Question about open days

[Reastie]

I am a specialist subject teacher at a private secondary school. I am the only person teaching my subject. I work 2 days a week and have been to every open morning (2 a year on a Saturday) since starting this post several years ago.

I'm looking at nurseries/schools for DD and just discovered the open morning for the nursery/prep we would like to look around clashes with the open morning where I work. I have already visited this school on a 'normal' school day, but would like to visit at the open morning too (it's private and alot of money for DH and I so we need to be sure) and DH hasn't visited yet.

What has peoples experiences been of not going to their work open days to go to open days for their potential DCs school? Is this something that's accepted or some hidden rule I know not about that I shouldn't ask/do? I feel like I've done over my paid proportion of open days given I don't get extra money for doing them and do the same amount as full time staff for all these years despite being a part timer, but at the same time as I'm the only person in my subject I feel guilty I might not be there to show my subject. Because of the geography/timings of the 2 open days I couldn't guarantee to do a bit of time at my school before going to the open day, it's an all or nothing thing and this is the last open morning before DD would start.

No experience, but I suppose it does depend what is written in your contract. Do you do pro rata for staff meetings, parents evenings, etc? If not are you paid overtime for these open mornings or is it just goodwill? My thoughts are that unless you are contracted to do all the open days or paid overtime you are perfectly within your rights to ask to go to the open morning for your DD.

Thanks, everything is good will, I've never had any extra money for working more than my allotted part time percentage. I work every parents evening bar sixth form (as I don't currently teach them) on my day off but don't go to staff meetings (they are on my day off). I attend my % proportion of INSET days (although I think I may be expected to go to all of them, they are on my day off and I don't get any extra pay for them, I figure FTers get paid for them and I don't then I won't so I go to 1/3 a year and keep quiet and hope that's enough). My contract has an umbrella sentence saying something like 'extra's at the discretion of the HT' so theoretically they can do what they like I guess, I wondered what others had experienced/what the consensus of thought is to me asking this.