Where do I stand with Parents' Evenings?

[Thisreallyisafarce]

I am a part-time teacher on 0.6. My school published Parents' Evening dates at the start of the year, four in total for my classes, all on days when I work. I was happy to attend all of them.

The school has now doubled the number of Parents' Evenings, so there are two per year group. Again, these are all on the same day of the week, so, in terms of my working days, I would be expected to attend.

Each time there is a Parents' Evening, DH has to take a day off work to have DD, as the distance from home is such that I wouldn't have time to take her home from childcare and then get back to school for the Parents' Evening.

I have therefore said to my line manager that I would like to discuss attending these Parents' Evenings in proportion with my salaried time (0.6).

Where do I stand?

Thanks if anybody has advice.

maisy

You are right. It a pointless dig. It was in response to the unnecessary eye roll. But yeah, totally pointless.

thelucky

While I was saying the childcare isn't relevant I wasn't suggesting OP should do it. I absolutely believe the opposite, which is why i suggested they take it up with the employer but without the childcare included. Mainly because the reason doesn't matter, it shouldn't be expected because the OP is part time.

IME schools will take the piss out of part time teachers until they push back.

I agree that full time teachers are also probably pissed off at the new arrangements at short notice and you’re not the only one this will cause issues with childcare. What on earth is the rationale for double parents evenings?

siakcaci did offer you advice re your question.

She said You are blurring the lines of your question by mentioning your childcare issues. It has nothing to do with it. Speak to employer about contract and parent evenings

She was correct...

ALL you WANT to know is if you are obliged to do them or not. That was her, very valid, point.

Your replies to her were uncalled for.

I had a girl in my department who worked 3 days. My understanding was that I had to legally pro-rata everything to link to her contracted hours. She only had to attend 60% of after school training, parents evenings etc. Her marking was also prorated. Our staff had to mark 4 pieces of extended writing a half term - she only had to do 3.

noblegiraffe

Haven't asked that, yet. I suspect it's like everything else: more feedback, more assessment, more intervention...

Not entirely relevant to this discussion but it is not ‘only in teaching’ that parents have to seek out child minders and babysitters. You do come across as a bit entitled if you think that teachers are such a special category that they are the only people in the world who have to find childcare - lots of us have to do it with nowhere near the sort of salary and benefits a teacher gets. And no, we don’t all get paid overtime or TOIL, it is just the way it is in many jobs.

siak that is exactly how I read your post and thought it was good advice tbf.

I think clearly it was interpreted differently.

I was more surprised by the amount of people suggesting OP should find childcare, which like you, I think the school/ head will latch on to.

OP it sounds like you are teaching in a secondary, is it a non core subject? Will you be able to just do a percentage of the parents evenings and have shorter time slots to see everyone that wants to be seen? Are you able to be strict with the timings to ensure that the consultation evenings you do don’t eat in to your own time? Or will the Head not accept this?

I can't believe I am having to fend off suggestions that I pay someone (and someone completely unsuitable) to have my child so I can work unpaid.

Only in teaching

Sounds pretty normal to me, I have never worked anywhere in over 20 years where some unpaid overtime isn't the norm. 4- 6 weeks holiday a year (max) and unpaid overtime the norm. Same for everyone I know.

Ragwort

Obviously I don't mean "only" - it's a turn of phrase. But this attitude IS particularly prevalent in teaching. Nobody in my DH's workplace would bat an eyelid at my expectations, nor would they in any other place of work I have worked at.

RiverTam

And I do some unpaid overtime. That isn't the issue here. But thanks.

From and HR perspective it is 60% with additional duties. However, parents evenings are very important, especially if you are the only teacher teaching particular groups. I would look to negotiate remission for other things, someone to cover you for a morning to make up for the p eve for example.

Your childcare arrangements are wholly irrelevant to your contractual obligations and are for you to arrange.

TheLuckyMrsPine

Sadly, slots are usually 5 minutes. 32 kids to a class, in general. I'm not sure I can make them much shorter than that without saying, "Don't bother sitting down!"

Anyway, that still wouldn't make it fair compared to a full-time member of staff. I would spend my own time ferrying my DD home and rushing back in the car, so might as well be work time really.

OhTheRoses

And again, I am not looking for anybody to make an exception for me because of my childcare arrangements. They just happen to be the reason I can't - as I usually would - go the extra mile and work when I am not being paid to work.

RiverTam
The OP has her contract which is 0.6 of a teaching contract. She will already do a substantial amount of prep outside of directed time which is an accepted part of the job (teaching contracts are typically 32.5 hours a week but at least 10-20 hours on top of that is preparation and marking)

She shouldn't have to attend additional directed meetings unpaid (least of all because some other people in different jobs opt to).

And its not worth getting into the pointed comments about holidays.

The crux, as always, is:-

What does your contract actually say?

Have you as a group of staff previously accepted governors consulting on changes through the staff reps on the governing body and is that what happened this time?

As ever if you can go into the Head with a clear idea of what outcome you would expect / a solution it would be best. Other than I shouldn't have to do it it's not clear how you envisage this going forward.

Are you primary or secondary? If you are teaching 0.6 of a secondary timetable you will obviously be seeing less parents as you won't have as many groups to teach- you would need to block off some time though ...and if primary can you split 60/40 with your job share?

NWQM

That's why I was asking, in case anyone else knew what the T&Cs - which are quite complex - have to say on this issue. I have no intention of just asking the Head. I will find out my position beforehand. I just thought someone here might know.

Thirtyrock39

What do you mean by "block off some time"?

Have you thought about speaking to your union.

I would suggest you ask your HR team to calculate your directed time statement then compare that to a FT teacher - if your contingency is proportionately significantly less than a FT teacher (or indeed other 0.6 teachers who may work on different days) then you could use that as a starting point for a discussion with the HT.

Secondary Scotland so not entirely sure of relevance.
We are pro-rata so if there are 5 nights in a year and I'm 0.6 I do 3 of them. However in the past I may have done more and got the time off in lieu. This worked nicely in May when a lot of my timetable was on study leave so I managed to get a whole day off which was lovely.
We are expected to come in on days we don't with work for parents nights if needed but we aren't expected to do more than our share.

OP
A starting point for trying to establish your position is does your school follow the burgundy book conditions or not?

FGS! I cannot fathom that people think you should come in to work when you are not being compensated for it! Even if it were overtime it would be the OP’s choice!

Nobody would expect a full time teacher to make a trip in to school to do a parent consultation on a Sunday would they? For OP her weekdays where she does not work are exactly the same.

OP I think you need to confirm with the union if parents evenings are directed time. Then you have to tell the Head you are not able to do it. The Head then has a choice to offer overtime or not. You also have a choice, to do it or not to.

I hope you manage to resolve it and your employers act sensibly!

MaisyPops

Yes, they do.