Working part-time and training days/staff meetings

[mumnosbest]

If you work 4 days but all the training days and staff meetings fall on your day off, do you have to go in for them? Primary school. Thanks

So here's a dilemma... I work part time. There was an INSET day a on a day I don't work, which was half SDP and half training. I have already done my bits of the SDP, and have met with Head, so he didn't think it necessary for me to attend. So I didn't. Now I find out that the trainer for the pm session changed their availability, so INSET finished at 12.30 and everyone went home. The training is now booked for a twilight session as catch-up time 4 til 6.30 on a day I do work, and it looks as if I'm expected to attend.

It's training on something that I am confident with, so not concerned about missing CPD, but I'm annoyed at the expectation (especially as for me it will mean paying out hefty additional childcare as the timing takes me past normal childcare hours) and it's catch-up for a time I wasn't paid for, and everyone else had a half day holiday! Hmmmm. What do you think?

Hmm. I think in this case I would grin and bear it annoying as it is. I never, every go in on days I don't work, but don't make a fuss on days I do (it's sort of my 'leverage' to show how willing I am to work on my workdays IYSWIM). You could argue that you weren't consulted on the new date and therefore will struggle, and see what you head says (in a 'I am willing, but...' Way).

Frustrating.

I'm 0.6 but have to work every day so I'd not be happy if some part timers only had to attend INSET on days that they worked (part timers in other departments get full days off), but I had to attend all of them because I work every day. That could also be claimed as discrimination.

But that is the law. Not good for people who come in every day and they could argue against 'trapped time'. But that's the way of things. I work part time, but would never do all mornings or all afternoons purely because of this.

And maybe you could argue to on,y attend the morning or afternoon you would normally work. I don't know. You should certainly be paid for the session extra you are in.

I don't do all mornings or all afternoons, I do a mix of hours on a fortnightly basis according to the timetable. So on a particular Thursday I teach p1, then p2 is unpaid trapped time, then I teach p3, p4 is unpaid trapped time, then I am unpaid for lunch and tutor time, then I teach p5.
So although I am in all day, I'm not paid for all day. How much of an inset that falls on one of those Thursdays should I attend?

Pro rata is fairer.

I would have spoken to my union about that (did you?) they are wanting someone working as a full-timer on a part time salary. Not on. Can you speak to someone to advise you?

No, I didn't speak to my union. It would not be good for my exam classes to have their classes split between part time teachers, and that would have been a business reason to refuse me going part time if I insisted on having 2 days off a week.

In fact one of the union reps is on a similar timetable.

Split exam classes very common though.. Re the OP saying she didn't gain from Monday holidays, my experience is that you were paid back for these (ie if .5 you are paid for half of the bank holidays - or indeed given the option for time off in lieu). HR have a formula for this.

At my school, it used to be that for half the year the staff meetings fell at the beginning of the year, then swapped to the end of the year. If you were in, you attended. This year, all the part timers are in on Tuesdays, so the meetings are then, but the two 0.4 teacher (me and another) have scheduled to attend every other one.
For training days, we'd been told that we HAD to attend the ratio we worked (0.4 for me) and could attend others (unpaid) if we wished. Last year, none of the training days were on either of my work days and work were really messing me about, so I looked up the STPAC and they say you MUST be paid if you go in for meetings/training on non work days. It makes sense, as some days everyone in the room was being paid but me! I now put in a claim for the hours and would argue strongly if they try to turn it down.

I only worked one day last year and attended a few things on our meeting day (not my day) such as parents evening.
This year I work 3 days and have attended 2 open evenings not on my day but been paid to attend school trips on my day off. Went to an out of school inset last week on my day off unpaid but they paid £300 and I wanted to go.
They did let me have time off to take my daughter on her first day at school.
So far I think we are both playing fair. I currently attend all meetings but will start to call in my 0.6 status in the summer when my exam classes go and I want to pick my own kids up early. I wouldn't miss my depth meeting but might skip pointless cpd.