Easter holiday

[beesbugsbutterflies]

Teachers, If you are working next week during the Easter holidays, do you claim for extra hours you've worked?

[Mistressiggi]

It's a precedent though, and a small acknowledgement from our employers of people taking on an extra risk voluntarily.
The time off was during the lockdown, so a bit of time you wouldn't feel guilty for turning off your phone or having a lie in, basically.

I would agree lockdown working isn't the same - it's been far busier and I've found a total blurring of lines between home and school that leave me marking students work late at night and responding to emails at silly times in the morning. The actual work we are doing might not be so time consuming if trained in the systems and sitting in an office with decent IT - we are mostly learning on the hoof and trying to use systems unused to the demand on our own IT - even our phones at times. Takes twice as long as it would at work.
No discipline problems to deal with though, that's always a bonus.

[missyB1]

I'm a TA in an independent school but have been furloughed. Would happily have volunteered to go in during the holidays.

[Saltycinnamon]

@mistressiggi I just find it v hard to believe that working from home is anything like comparable to usual workload. Half a day back at some point - whilst on lockdown or back in school? I just think it’s petty.

[pinkrocker]

I've not been asked to go in (I would, if asked) and I'm not on rota til next Wed which would be my working day anyway. I'm desperate to help and do more and have said I'll cover for anyone, and I would not expect to be paid.
(School were wonderful with me when my DP was dying last year, I'd like to repay their caring kindness)

[Mistressiggi]

We need two groups a day, two lots of staff (am and pm as we are offering wrap around not just school hours). That's 20 members of staff is no one comes in twice (unfortunately management are on a smaller rota of their own so are in more often)
There's just under 100 teachers in the school, so that's 80 who won't be in over Easter - so I think the 20 would deserve a half day back at some point!

saltycinammon when you aren't on the rota to be in school, you are working from home. So still working every day. What is hard to understand about that?

[NCTDN]

And there is a fair point about teachers working from home - much easier to assign jobs for them at home whereas it's a lot trickier thinking what TAs can do from home.

[NCTDN]

@Mistressiggi it obviously depends on your situation. All of our teachers are in at some point - there's no 'most' teachers being off.

[Saltycinnamon]

But it isn’t extra work. If you’re on a rota you’re off most of the time anyway. Teachers are working from home - are TAs? (Genuine question£

[wonderstuff]

I'm in for 3 hours, I don't think I'll be paid, I'm not expecting it and I'm looking forward to it really. I don't think our TAs are in, they've been tasked with contact calls for to vulnerable kids who aren't in. Only people who volunteered are in, but looks like everyone not in the shielding group has volunteered. I'm assuming all other support staff are being paid.

[Mistressiggi]

TA pay is shite and I'm amazed you wouldn't want them to get extra if they did extra work.

[Mistressiggi]

Really? Given that most teachers will not be called upon to work in the holidays do you not think it would be fair to offer something to those who do? We were offered a day in lieu, for example.

[Saltycinnamon]

I’m amazed people are being paid for this. I actually think it’s outrageous. Teachers/TAs are working, yes, but nothing like normal teaching & we’re safe at home with our families for most of the time in secure jobs.

[Appuskidu]

We aren’t volunteering or paid extra but am happy to go on the rota-as are all staff except one person. I suspect they would complain about anything though!

[beesbugsbutterflies]

Thank you for the replies so far. I volunteered to go in as it helps to have a familiar face for our pupils who have additional needs.
I have no intention of claiming for this, but wanted know what others did, as this falls in 'holiday' period. We had a rota system for past couple of weeks and hopefully after Easter holidays.

[Onceateacher]

So, you are getting the time back instead of being paid. What's the difference? In a national crisis shouldn't you volunteer to not have any time off, if you feel like that about people wanting to be paid?

[NCTDN]

I'm fascinated that some people are saying about extra pay when we are having a national crisis. We are in on a rota but still get a total of 10 days off at some point.

[Macaroni46]

Independent school here. No extra pay. Everyone who can is on the rota during the holidays covering half day slots. I'm down for 4. No extra pay. School is struggling to survive financially as it is. Jobs will be lost so you kind of feel you have to volunteer.
We're also pretty much working solidly throughout the 'holidays' preparing our remote learning and responding to parents' queries.
No extra money anywhere. More likely to be asked to accept a 20% pay cut.

[OxanaVorontsova]

I'm doing a day, I have a good TLR and the head has asked SLT and higher TLRs (HOD/HOY) to cover the Easter break, which I'm very happy to do. After that I'm in for another 2 or 3 days, so no, I'm not claiming extra money!

[MsJaneAusten]

Our rota is staffed only by volunteers. Noone is told they have to go in.

[Musicaltheatremum]

Thankyou for helping. I'm a GP one school near me isn't offering any holiday cover so my 4 other colleagues who have school aged children are struggling. Even more so as their partners are hospital doctors on the front line so their leave has been cancelled so they can't even take week about.
Helping us work is great but I agree you need to be paid for the holidays. NHS has cancelled the Easter weekend but they are using that money for us to pay our staff for coming in on the weekend.
I suppose we are lucky as we have jobs and pay but each job has its stresses and strains.

[astuz]

I'm happy to volunteer, I think it's the least I can do in these exceptional circumstances, when NHS staff are unable to take any holidays, having to go in all hours etc AND they are exposing themselves to the virus. To be fair,I've been turned down because they need very few staff and can manage with just SLT/MLT, but if they rang me up to do the bank holidays at short notice I would - every day is the same anyway at the moment!
We are on a rota, but we have such a big staff, and so few pupils in, that it's mainly SLT/MLT covering with a couple of other teachers. A couple of TAs volunteered on the first day and they sent them all home because there were just too many staff for pupils.

[RainbowCake]

We were given a rota covering 6 weeks, we have 3 teams working and each team is only in for 2 of the 6 weeks, we were asked to choose which weeks we would take as holidays and which we would work at home. We are classed as on call for sickness etc.. during the home working weeks.
Our head has been brilliant sorting all this out, the next time I am in with my team we are actually only working 3 days each in school due to numbers.
I am usually full time but am finishing at lunchtime each day as we have different activities in the afternoons.

If I happen to get called in over my 'holiday' then that is fine by me and I will not claim time or money back. We need to work together and support each other like we never have before.

[lorisparkle]

Our school asked for volunteers for Easter and is paying staff who volunteered on a supply basis.

[HelenaJustina]

We have all been rota’d to have a two week break, just not necessarily during the ‘official’ two week window. I’m off now but have worked 10-12 hours this week so far because shit has happened and it’s not fair to leave a skeleton team to handle it all. I won’t claim because we’re all in this together and when I’m on the rota I’d like to think they’ll have my back too.

[GinnyStrupac]

Reasonably large secondary. Only a handful of staff needed in daily as it is, with the rest WFH. Considered opening for the Easter 2 weeks except the bank hols but actually not opening at all now.