Working part time

[OrangeMochaFrappucino]

I've worked 0.6 as a secondary school teacher for five years, since having my first child. There are several other part-timers and some uncertainty amongst staff that there may be a bit of a push towards phasing pt staff out. Colleagues currently on maternity leave have had requests to return pt refused and it looks like from next year, pt staff will not have any KS4 classes but teach KS3 only. I realise that I can't be made to change my hours now, but I really feel for those who will have to return ft. For myself, I'm very disappointed to lose GCSE classes as I enjoy teaching the course and have good exam results. I'm not sure this is fair, but am I wrong?

More fool the school! Just think of all the expertise and experience they're missing out on. Round here the shortage of teachers seems to be so acute (reading the job adverts) I can't imagine any school doing what you've described. But unfortunately I'm not surprised at the scenario you describe...

Well, there's a real shortage of teachers in my area too and the school have struggled to recruit!

Why will they only teach KS3? Is it so that they don't have to split exam classes? That would seem reasonable. However, if it's for no good reason then you should consider if it is discrimination against part time workers. How will performance management work without exam classes? CPD?

Yes, it's in order not to split exam classes. Has always worked in the past to split Lang & Lit so I don't know why that can't continue in English. I'm not sure how performance management will work, good point!

The other option is that you don't split exam classes and part timers work a patchy timetable. I'm 0.6 and I work 5 days a week, with blocks of time off here and there, because we don't split classes above y8. You could suggest that if you don't mind fewer full days off.

I can't see that working for childcare unless it was very carefully structured. I think given the choice I'd stick to my full days off so I guess I may just have to accept it.

My school does what noble's does. I end up organising childcare for 5 days although employed for 4 equivalent, which is a pain, but to be honest I don't know how I would manage to keep up with the planning and marking otherwise. I do find they conveniently forget they employ many part timers when organising rotas, meetings and training. I have to defend my time 'off'.

Jelly you are so lucky to get full days that if I were you in wouldn't complain! It's unheard of around here!

Sorry OP, to address your question, it is probably not fair or sensible if it means taking an experienced teacher from KS4, but I expect it can be justified on some grounds. I think many schools need to address part time working issues as if handled appropriately it can relieve budgets as well as retaining staff, but often there is much shortsightedness.

I work a .6 over 5 days. It means I'm around for school pick up every day but drop offs are a bit of a nightmare.

I did want 3 full days but for the consistency it had to be over 5.

To answer your question, there must be a staffing issue through the whole school that means they don't want to split KS4 any more. It's not great but there must be a reason why.

Thanks for all the responses, it sounds like I've got a better deal than I realised and I won't rock the boat! It's really helpful to hear how other schools are managed for some perspective and I agree there are whole school issues that have informed the decision. I can imagine a pt timetable not being worth it in many cases if it means working over five days with a full week's travel costs, awkward childcare arrangements and no doubt more than three days' worth of work. I feel being excluded from KS4 is professionally limiting but if that's the trade-off for my two days off then I'll take it.

Some KS4 carries over in to Y9, so you could take advantage of that. Or, if you can, take some GCSE marking? I've always wanted to do that but between DCs and TLRs pre DCs I never got around to it.

I do GCSE marking and want to keep it up but with the syllabus changing completely next year, if I don't teach it I wasn't sure if I could mark it? Maybe it would be a good way of keeping a handle on it, just concerned it won't make sense!

Many staff at our school are pt, including HOD. It can save money and really helps with staff morale...split classes happen in our school although mainly in ks3

Do KS4 all have a lesson of every GCSE every day? If not, then the timetabling software should be able to handle part time teachers.

My colleague many moons ago was 3 days a week and only had KS3. She marked then and found it OK. Was the same syllabus though.

Choccy KS4 have 7 lessons a fortnight. Working .6 means this could be manageable with one double lesson but I guess the problem comes trying to accommodate all the pt staff all working different days across all the different subjects. I imagine timetabling is a pretty hideous task so I can accept they can't manage it - I just don't think there is actually a problem with split classes. I remember having two English teachers at GCSE and I've shared GCSE classes successfully up til now. But maybe it's a problem more widely in the school or maybe other issues have arisen.

I'm only recently returned from maternity leave and feel very overwhelmed. The long break has shattered my confidence, all the systems have changed and I'm struggling to feel like myself again. I may well be being hypersensitive but I feel like I'm being written off. I had complicated pregnancies with a lot of absence plus my maternity leaves so I wonder if I'm being taken out of the important exam classes in case I let everyone down again with another pregnancy or if I'm just not seen as very good anymore. But as it's not just me that this applies to, I guess that feeling stems from my insecurity and uncertainty from being back after a year off and trying to get back on top of it all.

Ah, the go back to teaching after a baby can be horrendous. It won't be you they're making that decision about; almost certainly it will be a balance of things school wide.

Also - DCs get ill sometimes and, in the very best possible way, life is more complicated with them. You will need time off for them at some point, possibly more time than you had pre DC. You sound very conscientious; it would be doubly stressful to take time off when you have a day of KS4 teaching and the DCs need you for some reason. I had nearly all KS3 on my return and it was a Godsend.

I'm at a KS3 PRU now. Prob leaving in July tho.

There is a school near us that it is a complete pickle for many reasons, and now has a mystery DfE inspection (Have asked about this on another thread) but one of the issues had been (resentment from full-time staff) that the Head has been too accommodating of PTt requests. Her heart is the right place, but there have been some odd situations - a person never working P1 for instance, which means she also has not tutor group - and another dept where all are PT including the HoD so the dept is never all in the school at any one time so not dept mtgs... One GSCE class in the dept has three period a weeks, last two periods on a Monday and P1 on a Tuesday - not ideal.

Sorry meant to say that despite issues re split classes/weird timetabling etc, don't see how else it can be done, as it seems ridiculous that people who are PT do not have whole days off! Can't believe PT people in other jobs work this way?