Returning after maternity leave expectations

[Ambn1]

How did your return to work go after maternity leave? What did your first day/ week look like? Were you expected to teach from day one? Did you have time to catch up and settle back in e.g. catching up on new things introduced throughout the year. Meetings with management to catch you up? Is it completely naive of me to expect something like that knowing the usual way schools run!?

My head teacher hasn’t spoken to me about what I will be doing when I come back. I know it will only be just a few weeks before the Summer so I won’t be taking a class over.

It completely depends on when you are returning. I came back the week before the summer holidays to give myself time to be prepared. I had a chance to get my timetable for the following year, catch up with colleagues on the students, do some planning and catch up my emails and any department/school changes. Because I was only there for a week, I wasn't given a class but I was put on cover a few times. I was given a few admin tasks for the department to complete too.

Presumably you've only been away for a year or less - not that much has changed! You will be expected to hit the ground running. Unless you go back after a holiday and there is an INSET day. Could you do KIT days towards the end of your maternity leave to help ease you in? A few weeks before the summer holidays, schools are in that crazy phase or trips/plays etc...I should imagine they'll use you for anything and everything!

I went back on the last day of term before Xmas, got put straight on cover and was told I was teaching another subject 🙈 my school is particularly shit though. Had no support or mentoring etc, just told to get on with it. If you are able to I would suggest doing some KIT days before you go back to help ease you back in.

I went back the week before Easter. I was used for cover but had a lot of free time to do some learning walks. Unfortunately I wasn't given my timetable until til the end of the Friday so I couldn't get any planning done, so the first week after Easter still felt manic.

Business as usual - full time with my primary class. KIT days refused due to lack of school funds.

I just wanted to ask for some clarification, as I haven’t been able to find any clear information. I’ve heard that after returning from maternity leave, teachers may be able to work four days in school and have the fifth day as a PPA or work-from-home day 3 hours and 3 hours unpaid

Do you know if this is something that can be requested formally, and whether I would need to apply for it?

I have never heard of this. But no harm asking!

A male teacher at my old school has done this. Nothing to do with maternity. His PPA is a Thursday afternoon and he has Thursday morning off unpaid as part of his contract this year. He ran it by the headteacher and he agreed. He just wanted some work life balance.

We have a part time teacher who covers PPA so he just teaches in there all day. This is primary.

@Po128you can put in a flexible working request and see what they say. Might be worth going to chat to whoever leads on staffing first though. 9 years ago I requested to work 1 PPA a week from home so I could pick up my child from reception. They responded like I’d grown two heads, so it was instantly refused. I think/hope schools are tiny bit more open minded now.

Same, which I think in primaries is not unusual unfortunately. I experienced it at two different schools in two different counties.