Asked to send in work whilst off sick.

[NorthernKnickers]

Not sure if the 'rules' here so would love your advice on this. I'm at a new school and one of my colleagues has been off sick for two weeks. She's still sending in all her planning (for every lesson!) for the supply to do. I asked about this as I've never had to do this at previous schools. I was told that school policy is that you still have to plan for your class and are expected to send these in every day.

Is this reasonable and could I refuse if I was off sick? I'd obviously send in whatever I'd already done, as I'm usually ahead of myself, but if I was sick I wouldn't be spending hours planning!

Do you all have to do this?

All schools I've worked in have required work when off sick. If you're in hospital or just too ill then it's the HOD'd job. No one spends ages planning great cover. It usually involves making notes from a text book.

What does annoy me is that if you're having an unpaid day off say to attend a funeral of a close family member, you're still expected to set good cover. I know the kids still deserve to be taught something whilst you're off, it just irks that it's extra work than usual and you don't get paid for it!

That’s normal for teaching.

Normal for us to send in cover work for the classes to get on with at my school. Wouldn’t spend hours planning it, though - I usually email my classes direct with some bullet points of what I expect them to get on with. Mind you, this is secondary and most of my classes are sixth form.

I’ve never been so ill I couldn’t do that (in hospital or similar) but in that case, I’d expect my HoD to step up and sort my classes out.

I don’t know what the requirement is though - I do it because I’d rather feel reassured that the classes are getting on with the work I need them to do. But I don’t know whether we can be required to do it.

All our teachers do it at school. Some will come in if they aren't to I'll as they say it's easier then having to set cover.

Normal for DH's school.

If you're too ill to work, you're too ill to be setting cover lessons.

People are paid TLR payments and dealing with cover is part of it. Really your HOD should have some standard cover work that students can be getting on with.

It’s normal.

However, as a HOD of a core subject. If a colleague has been off more than a few days I email and tell them not to set any more - to concentrate on getting well. I have a stash of cover booklets that I can set for medium term absence.

I’m primary, but we leave our weekly timetable plus maths/English and topic plans attached to our whiteboard so that anyone can come in and pick them up to follow. The supply/deputy might ask other teachers in that year group for specific info but that’s usually enough.

It's a rule where we are. I've never taught anywhere where a teacher who is off doesn't have to let the supply know where they are in the programme, what the class should be doing those days etc. I suppose the presumption is that you don't leave your planning to the night before the lesson, so it's already done, and you have to just whack some notes in an email.

It would be very much frowned on at my school if a teacher didn't have some vestige of a plan to send in.

Normal in primary ime for planing to be provided now for the supply, to ensure continuity and quality of learning for the students. I often find that if it’s 2 form entry, I get the plans from the parallel class with verbal tweeks from their teacher. I have covered classes with no planning available, but usually the head is then grumpy and apologetic about the lack.

Into the second week seems excessive though, how can your detailed plan be effective if not reflecting on prior learning? I’d expect learning objectives/ outcomes in bullet points as a maximum, and the supply to adapt and teach as they went.

You’ve got a very positive view of supply teaching silver.

I assume they’ll probably not get a lot done but as long as they’re safe and occupied that’s generally ok! Going on to long term supply is different-I’d expect those plans to be done by someone at school ideally in conjunction with one supply teacher who takes on the class.

This is completely normal at the school I work at too. The plans are expected from the ill teacher. There are very rare occasions when the person is incapable due to severe illness or an accident. Then the parallel teacher and head of department have pulled the lesson plans together.

Purple, I am a supply teacher after 30 years as a ft class teacher. Oddly enough, I get a lot of repeat work!

There are a few gems out there! If we find someone decent we use them over and over.

I got into trouble for not sending in work. I was under the care of the Intensive care team, hooked up to two drips and barely conscious. When I explained this the head threatened me with disciplinary. Surprise surprise I no longer work there.

It depends on the situation and illness with ours. Most of the time the teacher sets cover work, occasionally in exceptional circumstances HOD or second in department may set it instead. As others have said cover work doesn't require loads of planning, it is usually just work out of a text book.

The proscriptive curriculum demands this, but I think it very unreasonable.

I used to love doing primary supply. I'd use a really creative starter to build activities around. The kids loved it, were engaged and stimulated.

I don't do supply anymore.

I always set cover work if able, however last week I had a sickness bug and just wasn’t well enough so my HOD sorted it for me.

I think if possible a note about where the class are in the SOW is really helpful so that learning isn’t too affected. But if even that isn’t possible then it’s ok, if you are sick you shouldn’t be working.

This is normal as I understand, although I don't agree with it. I would just create a folder of work that's not to complicated for a cover to teach and send those in as and when.

Clearly we are unusual at my school.
All people with leadership posts are expected to sort cover for sick absence.

We have set schemes of work for each year group and have a bank of cover work which can be delivered.

Someone calls in unwell and cover for the day is sorted in 15 minutes.

My last school they expected you to send in differentiated proper lessons. I left.

Ah ok...seems to be normal then, in high schools at least. Im guessing you follow schemes of work/course notes or some such? No HoD in small Primary schools either...everyone wears a million different hats 😂 I'm Primary and I've never had to send in planning when off sick before (in my 27th year of teaching now!) so this has just come as a bit of a shock that's all. I do of course have weekly timetable and medium term planning available, but with very young children (I teach year 1) the focus can shift hourly, never mind daily 😩. You just can't plan that far ahead with 5 year olds 🤷‍♀️ I do 2 days worth, then invariably the 2nd day needs changing/adapting as day 1 throws up some anomaly or other.

I guess I'd better get a 'sick folder' planned in readiness 👍😬

Primary here and I’ll generally be off at least once a year with d&v (kids being germ filled). I always have an overview of the week that I’ve discussed with my ta and if I’ve been well enough to plan I’ll send in work. If I’m not well enough I won’t send anything and my ta will set something. If you’re ill you’re ill and you shouldn’t be expected to plan. How on earth are you going to know what’s happened in the lesson? I don’t plan in advance other than an overview for the same reason.

I'm Primary. We are expected to have a week's timetable on diplayer with a very brief description of each lesson e.g. column addition, or some such. The detailed planning is on the system so a supply teacher could access it. If I'm too ill to be at work, I'm too ill to send planning in.

As a supply I was very rarely left plans. And sometimes even when it was planned cover (e.g on a course) the teacher would leave nothing. I was just either expected to teach anything I wanted, or was given a general topic- healthy eating / place value /etc - and had to teach anything to that.

This was primary a couple of years ago.