Day 'off'

[MilkCereal]

If you do 4 days do you use the fifth day to work or fit all your work into the 4 evenings and have that day 'off'?
I'm trying to go to 3 or 4 days and headteacher in 'discussion' mentioned how I would be available for TAs to contact me and for me to email parents etc on the fifth day- I've said no but just wondering if in reality I'll end up working just at home?

I'm hoping to use that day for house stuff and maybe in me time-can't even imagine that yet!

Absolutely not. I don't work on a Friday and nobody contacts me and I am not expected to do anything school related. In fact, if they did, I would just ignore it. Don't get palmed off with being told you have to make any appointments on your day/s off either. Full timers can't make up the time on another day if they're off for an appointment, so part-timers shouldn't either.

I do often work on my day off but that’s how I make it work for me - my dc are at school so if I can get school work + house chores out of the way in school hours on my day off, the trade off is most of my evenings & weekends are free.

No way would my headteacher / school ever expect me to be contactable or to do anything on that day off though. I’m not paid for it.

You shouldn't deal with svhool matters on the Friday and even if you are planning to do work on that day you should not publicise this or they will start taking the piss.

Thanks all. Yes I have school age dc so it might work for me but I'll put my foot down on being available.

I used to work four days per week and I did use the fifth day to work, but I did that so that I could make my weekends absolutely work free so that I could spend them with my DC.

It’s your day though, so you should use it however it works for you, not how your headteacher wants you to use it.

Absolutely not to being contactable on your day off. Put an 'out of office' notification on your work email with an explanation that you do not work on X day and will next be in school on Y day.

I'm evangelical about this. The OOO message goes on minutes after we break up for a holiday, and I never check school emails in the evenings or at weekends. People need to have stronger boundaries, IMO!

I put OoH message on work email and mute work connected WhatsApp on Thursday evening as I don't work Fridays, but I do planning, marking, etc. around housework, etc. so I can have the weekend totally free. I compare it to the way I used to use all of Saturday for that and now I've shifted it to Friday - but it doesn't make it right!

Remember it's a day off, not a day you're timetabled to be in school but you're not in school for whatever reason.

As a result you're not paid for that day.

I'm secondary and work 4 days a week. People refer to "covering" my tutor group on the day I'm not in, but I always correct them and point out they're not covering me as I'm not timetabled to take the group on that day, so have no responsibility for what happens with them during that time.

I work part time and I do work outside my ‘working days’ - but I don’t do evenings. It’s how I choose to organise myself. It’s no contact time if I so wish - if there was an expectation that I’d be available to chat to parents or members of staff I’d want to be paid for it. You’re head teacher is what on here people often describe as a CF.

It's an unpaid day not a working from home day!

Treat it as if it is a Saturday. Would you feel obliged to return emails on a Saturday?
My school actively tell us to never reply to emails during weekends or school holidays.
You shouldn't have to 'catch up'. If there is too much work for your hours then something has to give.
They will only expect more if you work more.

I’m a part time SENDCO. I do work at home on my day off… including typing up responses to staff/parent emails (although I always put them on schedule send for my next working day). I’m not generally available for phone calls unless I have made that decision, I do make myself available for virtual meetings as required because it’s difficult sometimes to get everyone together for multi agency meetings - however, my head will pay me for these, or I can choose to leave early on another day when I have non contact. Sometimes I bank it as “TOIL”.

It works for me… I don’t know any school staff that manage to fit it all in to 8-5 or whatever, there’s always something else to be done.

I suppose I feel like at least at home I have control over what, when and where and I can work it around my family without being at work 11 hours a day on my “in work” days.

I think that if you work in a similar role (which it sort of sounds like you do?) then it’s worth having a discussion with your head about parameters for what the expectations are re: payment and contact on a “non work day” and what circumstances you should be able to claim pay for - as I did! Make sure you get the agreement in writing…!

Thanks all. My 4 days has been turned down at moment so unfortunately still fulll time. I'm working on it though!
I'm in a special needs primary school.

Ask why it was turned down. It can't just be turned down for no reason and the school should have attempted to accommodate your request, not just turn it down.

Further information which might help: www.acas.org.uk/making-a-flexible-working-request