TOIL

[Piggywaspushed]

Anyone heard of the concept of TOIL for full time teachers? A few of us have been asked to cover some lessons for a sick colleague(which, of course , we shouldn't be doing...it's all about not spending any money) and have been offered TOIL in return BUT only when we have free periods anyway.

I didn't work in one of those fascist dictatorships schools that has stated hours of presence in the school building so I can't see the appeal. To me, I am being told I have to go home at lunch one day and lose my free periods! I can't see what I would gain from this. I'd just go home and watch Countdown or something (and by the time I got home , I would have used 30 minutes of it!). Then I'd have to catch up on my marking, planning at another point.

I've only ever heard of TOIL before for admin staff who accrue it and so can therefore take whole days off.

I suppose it might be useful if your child’s sports day coincided with a free period, but that’s not likely. I’ve only heard of it being given as a reciprocal arrangement where someone then covers a lesson for you.

My DCs are beyond sports day age but tbh at my school we'd be given LOA for that anyway, usually.

I can't see how it would be of any benefit unless you could take it when you wanted.
If you 'take your TOIL in a free period' then you are not getting your PPA done then, so would have to do it in your own time, which sort of negates what they claim to be offering.

How many lessons of cover?

Yes, that's how I feel back !

Trouble is I have a) agreed in principle to taking the lessons and b) others have said yes to TOIL (I think because they felt they had to). I have said I would rather be exempted from other requirements which increase workload.

I think essentially the TOIL being offered is work from home..

Madonna, it's only two at the moment which doesn't seem much but it is for a pre known sick colleague and we are understaffed in the dept so it takes me over allocation, so there is a bit of politics and controversy attached to this.

I think actually the hod has said she can't set cover for all the lessons the colleague will miss for tow weeks (fair point) and so the workload is being spread. We aren't just covering. we will have to plan the lesson ourselves and do any marking should it produce an. It is teaching rather than covering.

Is it gained time? I ask because as a department we have had some people teaching classes for an absent colleague in preference to the other work that can be directed in gained time.

I would point out that what you are being offered is not TOIL at all, unless they have a solution for who will do your PPA work that is missed.

I’d then ask for something I actually wanted - but get creative!

I'm a bit confused.

I take it you're not in about a one off lesson? I have cover every now and again (not like it was a decade ago when it was 2 or 3 times a week) for absent colleagues. Thankfully I could count on my hands the number of times this year.
I certainly wouldn't expect toil? I'm guessing we are taking a lot of extra time?

But you are right. That's your PPA time!

No, it's not gained time

It's also not cover user as the work is not being provided,so it's teaching. I work in a no cover school. I have done one cover a year at most, and that is for something like a final assembly when I have gained time by a class being in the assembly.

I didn't expect TOIL. It was offered as they realise we shouldn't be being asked...

Out of interest Madonna, in preference to what sort of thing?

Are you not given gained time work, Piggy? We might be asked to write assessments or resource a scheme of work or something like that in our gained time. I’d much rather do a couple of covers!

No, but gained time is a thing of myth in my department!

We have sometimes done stuff like that in the summer term but no one refers to it as gained time work. It's just something that needs to be done.

How do you not have gained time? Your exam classes leave don’t they?

We have a rollover timetable and every year for four years now staff have left and not been replaced at May half term.

Some people have some gained time. I have none!

Oh wow that’s horrendous, piggy. Gained time is what keeps me going!

Yes, it would be nice.

Probably a silly question but isn't it normal that you take the lessons for absent colleagues?

No locked, we have cover teachers or supply. I am amazed that so many schools still have cover tbh. But , that aside, this breaks the so called rules of unions as it was pre known absence through sickness ,which shouldn't be covered by teachers . Besides, as I said above, it's teaching not cover, including the accompanying planning. And it takes me over allocation!

Cover levels are sneaking back up in my school, down to budget cuts I reckon. I’ve been taken quite a few times this year and I’m part time, a couple of years ago I wasn’t being taken at all.

It depends on if your school offers you more frees than the legal limit (which is 10% of your total teaching hours). If you have 30 periods a week but you only teach 25 then you can be asked to teach 27 without any toil.

Yeah, I have noticed quite a few staff in my school are now 'agreeing' to cover for absent colleagues...

We all do at least two covers a week at our school. It used to be one but we've had two people on sick leave since February and another since April plus some shorter absences for minor surgery as well as the usual staff out on trips or sick. We don't have any cover teachers. If the cover is for a member of staff in our faculty then we're expected to teach the lesson and if it's a long term absence to mark the work from the lesson.

wow : that sounds like the dark ages! Do you have no union reps??