Mrs Hopalong...

[flutterworc]

So I’ve done something stupid to my foot and a pinch of research tells me that when I attend my Urgent Fracture Clinic appointment tomorrow, I’m likely to come home with it in a cast.

Anyone know if I’m likely to be ‘allowed’ to go to work? I’m a secondary English teacher full time. I don’t really want to be off for ages when there’s nothing wrong with me!

Are you sure you're a teacher?!

Definitely am. 15 years and counting. Still love it. I’m one of the lucky ones.

I think schools would probably allow teachers to come to work if they were technically dead if it meant not paying for cover.

Good point, @noblegiraffe - though my school is better than most at looking out for teacher welfare.

I suppose I’m probably thinking more from a risk assessment/H&S/Liability/insurance perspective. Not to mention I get palpitations at the thought of setting weeks of cover...

The whole point of a cast is to protect your injury while it heals. I can’t imagine why you wouldn’t continue to work. The first few days after an injury might be hard due to swelling and pain, but after that you let the cast do it’s work and you get on with things.

Depends on the layout of the building and where you teach etc. I broke my ankle slipping on ice about 8 yrs ago and they wouldn’t let me work, too dangerous, stairs, uneven surfaces etc. I was off for 6 weeks in the end. Setting the cover was an absolute treat.

I cam in at the tail end of my bunion recovery in a boot! It was a bit difficult but I managed.

Noblegiraffe - you do make me laugh.

OP - I'd check with your school - I know some people aren't allowed in with casts because of insurance issues, and welfare concerns, but others seem to have been ok. I wouldn't be in too much of a rush to hobble in, if it were me.... Good luck.

Thanks all - I’m still hoping that today they tell me that they were wrong and I don’t need anything! As much as anything I blimmin’ hate my crutches!!

I broke my ankle in the summer holidays and missed the first 5 weeks of term. This was not my choice but, in retrospect, the right one. There is no way that I would have been able to get around school and up stairs on crutches. My foot is still really swollen and painful now and it is amazing how many times it gets trodden on in the course of an average day.

Thankfully, it’s partially irrelevant. Bad sprain in an awkward place - the orthopaedic consultant has signed me off for two weeks and school won’t let me go in. However, then I should be fine (as long as I go steady) so I don’t have to worry about longer term, which is a plus.