Phasing out part time teaching?

[Nonie241419]

I currently teach part time, in a job share. My job share partner is retiring in summer and my school have advertised for a full time, permanent teacher to replace her. This will push me out of my own class (without any consultation) - I'm assuming for cover although no one at school will confirm that. The Head said it was part of 'streamlining staff and reducing part timers'. For context, we had two classes with job share teachers, now it will only be one.
I've been looking for work nearer to home, but in five years of looking, I've only seen one permanent part time post, and a couple of temporary ones. Is everywhere phasing out part timers? I'm a good teacher, but I wouldn't be if I was teaching full time and having to look after my three DC. I know my limitations. I feel like I'm being squeezed out of my profession.

I work part time. At the moment I run booster classes/cover ppa so don't have a class of my own. TBH it suits me fine like this but I realise it is unsustainable for me to do this (within the school budget - I am very expensive!) I will be job sharing a class in the next couple of years I think as our school is expanding so there will be new classteachers needed every year for a while.

I am doing the same as you Cece. In our school, I have job shared class teaching, taught Drama across the school, delivered 1:1 tutoring scheme, covered PPA and now I run interventions that I deliver and am in charge of training/supporting and monitoring TAs delivering certain interventions. I started off as supply from an agency though. Then clicked with the staff/school and it went from there.

Wanted to add that we have 4 part time teachers at our school, none currently in class. We are all expected to attend all INSET days and all have a subject responsibility. We are also the first port of call for any supply cover needed. I realise how fortunate I am as I don't start until 9:30 each day either. I would def recommend supply teaching to get a foot in the door.

Glad I've found this thread, as I have been part time for 7 years, job share, mainly with the same person. She has now gone full time.
Headteacher called me in yesterday to ask, and there is an " expectation you will agree", to change my current arrangement of 3 full days to 5 mornings a week, no class just teaching literacy and numeracy to a group then have my 1 and half hours PPA extra on a Wednesday afternoon, which means there is an hour " do some geography work" before the staff meeting so I can attend that.
I think this is going to increase my hours, and will also not work RE my family situation.
So stressed about it, not slept much and know it'll get all horrible, cos that's what she's like.

I teach English in a secondary school and have been point four since September. I follow my classes around over the two week timetable, so some days go in for just one lesson. So I do two days of work over three days of the week. This works well for my classes, who have no idea I'm part time. I respond to emails every evening whether a working day or not.
The big problem with this is childcare. It ended up being cheaper to have a nanny than a nursery because of such variability and two week timetable hours. Even so, that takes two thirds of my salary.
I see it as an investment in having a career to return to when my dd is older. I will increase my hours when she starts school, but don't see how I could do full time and ever see her....
The option to move jobs is removed then though as part time positions are never advertised. From an employer's perspective, why would you?

you do not have to come in to work on any day you do not work. If you do, you should be paid

it is very clear in STPC document

If five training days are all on days you don't work, then you can't be forced to attend. Of course, you may feel you should attend but then you should be paid

The LAW is very clear.

Hth

rinkydinkydo

If your contract is part time, then they can't force you to go full time. Please speak to your union.

RinkyDinkyDoo - that sounds awful (and yet depressingly familiar). Those kind of hours don't work for people who need childcare. Have you talked to your Union? I spoke to mine, and although at the moment I don't think I need to involve them, they have reassured me that they are very willing to back me up re discrimination against part timers. That's made me feel less anxious.
TheEmpress - thanks for that. All training days this year have been scheduled for days I don't work. I've already attended 2, and have not been paid (my Head explicitly told me I couldn't claim for training days). They were in September. I found out a month or so ago that one of the other job share teachers always claims for, and is paid, training days that don't coincide with her working days. Major double standards going on!

You can ask for back pay.

It's very, very clear in the STPC document that you can't be forced to come in on non-work days (nor emotionally blackmailed to come in...). If you CHOOSE to go in (feel you should/ think it's in the school's interest to go in) then you should be paid.

I hope you can get some thing sorted. Heads get away with this sort of thing as people don't know what the rules are and are often made to feel like they are being unreasonable if they question/ ask for pay etc.

