Can I take leave to watch my own child's nativity?

[wreckedteacher]

As the title says, can I ask for time off to watch my own children's nativities? I have to spend hours on end rehearsing my class to present their Xmas show to their parents; can I watch my own?

You can ask, certainly. Does your HT normally allow staff who are parents to take time off for sports days, nativities and other school activities?

You can certainly ask, it depends if your head is an empathetic human being.

Doubtful then

I'd think it unlikely but would depend on when your dc nativity is scheduled. I think most working parents are in the same boat though (my boss would laugh if I even brought it up). It is crap though.

The only time I ever went of sick whilst teachingwas to go watch my DD in her first nativity

I doubt it .

My head would let teachers/TAs with children in our school pop to the hall and watch plays/nativities/concerts, but not if the children were in a different school. I missed virtually all of my children’s Christmas plays.

Another example of having to put other people's kids first.

Have a doctor's appointment. Don't ask first.

”Another example of having to put other people's kids first.”

It’s no different to many other working parents who struggle to get time off for this stuff though.

Do your child’s school not do an evening performance? Ours do, after pressure from working parents.

My KS2 daughter does but not preschool

We are allowed to attend one thing per child per year. I’m going to attend the nativities for my school-age children and hope they don’t get good parts in the production or win any prizes!

This really annoys me about being a teacher. We have to go out of our way to provide for others' kids but our own have to get a stand in person to watch them in their special school things.

It's swings and roundabouts though isn't it? Teaching is well-known for being extremely inflexible during term time when it comes to time off, so from that point of view isn't family-friendly. But on the other hand obviously teachers get a lot more time off for school holiday times and therefore can spend longer with their children at that time and don't have to find weeks and weeks of expensive holiday childcare.

There are advantages and disadvantages either way.

Our Head allows this. It’s unpaid and usually only a half day is given but she tries to be as flexible as possible. She says if we needed a meeting with a parent in the school day or a child at our school had a big event (we’re secondary so not a nativity but perhaps a performance or prize ceremony) we would want the parent to attend and, if necessary, take time out from work so she allows our teachers to go to things for their children.

Out of 4 schools (secondary), I've worked in one that allowed this, 3 that didn't, so it's worth asking. Although I did work in one horrible school, where daring to ask would have meant a sudden "support" plan put in place!

We allow all our teachers and support staff to go and watch their children in assemblies, shows etc. It's paid too - they are only out for an hour / hour and a half or so and it's important. You never get those times back!

But if you weren't putting other people's kids first, it'd be something else you'd have to put first. Out of the 8 years of nativity our kids did, my dh didn't get to see any of them.

If you want to see it, you'll need to tell a lie. Eg sick, hospital appt

I’m a HT and I would bend over backwards to accommodate a request like this- everybody should see their child’s Nativity. Go to your HT with a plan for how you can be covered and don’t leave finding the solution up to them. This will go down well!

This really annoys me about being a teacher. We have to go out of our way to provide for others' kids but our own have to get a stand in person to watch them in their special school things.

Teaching isn't the only profession that involves missing your DC in special school things!

It's all swings and roundabouts

My Head lets us watch our children's Christmas plays and sports days. He does the same with his own children. It's worth asking.

It’s a problem for anyone in any job when stuff is scheduled during normal working hours. Is your school’s Christmas show scheduled at a time when working parents can attend?

I’m in secondary. My current school would let me out but in my last one you could only go in the unlikely event that it coincided with a free period so no cover required.

This really annoys me about being a teacher. We have to go out of our way to provide for others' kids but our own have to get a stand in person to watch them in their special school things

It’s your job.** You realise you are getting paid to look after other people’s kids?

Many, many parents don’t get to see their children’s nativities and sports days because they have to work.* That’s just life. It’s nothing to with being a teacher.*

We don't get paid to "look after" other people's kids