Contract advice

[MissusBea]

DH is on 0.78 PT. His (newly appointed) headteacher emailed today saying that actually he is on 0.6 as this is what his timetable represents, and so she will need to cut his salary by multiple thousands of pounds (approaching a quarter of the current amount he earns) OR he will need to start working an extra morning a week. She sent him a contract that he doesn't recognise that pre-dates his current one that he holds (both unsigned due to lax previous Head) that specifies that he is on 0.6. His newer contract (unsigned) does not specify 0.78 but he has copies of letters from previous years including this last year specifying his salary and the 0.78. He's been on 0.78 for about 8 years we think, employed there under two previous Heads before this one was employed last September. Can she actually do this?

How many days does he currently work?

It doesn't really matter what his contract says, compared to what hours he's working. If he's working the equivalent of 0.78 full time hours then they can't make him work an extra morning just because a contract says he's on 0.6.

If he's currently working 0.6 hours, but being paid 0.78 wages, then yes, he'll have to work more or be paid less, but then he has been overpaid for years.

What does he actually do? 0.78 will be 1 period shy of 4 days a week. 0.6 is the equivalent of 3 days a week.

If he's contracted for 0.78 then that is what he should be paid at regardless of his actual teaching load. It is up to the school to fill his contracted hours, absolutely not up to him to take a reduction in pay.

I am in a similar situation as I went back FT, but my teaching load was short. I filled that time by writing new schemes of work and helping out in other ways doing cover etc.

He needs to speak to HR and his union rep.

Obviously if he's only actually in school for 0.6 then he should only be paid for that.

He is in school working 0.6 but with no free periods whereas the other teachers get PPA. So effectively the 1.8 was compensation for the lack of any free periods (he also works lunchtimes etc with choir so 3 very full days).

It doesn't sound like he is working 0.78 of a full timetable, I'm afraid, although he's also not doing 0.6, as that would be three days including 10% PPA. His PPA entitlement won't amount to nearly a whole extra day. He needs to go to the head and ask for a breakdown of directed time (which may or may not include the lunchtime choir) and the calculations for what percentage he is actually working by doing 3 full days - schools are required to be able to do this for part time workers but rarely have the figures to hand.

I suspect that he's going to end up either seeing his pay cut or his working hours increased, I'm afraid. If he is a member of a union, he should contact them for advice.

I work 0.6 and my ppa equates to 1 hour a week. 1.8 extra is basically 5 hours extra. So he's being overpaid by almost 1 full day. Doing clubs at lunchtime isn't going to be a defence.

I don't see how he can argue he deserves that salary for the hours he works - i am amazed he's had it at all.

If he's paid 0.78 then they are entitled to ask him to work a full 0.78 timetable. In my school that would be 21 lessons per week across 4 days but able to leave a period early on the 4th day. I've never heard of people being paid for choir or clubs at lunch either and it's not the norm to be able to take PPA at home either. I realise it's rubbish for your DH but its not the norm for someone to be paid 0.78 for three days and I'm not surprised the new Head has questioned it with school budgets as they are at the minute.

Yes we did know he had a good deal. I think the new head has done her homework. It's going to be tricky for us to make this kind of a change for Sept as we both teach P/T and juggle the care of two toddlers between us.... it's a fine balancing act in terms of money and time.

Incidentally some of the PPA was because he is a HOD and manages a fairly large team of part-time staff.

But they're not 'frees', they're time he's meant to be spending at work doing his job. He's not at work managing a team of teachers, he's at home. How can he be a manager when the whole time he's on the premises he's teaching and then goes home in his management time?

I don't think you're going to be able to get out of him actually spending the time at work that he is being paid for.

^^ everything that noblegiraffe said.

Management time is directed time. You don't get to spend it at home looking after two toddlers.