Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

The staffroom

Whether you're a permanent teacher, supply teacher or student teacher, you'll find others in the same situation on our Staffroom forum.

Flip

1 2

Original poster

If schools shut, do staff still get paid?

40 replies

Plastictattoo · 14/03/2020 07:11

Looking increasingly likely that schools will shut next week in my opinion. BBC reporting that mass gatherings over 100 are likely to be banned from next week which leads me to think they will have to close schools.
I am a lone parent TA and worried that as we don't get paid for holidays, they won't pay us if schools are shut. No guidance from my school on this. Does anyone know?? Thanks

OP posts:

Piggywaspushed · 14/03/2020 07:16

Are you in a union? they should be sending advice.

This is from one union:

School employees covered by the Burgundy Book (teachers) and Green Book (support staff) sick pay schemes are entitled to full pay for absence when they are required to be absent due to infectious illness and this absence does not count against sick pay entitlements.
Soulbury-paid employees are covered by the Green Book sick pay scheme. Sixth form college teachers’ entitlements match the Burgundy Book, but support staff entitlements do not fully match the Green Book provisions. FE college staff and staff in academies which do not or may not follow the Burgundy and Green Book schemes will need to check their contracts and check with their employer if necessary.
However, the NEU expects all employers to provide full pay for all such absence, in line with ACAS advice, whether or not the employee is covered by the above schemes. Otherwise, employees may simply try to attend work, increasing the risk of transmission. Employers should also disregard such absence for the purpose of sickness absence management policies.

ILoveAnOwl · 14/03/2020 07:17

My brother in law's school (an academy) had a meeting last week and they've all been told if they shut, they shut to children only and staff are all expected to still go in.

Cynic that I am I'm suspecting this is so they can let anyone with children who need to be at home looking after them take 'dependents leave' ie unpaid and only people who go in will get paid.

But this is pure speculation.

Thereshegoesagain · 14/03/2020 07:18

We have been told that should the school close will be expected to work from home. So yes, we'll be paid.

Original poster

Plastictattoo · 14/03/2020 07:29

What work would TAs be doing from home?

OP posts:

Piggywaspushed · 14/03/2020 07:41

It's irrelevant : you didn't choose to stay at home - see the union advice above!

owl your BIL's union needs to challenge that.

Sotiredofthislife · 14/03/2020 07:42

My academy chain have declared it will support staff in making the correct decision for them - so schools open for us to work in (clear expectation we will be setting and feeding back on work to students) or we can do it from home. No mention of pay but I assume because we will be working, that won’t be an issue.

NeurotrashWarrior · 14/03/2020 08:23

My brother in law's school (an academy) had a meeting last week and they've all been told if they shut, they shut to children only and staff are all expected to still go in.

That's going to work well with staff who have kids. And I know a lot of teachers and tas who are single mothers, so they'll be shafted if that happens.

NeurotrashWarrior · 14/03/2020 08:26

Hence the burgundy book advice I imagine.

LooseGoose29 · 14/03/2020 11:02

I'm a TA we have been told we will have to go in, but we will have the option to take our own children with us. No idea what we will be expected to do as we can't support children who aren't there.

TeetotalKoala · 14/03/2020 11:08

We have had an email that has said that all staff will be paid. It also said that teachers would be expected to work from home (planning etc). I'm a TA, specifically a 1:1 TA so I can do some planning of my own alongside my class teachers, but I'm not sure what else I could do. We've been told that if anyone needs to go in, it will be limited to senior staff only, so it won't be us TAs.

LooseGoose29 · 14/03/2020 11:13

I wish there was some clear guidance on this. It feels like every school has said something different.

Rockbird · 14/03/2020 11:14

I'm office staff and nothing has been mentioned at all about pay at our school. Rumours going round that we'll shut next week but nothing any more reliable than that.

LooseGoose29 · 14/03/2020 11:17

@rockbird
If anyone new it would be you. Everyone knows the office staff know everything lol

CallmeAngelina · 14/03/2020 11:27

Our Head muttered something about those of us without school-age children would be expected to go in but those with, perhaps not!
Not sure she's thought that through, because I can't see why some people should sit at home on full pay doing nothing, whilst others of us go in to tidy up the library.

FlamingoAndJohn · 14/03/2020 11:30

I asked our head if we would be expected or allowed to come in. His response was ‘what would be the point in that. The whole idea is to keep people at home’.

Rockbird · 14/03/2020 11:34

@LooseGoose29 t'is true. We know everything

Except this

LooseGoose29 · 14/03/2020 11:36

I think it is going to depend how long the closures are. I know I could probably find tidying and sorting that would take a couple of days, and type up some intervention notes but really after a week maybe less I don't think I would have anything to do without children to support.
I think the teachers will be working from home planning, setting online work, data analysis etc but support staff really can't work from home and once we run out of tidying if the schools are still closed we will be expected to take unpaid leave. It really is rubbish but I don't think they will pay us to sit at home unless we are redeployed to provide childcare for NHS workers and other essential services maybe, which kind of defeats the object of closing schools.

Piggywaspushed · 14/03/2020 11:38

flamingo your head is the one who is correct. Hoorah for him.

CallmeAngelina · 14/03/2020 12:25

We will certainly be expected to be "on call" at home, and setting work to be emailed round or done online. Am fine with that.
Head did also say that, whilst we might occasionally need to come on-site, we would probably be able to bugger off and do stuff at home after a couple of hours if we want. She was quite relaxed about it all.

FlamingoAndJohn · 14/03/2020 12:30

your head is the one who is correct. Hoorah for him.

He’s also an OFSTED inspector. And amazingly not a dick.

Piggywaspushed · 14/03/2020 12:32

Wow.

Got to be an outlier

sarahC40 · 14/03/2020 12:45

Wow flamingo, hope we get your head when ofsted looms for us. 😁

AlinaSquareQueen · 14/03/2020 13:16

I’m a TA in a secondary school (academy) and we’ve been told that if we close, we’ll get normal pay. Also we are not expected to go in, and we don’t have to do any work from home (apart from ensure we are up-to-date with online training). I think our HLTAs, who teach small groups, are expected to set some online work.

I realise I’m very fortunate.

polarfrogs · 14/03/2020 13:24

My brother in law's school (an academy) had a meeting last week and they've all been told if they shut, they shut to children only and staff are all expected to still go in.

We've always been told that if a school is closed then it is closed to all and that staff cannot go in. That's been in the case of bad weather. There has been the expectation of some work from home - marking, planning etc as appropriate.

absopugginglutely · 14/03/2020 13:36

I would have my 3 year old at home so won’t be able to work as well!

Flip

1 2

Swipe left for the next trending thread