Part time discrimination?

[HarrowSmooth]

Hi all,

Looking for help really as to how to handle the situation I am in. I work in primary and before I went off on maternity leave I was Humanities co-ordinator - I had organised whole school History themed events, spoken to Ofsted when they came in and organised planning and resources/slides for various one off geography skills lessons for all year groups in order to make sure we were covering the whole of the NC.

Fast forward to this year and upon my return to school (working the four days a week that the new head begrudgingly agreed to) I find out through the grape vine, so not communicated in anyway by SLT, that I am now Geography Lead and the teacher who covered Humanities whilst I was off is History Lead. The new head clearly has his favourites and the staff are currently very much split into the haves and have nots, one of his favourites is the teacher who is the History Lead and she is now leading staff insets, talking to Governors, the school development lead from the borough about the school's wider curriculum and I am doing nothing.

Do I talk to him and tell him that I feel like I am being discriminated against because I had a baby and now work part time or do I suck it up as the unfortunate side effect of going on maternity at the same time a new head starts?

Thanks in advance!

When you negotiated your return to work on new terms did you speak about your duties/ responsibilities?

Did they have a maternity cover for your role?

If it bugs you, you should talk to the head. However you have reduced your time at work by 20% do you really want to take up those responsibilities? Or do you feel that was taken away without your consent?

Don't let things get to you, ease yourself back to work and have a balanced home and work life.

Good luck

It sounds like before you went on maternity you were coordinating Humanities (history and geography) now that you are back part time they have split the role in two, you have kept geography and the person who covered you has taken the history. I suppose whether it’s discrimination depends on a few things, is it actually part of your job description or a voluntary extra? Is there a TLR attached and if so has your TLR reduced? Is it normal in your school for subject coordinator roles to be shuffled around?
I think if it’s a paid TLR you’ve lost then you have definite grounds to argue discrimination. Schools are entitled to say that a TLR cannot be done part time and TLR holders are often told that they have to return full-time if they want to keep their TLR post but it doesn’t sound like this was discussed with you as part of your return to work though.
Why are you left doing nothing? Geography is a really important subject and with the big issues around climate change and sustainability it gives you plenty of scope to suggest ideas to take to governors, offer staff training and get whole-school projects going. I’d suggest a couple of things and see what the response is. If the Head dismisses all of your suggestions then you know that you are being actively frozen out.

No TLR and not part of my job description. No conversation was had at all about subject responsibilities when discussing my return so I, stupidly, assumed I would come back the same as people aren't often moved around subject lead wise. The head and I haven't even discussed that I am now Geography lead only at all, someone on the SLT just clarified it for me when I went to them to ask what was going on.

I agree that it probably isn't actually discrimination, as I'm sure he will justify it all by saying that now that I am part time it is better to split it between two people, but more just frustrating as I do believe he is using it as an opportunity to freeze me out. The new History Lead has been asked to do a few whole school things, as History Lead, rather than us both being asked as co-Humanities Leads if that makes sense.

Great advice about suggesting a few things and seeing how he responds to them. I'll wait till after half term and give him a bit more time to warm up to the fact that I'm back from maternity and a capable person and then make some suggestions.

Thanks for both your replies

I have experienced this to a degree and just think I’d rather be one of the ‘have nots’ because we are less bombarded.
My new priority is my DD so I just let the workaholics work and I do the scraps I’m thrown and go home and forget about it.

Btw 4 days a week isn’t what I’d class as part time!!

absopugginglutely well you are wrong. 4 days can be part time if you are doing less than full time hours. I'm not sure why you are questioning that. I work 4 days and it's considered part time for my role.

Waiting1987 wow!! Stand down.
I just meant that four days a week teaching is well over 40 hours work a week.
5 days a week is basically 5 days + all weekend.

It was a comment on how ‘part time’ in teaching is a misnomer.