? You’re being given an extra lesson to teach somehow?

I'm assuming OP is primary and you're secondary...

This is my point, how do you take away half a day of a primary teachers time given they teach one class?

This! I'd definitely let this go, you're getting a great deal. I get half a day a week full time. Or 1 day a fortnight.

When I was part time I got 2 hours every fortnight! (0.4 contract)

I also work 3 days a week part time like you (0.6 fte) and in my previous school, any non-full teaching week of 5 days usually meant no PPA for any teachers eg starts or ends of terms.

However, in my current school, assuming it's not the first week back in September (when PPA sometimes hasn't started yet), then you get it as normal if you're in school teaching children that day (ie non-INSET day).

So I would say, it depends on the school as to how they approach this!

Also have to agree with other pp: if you have been getting a full half day off at 0.6 fte, that is more than your allocated PPA time (I think it works out at 30 mins per day, so you should be getting 1h30 per week). So I personally would not be saying anything as you might find uou actually owe them time 🤦‍♀️

Just realised you get a full afternoon despite being 3 days a week. Like others said - christ if you mention it watch what happens. It's baffling that you would complain about this when you've received over your entitlement the whole time 💀

My advice? Become the union rep.

Just echoing the general consensus, do not say anything if you get a full afternoon per week on 0.6. It will cover your missed time over time, surely. It’s annoying, but think about it!

Those saying a full afternoon is generous.. in my school the afternoon is only one hour? It should be 10% of your timetables teaching time.

By providing PPA cover, or not by providing PPA cover.

Is your lunch really late, or does your school finish really early?

Afternoons for us are 1-3:20pm. 2 hours 20mins. Pretty standard.

I'm secondary so that might be the difference. Afternoons are from the end of lunch (2pm) until the end of day (3pm).

So yes, you have both a late lunch and an early finish! Wowzers. Even when I worked in secondary, we never had that! (I've taught all from EYFS to KS4).

It just means that whoever is timetables to come and release you for PPA, doesn’t come so rather than having an afternoon out to get on with stuff, you have to stay in class.

Even if she was getting only one hour a week PPA time, which she won't be as no afternoon in a primary school is only one hour, she only works 0.6 anyway so that would work out about right. A little under but not far off. A full afternoon in primary school is what you get when you are a full-time teacher usually. When I was 0.4 I used to get one afternoon in fortnight.

To be fair, we get a full afternoon plus an additional 30 minutes. It works out as 2 hours 35 minutes, which is just over 10% of the 26 teaching hours that we have in the rest of the week.

@SowWhatNow
2 hrs 20 is slightly under, unless you are teaching less than 23hrs 20 in the rest of the week, which I'd doubt. Teaching time starts from the time school starts and goes until dismissal ends.

@Perfect28
As a PP said, it's very easy to withdraw PPA from a primary teacher by cancelling whoever would have taught the class during PPA.