As for training days, you only have to attend 3 out of 5 if you are 0.6. If they don't fall on your days then you claim extra hours. I have done so and also not attended once my 3 days have been done.
I've phoned the LEA HR department and they are adding up my hours to see if I am correct in thinking that 4 mornings and one full day is extending my hours.
I will talk to my union if it deems correct she is trying to increase my hours, but am trying to keep it amicable until then.
From a personal point of view, working the mornings all week definitely destroys the work and home life balance.
It you look at it on face value, then yes finish at 12.15 and then times your own.
Reality is you will still be there at least half an hour after, travel home,which is half an hour for me, have some lunch, mark and prepare for the next day then DS arrives home from school and that's that.
This pattern for 5 days a week makes me feel like I'm full time but on part time wages. No benefit at all which is why i chose part time after having DS.

Even if you are 0.6 you do not have to attend any on the days you don't work... So if all fall on non work days, you cannot be expected to attend any.

It might be a reasonable expectation to do so, snd you might feel you ought to be attending some, but that is another matter altogether.

STPCD Section 2 para 62.8 & 62.9 & STPCD statutory guidance para 168 and 170

The STPCD provides that part time teachers cannot now be required to work or attend non-pupil days on days when they do not normally work (STPCD Section 2, para 62.8).

They may, however, agree to attend staff/departmental meetings, parents/open evenings and INSET days and other non-pupil days on such days by mutual agreement with the head teacher. Where they do agree to work on days when they do not normally work, this cannot by definition be included in directed time. The STPCD therefore includes a provision for additional payment for this working time. The formula for this payment provides, in effect, for part time teachers to receive 1/1258.5 of the appropriate full time pay rate for each hour of additional working time.

School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document 2013 and Guidance on School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions
September 2013

51.24 Subject to paragraph 51.25, no teacher employed part-time may be required to be available for work on any day of the week or part of any day of the week on which the teacher is not normally required to be available for work under their contract of employment (whether it is for the purposes of teaching pupils and performing other duties or for the sole purpose of performing other duties).

As a full time teacher, I think it depends on how part timers in general are handled by management. To be honest, it's often a massive pain in the arse. I work in a sixth form college and if someone works (say) Monday and Friday and you need them to answer a question on Tuesday they're just not available. I also feel that timetables have often been manipulated to accommodate part time working requests at the expense of students and other staff.

I do see, though, that much of this is down to management. Personally, I think I'd feel like I were full time if I were part time anway. I feel like the work expands to fill the time so may as well take a full time wage!

Personally, I think I'd feel like I were full time if I were part time anway. I feel like the work expands to fill the time so may as well take a full time wage

And that's why the rules are there in black and white. It's to protect part time workers. In particular protecting them from being used more like a full time worker, but on part time pay.

Obviously there is room for give and take, but as I said before, that's another matter..

I have seen in my previous school, one department, which was all part-timers, apart form a (struggling) NQT and a struggling PGCE student. This caused immense problems for the reason that Ottilie mentions, and the results for that subject were considerably worse than other subjects, and abysmal take-up for GCSE. This is a fault of management, who should plan the staffing to provide the best outcomes for the children, and in this case it was a kind-hearted head teacher trying to accommodate her staff childcare needs, rather than taking a more managerial stance. A nearby school, with similar demographic had spectacular results, and a high level of take-up for that subject at GCSE - the department is all full-time except for one .6 person.

Ottilie we are always expected to be contactable, no matter what days you work. We, full time and part time, frequently receive emails and texts from the HT after 9 PM at night and on weekends.
These are expected to be replied to as well. Here are 2 examples from the last 2 weeks;
last Sunday at 2.30pm we all received a text reminding us to complete and hand in a personal action plan by Monday midday.
On Bank holiday Monday we all received a text to say there was an email we should read before returning to work on the Tuesday. I logged on and the email asked us to reply that we had read it. One of my colleagues, thought blow that, this is still my holiday time. At 10pm that night she had a personal text from the HT to say that she hadn't replied to the email as requested.

Mrscromwell, yes that is a managerial issue, but was it specifically because the part timers were poor teachers also, not because they were job sharing?

The is a paragraph about weekend work as well, I'll try to find it later. From memory, it is

NO teacher (full or part time) can be expected to be available for work on Saturdays, Sundays or public holidays unless their contract specifically states this (ie those teachers who are contracted to work Saturday)

Your head's demands are unlawful.

Oh!

I should add that what I'm quote is for state schools. Private schools are different and Academies can make their own pay and conditions (which is why the government want more)

Rinky - good point, they were good, but not outstanding, but the issues arose because of bunched timetabling, and lack of communication between them.