Part time and meetings

[wibblywoo]

Similar to an earlier thread, I know, but it touched on something that I've been thinking about today.

New job (although been teaching many years). I am 0.6, three days. On all three of these days there is directed time, including a 1.5 hour twilight weekly. These build up to several disaggregated days, all of fall on my days off so I don't benefit from.

Would I be petty to ask if I have to attend them all? And even if I am justified, would I be better to keep my head down and get on with it, rather than look like a troublemaker?

Thank you for any thoughts!

If you’re part time you need a meeting with your line manager to discuss your allocation of directed time, which will include how many INSETs you need to attend and how many meetings.

I have arranged to attend 4 out of 5 INSETs, the 5th INSET is disaggregated through twilights, so I don’t attend the twilight sessions. I should only attend 3 INSETs on my contract, but I can’t make all our team meetings so I’ve exchanged some for an extra INSET.

Thank you.

But as I will have to bring this up - I don't think they've even thought about this - do you think I will just look like I'm being awkward or work-shy? With it being a new job?

You attend the percentage of insets meetings etc that fall on your days. Not the percentage overall.

But in this case when it is weekly twilight, asm for the directed hours. How does that even work?

Id suggest speaking to the union for clarification but my experience is they have no clue about part time contracts.

It's awkward, isn't it? Maybe I should just be grateful for part time work and not rock the boat.

At the minute, I attend exactly the same number of meetings as full time staff, but obviously don't benefit from any other of the extra holiday days in return.

I work three days so have been told I have to work three of five inset days. I’ve already done that this year. There is one more inset on one of my days and I’ve been told I can attend if I wish, but to put in an overtime claim form. There are also some twilight insets on my days which are instead of another inset day. I don’t have to attend those.

However, the weekly staff meeting falls on my day and I attend all of them.

You can’t be directed to work on your day off, but the twilight isn’t on your day off, even if the INSET is - I imagine that the unions won’t have a clue what the rules are because there generally teaching part time is just make it up as you go along if there is anything even slightly out of the ordinary with your timetable.

You need a meeting with your line manager about your directed time hours - this is a pretty standard request so I wouldn’t worry about making it. Even if they say that you need to do some of the twilights, you either won’t have to do them all, or you will be able to skip some other stuff.

It is a well established norm that you attend 3/5 of directed time - so it might not work out exactly as 3 out of 5 meetings, it might be that your directed time is slightly differently arranged, but you definitely shouldn't be expected to go to them all.

Don't ask if you can attend fewer, ask "Obviously as I am 0.6 I only do 0.6 of directed time too, so is there a list of meeting content for the rest of term so I can plan in advance which ones I need to be at, or do you want me to just keep a record of which ones I have attended?" Just being quite clear you aren't asking them a favour, that is just the T&Cs of your contract.

Thank you all. I'll try to be brave tomorrow.

My new school is an academy, if that makes any difference. But presumably normal rules apply? My contract certainly didn't say otherwise.

Your contract is 0.6 so you should be working 0.6 of a full timer whether in an academy or otherwise!