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?

Purple not in my experience, and those I speak to.
No union presence at my place at all, so all things we fought hard for are laughed at. In council-run schools, at least teachers seem to have a collective voice.

Secondary here. In the past HT would always give leave for this. (Teachers, it never came up for tas and cover supervisors, they didn't have young kids) Until this year-the member of staff I manage has asked for an afternoon. Only if there's no cover. It's quite busy. She's owed hours. She's gutted she's going to miss her child's first nativity.

Most schools I've worked in, the Head is fine with it if you can find a way to make it work. Vast majority of colleagues will find a way to cover for you. It is good management - virtually all staff I've worked with give far more than contracted to do, and it is a little way of showing appreciation for that.

A state school teacher gets 13 weeks holiday a year, which is why you are not entitled to request extra time off.

Instead of stupid comments like this, why not take issue with the fact that anyone, in any industry, is not able to take time off for family and personal events in their lives?

”Sorry for the sharp comment flowery.
But I work in an academy and it's absolutely dreadful. Compared to my last three council-run schools, the academy well and truly feels like it's all about profit. Teachers are stretched beyond belief, and everything is so corporate and sterile. If you don't tow the party line or dare to question anything, you're out.
I'm leaving at Christmas.”

I appreciate the apology and I don’t blame you for feeling frustrated, your school sounds awful.

But it’s simply not the case that having academies run only by teachers would solve the problems you describe. I bring enormous value to my MAT through not being a teacher.

I spend maybe 5-10 hours every week working incredibly hard for our MAT, all voluntarily, trying to help make our schools good places for staff to work and for children to receive their education. And I’m incredibly proud of our schools and our staff.

I’m also intrigued by the sense that it’s “all about profit”. Where is this “profit” going do you think?

I have been to some of my dcs nativity plays and missed others. I am a tracher. My dh has missed some and seen some, he is not a teacher. It is the same for all jobs. I have all my dcs holidays off. Dh does not. Teaching wins .

Oh, come on now. Just google the word academies to find plenty of stories about CEOs subcontracting services to companies that they own or part-own... there's no regulation and it's rife. You must know that.

'Trying to make our schools good places to work for staff' seems to be the exact opposite to what teachers in my academy and other local ones I know about, are experiencing.
More like 'trying to squeeze out every last drop, knowing that we're untouchable'.

I'm glad your MAT isn't like that. Do you know or get the impression that teachers at your MAT are happy?

I'm also intrigued by the sense that it’s “all about profit”. Where is this “profit” going do you think?

I left a school which is part of a huge MAT last summer. The CEO earns an obscene amount of money, so my suggestion is that the "profit" is going there. And he's not the only one. Don't be naive.

www.tes.com/news/school-news/breaking-news/exclusive-academisation-jeopardy-due-excessive-pay-warns-sir-michael

”Just google the word academies to find plenty of stories about CEOs subcontracting services to companies that they own or part-own... there's no regulation and it's rife. You must know that.”

Doing that is completely against the Academies Financial Handbook and in breach of the funding agreement too. There is plenty of regulation and restrictions, the issue is probably one of enforcement. I’ve no idea how “rife” it is, or how you would know either. Ofsted will start inspecting MATs which may help, I don’t know. Hopefully.

”Do you know or get the impression that teachers at your MAT are happy?”

Yes, by and large. We did a staff survey last term. Few niggles as with any employer but I was pretty happy with the results.

”I left a school which is part of a huge MAT last summer. The CEO earns an obscene amount of money, so my suggestion is that the "profit" is going there. And he's not the only one. Don't be naive.”

I’m perfectly well aware what a “profit” is, owning two businesses as I do. I’m not naive for knowing academies don’t make a profit or have shareholders. Or for knowing that budgets are incredibly tight everywhere in education and to therefore be intrigued by the ability to find any extra.

Whether CEOs are paid too much is a different question. I have no idea why the volunteer board of directors at your MAT felt it was necessary to pay your CEO whatever it is he is paid. I know how much ours gets paid and it’s certainly not in the slightest bit obscene for what he does.

There are thousands of academies. Some will be run well and some will be run badly. I just resent the “academies are all awful and corrupt” theme. It’s lazy. Google to find horror stories about any industry or public sector service, there will be plenty.

