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?

I can't believe that it's normalised either.

This is not normal in any school I've been in. Ive taught for 8 years and done supply in 16 different schools. I'm pretty sure it's not legal?

I'm not convinced of the legality either.

Definitely not normal in my school.

Legal / illegal if people are willing to do it then nothing will change. It’s depressing in a profession so overwhelmed by workload.

We are two-form entry, and the week's plans are on the system for Monday morning. The covering teacher would talk to the parallel class teacher about the details/if we'd veered off-course or whatever.
If you're too ill for school, you're too ill for farting about at 7 in the morning firing up your computer getting plans sent off for someone else to teach. Worst-case scenario the cover teacher can do their own thing.

Perhaps this is why teachers in our school hardly ever leave!

@OhDearGodLookAtThisMess your school sounds very reasonable. My old school was too. I'm finding this new one really tough, truth be told 😢😩

At a neighbouring school the head insisted that all teachers had a powerpoint of the day's lessons with all the experiences and outcomes from the Curriculum for Excellence highlighted in appropriate colours. This had also to be done and forwarded if they were off itt.

None of the staff had the guts to say No, that's totally unreasonable so she got away with it.

This school is very similar...every single lesson has to be planned to a specific (colour-coded, long-winded) format...including all the foundation subjects and guided reading. Every single lesson...no Twinkl ppts or nice, conveniently prepared Classroom Secrets slides. Everything is done from scratch. Takes absolutely hours! A 20 minute phonics session takes me an hour to prepare...and I do 5 of those a week...such is the complexity of the slide code system 😩😩😩

I have two colleagues who have started at my school this term. Each has come from schools that operate as yours seems to, knickers.

They cannot BELIEVE the improvement in their work/life balance since switching.

My head says that this is what supplies are paid for, and that if you're ill, you shouldn't be working.

There's no way I'd send in work if I was off sick, because I'd be just that. Sick.

In both schools I've worked in and the college I currently work in I have been expected to set "meaningful" cover. Not a lesson plan but should be resources and pptes if possible. I usually drag myself in if possible as easier than sorting cover particularly as I refuse to plan at home at the moment and all my resources and planner are at work.

It's pretty miserable I have to say. I've never experienced anything on this level before. It's taken micro-managing to a whole new level. For the first time in my (too!) long teaching career, I'm beat, and we haven't reached the end of Aut1 yet 😩 Not sure I'll make it to Spring!