Part time - can my days be changed without my agreement?

[FromPenToPaper]

I'm a secondary school teacher in a "converter" academy, and I currently work part time 3 days a week. My Subject Leader/Line Manager has been working on the timetable for next academic year, and today has told me that the days that I work need to change. He is not giving me any choice in the matter. It's because of my subject specialism and the way the blocks are for the next academic year. This is exacerbated by my subject being understaffed.

Can the school do this? Just change my days without my agreement?

[Igggi]

Ofgs Wifflewaffle, changing days to avoid staff becoming complacent? What do you do to the full-time staff to make them suitably grateful for their job?
In all this it should be remembered that it often suits the school to have a number of part-time staff, we have ones ranging from .4 to .9 - they fill different time tabling holes. Some of these are people who have asked to work part-time but many were just advertised that way.
More flexible working practices are not something we should be bowing and scraping over, parents need to work and adjustments should be made to keep mothers and fathers in the workforce.

[Tinuviel]

I've had the same problem - worked the same 2 days for a long time and was always consulted before Easter as to whether we wanted to change (job share). Then was informed that it was changing but at least it was before Easter. Then a new timetabling person and it all became a nightmare - last year still 2 full days but on different days (2 week timetable); this year part of 3 days and not the same each week again.

It was also the fact that he didn't even have the courtesy to let me know the first time - just assumed I was at their beck and call all week and by the time I found out it was too late to hand my notice in.

My other argument would be, what if I have another part-time job? Who also assume that I'm at their beck and call? They should at least let you know before May half term so that if it doesn't suit you, there is time to hand your notice in.

[KarlWrenbury]

I've never heard anyone ever say ks5. Around here it's all sixth form

[drspouse]

I am not a teacher but have different types of work, some is on set days decided months in advance and some just booked a week or two ahead. When I came back to work I agreed with line manager no 1 that I would work set days, and followed up with an email to confirm. Nursery (workplace) never have extra days available so you get what you've booked, and that's it, except very occasionally a week in advance if someone is going on holiday - ok for the latter type of work but not the former.

Line manager 2 (no 1 moved) was FAR less than happy with this and tried to make me work 0.6 flexibly WRT days. To do that I'd have had to book and pay for a full time nursery place (and nursery was already full up with a waiting list). I never got a correct contract (I got three incorrect ones!) but I had the email agreement and he eventually agreed to stick to that.

I think he's understood what's what now as two more mothers (and three fathers, but only one ever sets foot inside this nursery) have either started in my job or had a new baaby who goes there.

[Mumofone13]

I think it is absurd that teachers are expected to be so flexible in how they work. Going part time happens for so many reasons and regardless of whether or not you have children you can’t just be expected to have to readjust your life every year to suit the school! At the end of the day, you have other commitments on the days you don’t work, children or not. Flexible working hours is supposed to be for the flexibility of the employee not the school!

[SansaSnark]

@Mumofone13 this is quite an old thread, but part time working as a teacher isn't quite the same as flexible working- and flexible working can be refused due to business reasons anyway.

In schools, I think it's also accepted that one teacher's right to work part time shouldn't be to the detriment of the children.

Timetabling in schools can be really tricky- especially when you have A-level classes needing about 9 lessons a fortnight and needing to avoid clashes between popular subject combinations. You also have to think about the continuity of KS4 classes- it's not really fair for a Y11 maths class to have 3 different teachers, or to have to have 3 hours of science in a row because that's the only way it can be squashed into the timetable.

FWIW, though, I do think trapped time is really unfair, and shouldn't be allowed.

Unfortunately, I think the alternative to the current set up for many teachers would be schools just refusing their requests to go part time.

[likeafishneedsabike]

Bloody hell, I just spent ages reading this thread and was getting a bit invested . . . . then realised its from 2014.

[Iggi999]

Many teachers go part time under flexible working arrangements, I'm not really sure what the difference you're referring to is?
Can't believe I was getting riled on this thread back in 2014, and again today!!

[monkeytennis97]

Been part time for 19 years now, every academic year the days change.

[AppleKatie]

Bloody hell, I just spent ages reading this thread and was getting a bit invested . . . . then realised its from 2014.

Same. Although it’s vaguely interesting to see that these issues haven’t changed a jot in five years. Interesting when so much else has.