Setting work when off sick.

[Iom92]

Just want to vent! In every school I’ve ever worked at, the expectation is that unless you’re hooked up to a machine on a hospital ward (ie so ill you’re at deaths door), you have to send work in for your classes during your absence. I’m currently off with the dreaded covid and feeling very poorly. I’ve spent approx 10 hours so far this week setting lesson work. All I want to do is curl up in bed. My oldest friend is a primary teacher and she was gobsmacked when I told her, saying that if she’s ill, she’s ill. End of.

Is this a secondary thing? Is it just something in the schools I’ve worked it? I know the union say not to do this, but what can I do?!

You're right. It's expected. It's easier to drag yourself in feeling shit isn't it

Maybe set work for Monday and add a paragraph saying where everyone is up to in the SOWs but that you're really not feeling well and won't be setting any more cover.

My general interpretation for me has been that I set work unless I'm signed off - so a couple of days illness I set work, if a doctor then signs me off I don't.

It really is, and usually I would! But I’m legally not allowed to leave the house in this case. So frustrating.

Meant to say I would treat covid like being signed off - you and they already know you're not going to be there until at least x date and they should be sorting it out now rather than you doing it.

Are they perhaps assuming planning has been done in advance (my teacher relative does this) and it's just a matter of sending in the stuff for that week?

I feel better for getting it off my chest…only another week to go!

We plan for supply cover at our primary school. And I actually WAS planning whilst hooked up in hospital for a fortnight, albeit iv drip rather than a machine. Then got back to find it had been roundly ignored

That’s terrible. I can’t think of another job where this would be expected?

I've been setting work for a colleague with covid. That's part of my job as her line manager. I don't expect her to do it.

In my experience it's the same in both sectors, having taught both. A few years back pre-covid, I was getting emails about setting work 25 minutes after being sent to hospital. I ignored them for 2 days and had to have a return to work conversation.

As we never have supply now, the one TA we have between 4 classes covers if we are off and we have to send in the work by 7.30am. And mark it when we get back. Sheer insanity.

I had to set work when I went into labour prematurely. Primary.

@somuchcoffeeneeded

I had to set work when I went into labour prematurely. Primary.

That’s insane.