Whether academisation should have happened in the first place is a different question as well, obviously. But the horse has bolted, that’s the reality. But just because you may not agree with the decision made in the first place don’t make lazy assumptions that all academies are badly run. Or think that if schools were run purely by teachers everything would be fine.

I don't think anyone should be getting over £100k in education, I really don't.

The thing with academistation is, it is trying to emulate the corporate sector in schools. But all the best parts of the corporate world eg. good HR practices, strategy, have been ignored in favour of the worst parts of the corporate world eg punitive appraisal processes, them & us management culture.

”all the best parts of the corporate world eg. good HR practices, strategy, have been ignored in favour of the worst parts of the corporate world eg punitive appraisal processes, them & us management culture.”

Not in our MAT they haven’t. And in fact, therein lies the problem. What you describe has no doubt happened in some academies. But you have no reason to think that’s the norm. There are thousands of unpaid volunteers like me who work incredibly hard to bring good, supportive, effective practices to the academies we’re involved with.

Of course there are some badly-run organisations in all sectors. But what’s naive is assuming that means every similar organisation is the same, and assuming that the problem with the ones which aren’t run well is the fact that the people running them aren’t teachers.

I should really just carry on doing what I’m doing to make education better for the children in my area and close my ears to all the negative assumptions really rather than wasting my time arguing about it!

My six figure fat cat salary that I’ve read on Facebook that all directors of MATs get seems to be strangely absent from my bank account though....!

I'm sure a simple yes or no would have been great for the op.

She got it! Yes she can ask, no she’s not entitled to it.

Flowery do you at least have a good theoretical knowledge of cognitive development in children? Of SEN? Pedagogy? If not how can you reliably make informed decisions about children’s learning? What aspects do you deal with? Budgeting for example- how do you really know what money is best spent on? I’m genuinely interested.

Gove for example spent a lot of money on others researching effective teaching methods and strategies for him. He ignored the findings and drew up a rigid curriculum mirroring his prep school education. Teachers are sick of people who don’t really know making decisions about children’s learning.

Many teachers do not have a good understanding of cognitive development in children

I'll say again. MAT directors are involved in governance. Out trustees (as we call them) do not make curriculum decisions.

My dc school filmed it and then did an after school showing of the film for parents that were unable to attend. Not ideal but better than nothing and kind of them to do. Maybe you could ask your dc school if they would do something similar.

Got to say though, I am amazed that you seem so outraged by this, it’s like it never occurred to you that it would be a hazard of the job. You’re not putting other people’s children before your own, you’re honouring the terms of your employment.

It's swings and roundabouts though.
You know you are working term time and when other parents have to work and find childcare you have a long summer holiday.
Is your child's school one that lets parents film, if so you could ask someone to record it for you.

”Flowery do you at least have a good theoretical knowledge of cognitive development in children? Of SEN? Pedagogy? If not how can you reliably make informed decisions about children’s learning?”

I don’t. I rely on an excellent EHT and leadership team for that stuff. Obviously.

I deal mostly with HR stuff, including EHT performance review, HR policies, pay review committee. I deal with legal stuff such as negotiating leases and significant contracts, and governance stuff such as writing governance arrangements and scheme of delegation, due diligence involved in taking on a new school.

But yes of course you’re right. Someone who has spent all their working life in a classroom would do a much better job than me at all that.

Your dripping sarcasm just reflects an inability to be questioned. You obviously don’t like being asked about this!

But yes of course you’re right. Someone who has spent all their working life in a classroom would do a much better job than me at all that.
Please show me where I said that? I was just trying to explain why teachers get exasperated by people who have no experience teaching appraising them and telling them what to do.

Also it is possible to teach or and do HR etc; people do change careers.

I'm with flowery on this one. All trustees do not need to be education professionals. There is, as there has always been, a role for people with other relevant experience in school governance.

Governors do not directly appraise anyone except the HT in any school I have worked in. And while they are technically in charge of pay reviews, I have never known them not to accept the HT's recommendation.

Well fallen you said many teachers don’t understand cognitive development.
I don’t understand your comment to be honest it just seems dismissive of teachers.

Would you appoint a head teacher?