Cover "under the radar"

[DorothyL]

If I cover for a colleague in one of my unpaid frees so that she can sneak off without telling slt, could this lead to any problems? Insurance-wise for example?

Why would you? Why can't that be done officially? It can at our place.

I know I'm maybe in a fortunate position but I would always go to my head (having already negotiated with colleague). Would need to be an unfrivolous reason.
Could come back on you otherwise, e.g. Fire drill etc

Because she wants to get away for the weekend but doesn't want to ask for unpaid leave. I don't work that afternoon normally so would officially not be in. If we tell the school wouldn't they say I have to be there as official supply, therefore paid?

Well, you are colluding with a colleague who is not fufilling her contract. I would think that your managers would want to speak to you as part of an investigation into this.

Why is she 'sneaking off'? If she has a legitimate reason to not teach that lesson why can't she let SLT know?

What happens if there's a fire bell in that lesson? What will you do if the pupils mention to other teachers that Ms X wasn't there? What will you do if your Headteacher decides to observe that lesson?

X post. I work in a school and we wouldn't give unpaid leave for a weekend away - it's a small school, and if we set a precedent by giving time off to one person we would end up with an unmanageable situation if a number of staff wanted to do the same thing.

For a holiday? She needs to suck it up and ask if it can be unpaid leave and say she's arranged a cover with you (if she returns the favour it could be 'cost neutral').
Otherwise NO DONT DO IT. We've booked a short Butlins break later in the year. It starts on Friday. I will leave later than DH and DS and join them later. I will be leaving after my teaching is done at lunchtime.

Ok thanks.

I asked her to keep an eye on my year 12's last summer while her 11's were on study leave (she literally just put a dvd on for them) and now says I owe her the lesson back. I felt kind of obliged to do it but then started to worry about the implications.

Yes, you could be in serious trouble. She would be absent without leave which is a serious disiplinary matter and you would have colluded in that.
If she is doing that your job is to tell her you will have to report it. If she wants to go away for a weekend she has to ask for leave of absence to leave work early. If the policy says that is unpaid - it is her choice whether she decides to go or not. If she just leaves early without leave of absence she is stealing public money. She clearly knows what the policy says and chose to work there so she has to accept that. End of story.

It's potentially a disciplinary issue. Be honest.

She's being cheeky. She did you a favour during gained time when she was being paid. She's saying that you need to work unpaid to repay the favour! Tell her you're not 'free' that afternoon, but actually not at work so you can't do it.

This is very familiar.
Does anyone remember a post in AUBU with a similar question?

Well spotted marcopront.

She's asked again.

For another holiday?

How can she sneak off site?
Do you not need to sign out?

I'm not quite sure how she wanted to play it, I didn't ask. We are meant to sign in and out.

Well I've said no and she's not best pleased, but that can't be helped now.

Turns out she did want to make it official, but if that's the case, how could the school make me covering official without paying me? Or could they?

If the head agreed then you could do it. As long as you are a teacher there you can cover classes or whatever. I have sometimes swapped days to cover colleagues when part time. I would not though do it secretly. She should go to whoever does the cover say she has an event and ask if you ate able to do the cover. If though you dont want to then say so.

She has to tell whoever authorises leave in your school.

Someone did this in my department - it was the last two lessons on a Friday and my HoD noticed that instead of the teacher being in the class, her friend from another department was there, while the students were doing cover work (reading). She asked him why he was there, e.g. was the colleague doing something (for example an activity with another year group where her normal lesson would be covered - she was literary coordinator so those kind of things happened from time to time) and he looked really uncomfortable and said he didn't know. The same thing happened in the next period, a different random teacher who was friends with the absentee turned up to cover a class, and when directly questioned by HoD, "Who asked you to cover this lesson?" he admitted the name of the absent colleague. HoD was furious, but didn't end up having to do anything about it as the absentee had already been seen by the Head on the CCTV walking out of school and into a taxi with her suitcase - and he does all the cover! She was disciplined and they watched her very very closely and she ended up leaving at the end of that year (perhaps unrelated).

Don't do it unofficially, OP!