Primary school deputy head - part time?

[Eatsleepteach]

Hi all, I'm a teaching dep head at a primary school with a 1 yo DD. I work full time at the mo and am coping - but only just. I feel as though I never see my baby! I'm considering asking our governors if I can work 4 days instead of 5 but I have a feeling they won't agree to it, does anyone have any examples of deputies working part time? Or if not, how they coped?!

Would a job share work instead of p/t, if they turn down your request for 4 days?

Perhaps, I think it would be the sharing of the deputy part of the job that might be difficult, I wonder if this has been done anywhere before?

I know of a school where two teachers shared the deputy head role, they both worked full time, but split the duties iyswim? I once did a deputy head's role and only worked 3 days a week but that was through forced circumstances, the head or governors certainly wouldn't have chosen it to be that way! It's worth having a discussion to see what options might be on the table.

Thank you, it is unusual so it's good to hear this has happened in other schools, there may well be other members of staff that would take on the duties for 1 day a week.

I tried to do a deputy headship on 3 days a week (following maternity leave) but it simply didn't work. The Head didn't appoint anyone else to take on any part of the role for the other 2 days a week, so it was simply unworkable. He told me that if I worked 4 days a week then that extra day would be a non-contact day for all my management responsibilities. However, I was unwilling to work 4 days a week, so resigned.

One school I work.in has two teachers strengths deputy head role.

I'm a governor at a primary school where we have two deputies job-Sharing. It works really well for us, there's no harm asking.

It's the heads decision not the govs. Or rather the govs will listen very carefully to the head before agreeing with her decision.

Even though the head will tell you it was the govs decision.

Our HT is currently negotiating to return from mat leave 3 days a week. Apparently the Govs are dithering and can't make up their minds what to do, but the Deputy (who is Acting Head) has been offered a permanent headship elsewhere, to start when our Head returns. So as we're quite a small school, apparently the Govs have decided to go for 2 head teachers job sharing but no deputy. With the right person that could work really, really well, but I'm not sure where they're going to find that person in the current climate...

Deputy head in my school worked 3 days a week-everything was fine (at school), dont know about her work/life balance.

We have job share heads and deputy head at our school, works fine.

Thanks all for the positive stories, I think it's definitely worth an ask, my HT understands how I am feeling but I think she would rather I worked FT for consistency etc, I just don't think I can keep doing what I'm doing.

My friend is a deputy head with 2 young children. She has Fridays off.

There is certainly no harm in asking.

I suggest you ask if you can work 3 days so that if they say no but offer you 4 days then you could accept that.

They may of course say yes to you working 3 days.

Would love to know what happened with this if you would it mind sharing?

I know of a few schools where the DH works 4 days. They might even be pleased they'll save a little bit of money!