Feel like I've lost sight of what's reasonable

[howaboutanelbow]

I am HOD in a fairly small school and the department is a bit of a mix of HOYs and assistant heads: no one is "just" an English teacher.

I teach 25 hours out of 30 a week. One of these is a scheduled meeting with a graduate teacher; the other is a meeting with my line manager. So really three free hours.

The biggest headache is that I have a tutor group. The kids are perfectly nice but we have things to do in tutor time that are really intricate and detailed, like putting on a play at Christmas time and organising charity events. I also have to interview the kids and record the outcomes of these interviews. It takes loads of time as have to take them out of lessons etc. If they are absent I also need to interview them.

Then I have two exam classes who are both 32 in size. I have both five times a week. Marking takes me forever.

I have two after school events and also meetings until 5 once a week.

I'm exhausted and I feel like I am doing a rubbish job. I've been told off twice today and both were about petty things but I don't know.

Am I being unreasonable here?

Oh, shit about what subjects they like, which ones aren't going so well, have there been behaviour issues, if so what can they do, are there any social problems, blah blah.

Piggy I'm really getting worked up by this, can you just leave me alone? I really need support, not you criticising me, and tbh I'll get banned if I say what I'm thinking.

WHY can't you influence it? I really am not understanding your lack of autonomy/power to make such standard decisions as groupings and marking policy.

OK, I'm just going to hide the thread then. Thanks, piggy, that really made a shit day better.

I genuinely am trying to help and understand. I have never said it is your fault and have asked lots of times if you have spoken to anyone.

It really sounds like you need to.

Like who? I'm not trying to be difficult but first it's my fault for taking form tasks too seriously. Then I am a "how high would you like me to jump" person. Then I tell you it's not helpful but you just keep on.

Just because you personally haven't encountered something does not mean it is not possible.

Hi OP
I'm a HoD of English in a smallish state school with a similar staff team and like you face a huge amount of pressure ("the whole school's results are on your and the head of maths' shoulders" ). I also have small children at home and am expected to run / attend 1 x meeting, 1 x detention and 1 x intervention after school each week till 5pm.

However I also have:
No tutor group
9 genuinely (ie not line management meetings etc) free periods a week (of a 30 period week)
A marking policy I wrote myself which controls marking load
No classes above 25 kids

Maybe ask local HoDs what their t&cs are like and take this info to SLT?

Your line manager and/or your union.

op don’t leave the thread. I think piggy is genuinely trying to help you.

Clearly the way Things are are unsustainable. You’re going to go under.

Do you think talking to your union rep might help? I have done this in the past and it has helped me prioritise what I need to address with my line manager and what I can let go of.

The pupil interviews. I think this is an area you can slim right down. How many do you do in one lesson?

My line manager is responsible for pretty much all that I have outlined above and is absolutely of fixed opinion re early entry and enormous class sizes. You know as well as I do the union do FA.

Thanks wherehave - I know. Thing is, it's just not going to change. I dunno what the answer is, look for another job I suppose, but I am worn down and disillusioned by now.

You haven’t got 1 free hour a week to do tutor interviews in, it is eating into your protected PPA.

What I am trying to say is your school does not sound 'normal' in the pressure it is exerting upon you, which is causing you anxiety. It seems you cna't cut corners. I now understand that you are forced to take form time seriously.

This is why I wondered if there are external pressures on your school, such as RI.

I have experienced lots of the things you talk about and know bullying and brow beating exists in schools : it sounds like you are being brow beaten.

They don't take long (at least not the way I do them) however as with most things it is the

find where kid is on sims
go trailing after kid
retrieve kid
interview kid
return kid, get next kid

and even without them, there are the Tasks (and i think of them like that, Tasks with a capital T) and the marking and all the rest of it.

fuck knows what the answer is!

Your Line Manager's fixed opnion re early entry is deluded, But obviously you can't tell him (I am assuming) that! Ofsted would challenge it though.

You could at least make appointments with the kids so that they come to you and you don’t have to fetch them from lessons?

What would happen if you slacked off on your marking?

We've just had an ofsted, all good, so they won't change EE.

Giraffe, well tbh I have. Not intentionally but just through sheer being unable to keep up. And Y11 behaviour has declined as a result if I'm honest.

They wouldn't keep appointments besides with my luck i'd be taken for cover.

Are you in Wales?

Find kid- get pupil secretary to do this. Once kid is found, set reminder on phone. If they don’t show the following week follow your behaviour policy. Set this out clearly to them. Enforce it.

Late to your meeting? Penalise it.
No task completed- penalise it.

Reward like a maniac too though.

Get those meetings down

Kid one- 9am
Kid two 9.15am but the alarm you set is for 9.10 so you build in that time.
Set an agenda and targeted questions. Keep this as a format that gets repeated. Be SMART. enforce it to the letter.
Kid three 9.25 and so on and so on.
You could realistically see 4-6 kids in one lesson typing as you go.

Jesus all this is MORE work than just finding the kid! Find the pupil secretary and then have them find the kid, might as well find the kid myself.

I rush through the interviews. I am sure that there are ways to make this manageable and it is me. But I cannot do it. I. Cannot. Do. It. And I am not allowed my phone in school.

Not in Wales.

Your not doing rubbish. We all need to learn to say feck it and do the best we can, stress less = work best

And penalising it is also more of MY time isn't it. That's another thing, detentions. Plus, it's hardly conducive to building positive relationships with kids putting them in detention for petty shit. Sorry but it isn't.

Honestly, you sound very close to the edge, and it's no wonder. You're being totally exploited. It sounds like it's the culture of your school. Here's what you need to do.
Contact your Union for advice and support in lack of PPA / being directed during this time. Also lack of proper leadership time.
Go to your GP and ask to be signed off with work related stress.
Look for another job.
Life is far too short to tolerate this shit. I know, I've been there and almost lost the plot.
Know that not all,schools are like this.

I'd look for another job in a heartbeat but I've only been in this one since September. I don't know.

The kids don’t have their phones?
Or you?

Listen, your obviously care about the job and the kids and you’re having such a shite time.

I’m sorry I’m not helping.

You’re an asset. I hope things turn around for you.