HoD with staff absences struggling

[PumpkinPie2016]

I'll need to keep some details vague as it may be outing but just need to offload somewhere!

I'm a HoD of a core subject (secondary) and unfortunately, since September, my department has been hit hard with absences (including my 2i/c). Mixture of long and short term. Please know that I am absolutely not blaming those people- they are ill and it cannot be helped.

That said, out of 18 school weeks, I have only had a full team in for 8 of them. Not yet sure what next week will bring.

So, it's been a lot of setting cover, trying to cover KS4 classes to protect them etc. I've been managing with a smile but it's so, so hard and it finally hit me last week 😥 I have a form as well which is a big load at my school.
It's almost impossible to drive anything strategic when you are just dealing with endless absences and cover. I feel so behind with everything- spent a lot of time yesterday trying to catch up and need to do more today 😩

Words of advice welcome but just needed to offload.

Ask for your form to be removed whilst you deal with this.

Can they get supply in for long term stuff and pay them to plan and mark?

Thank you @MrsHamlet
I am going to see what tomorrow brings but if at that point it looks like I am facing another longer term absence, then I will ask about the form. They probably won't like me asking buy something needs to give before the something that gives is me!

My school doesn't use supply really - there are staff under capacity (on purpose - that's the model the school uses) so they cover absence but of course that means they are not a specialist/there is little consistency in who covers.

Definitely going to have to brave and insist on more support to manage things 🙂

Definitely asked for your form to be removed, even if only till half term. That gives you an extra 20-30 minutes to sort stuff in the morning and could just take the pressure off for a little while. If they refuse, then it is you who is going to give. We can only do so much and we need to remember that the job doesn't love you back. Good luck!

We have had similar so I sympathise. With the short term absences, do you use Oak Academy lessons? They are more than adequate for classes where it's just somebody off with a sick bug for a couple of days, that kind of thing. Very repetitive for the longer term absences though. I've been setting Oak for my classes and teaching the ones that have had longer term cover, just to share the impact of cover.

We also use computer rooms and Seneca for KS4 just to break the week up for them if they have a fair bit of cover. Is a variation of that an option too?

You absolutely need to get your tutor group covered for a bit, that's a small price for the school to pay to give you a bit of capacity.

Have you got the flexibility in your department to be able to move teachers around to prioritise the KS4 classes? We did that at my school, we put the experienced teacher in the KS4 and then the supply cover in KS3 - not ideal but when long term it was the right choice for the school and students.

Do you have to arrange the cover? The School Business Manager liaises with the agency to source supply teachers - HoDs just email what they need.

I would definitely be looking to loose that form group irrespective of the absences. HoD’s have a heavy workload as it is without having to be a form tutor - it’s 30-45 mins a day that you could have for departmental planning and admin.
None of the HoD’s in my current or previous school are FT’s - they cover in emergency situations but they have enough to do!

Going to be a person down for the next week 😔 unfortunately, because of the way things are blocked, moving KS4 is tricky but I am looking at sharing some classes so that everyone gets a specialist teacher at least part of the week.

Meeting SLT tomorrow to discuss support so I don't sink.

Absolute nightmare 😫 and feel like I am getting a cold.

How did your meeting go?

@MN2025 thank you for asking.

To be honest, not sure really 🤔 they were very supportive and absolutely acknowledged the difficulties I am facing.

However, the only things really suggested were 'get your 2i/c to do KS3 cover' which is all well and good but she has been off a lot for very genuine reasons and so isn't always there! She doesn't get in early either but they just said, well, still she can do it and you might have to let it not happen on time 🤯

Some 'fires' will burn and they may just have to burn so you can focus on curriculum stuff - fair enough I guess!

Use the ECT attached to my form to run some sessions - but they are Y10, she isnt great at managing them and some things we have been told ECTs can't deliver 😳

So.....yeah, they understand the issues/pressure but it seems like the solution is just leave some stuff to focus on curriculum but the other stuff still needs managing and my 2i/c is unwell (mental health) so not always around to help.

I think you're probably going to have to implement what they've said because it seems like they probably won't offer anything else unless/until you do, rightly or wrongly.

Let your ECT do as much as they can, they will have to learn to manage a tutor group anyway so let that one go and just do the stuff they can't (whatever that is... Our ECTs have tutor groups and get on but tutors don't deliver RSE, if it's that).

Let the second do the KS3 cover and just see how it flies- if they do it when they are in then at least that gives you time. What format does your cover work have to be in? As I said above Oak lessons are very handy. We have a class set of each main worksheet for the lessons we use for cover printed out ready to go so the only work is picking and recording which lesson each group is going to do. Might be worth a look. When I've done covers out of my subject and they are Oak it's been dead easy (even French!)

@PensionPuzzle yes, I think you're right. I will implement the suggestions and see how it goes.

I have used Oak a lot for cover and it is a god send! KS3 is a mix of Oak/textbook and KS4 is Oak.

With the ECT it is 2 a week they can't deliver plus we have to be in assembly even if doubled up but, I am going to get her to do some of the morning registrations as the form are better in the morning and then hopefully one of the PM slots as well, to buy me some time.

I think if I implement their suggestions and they don't work, I can push for more.

Why can't the ECT do those two?

@MrsHamlet we were told by SLT that they want the main/more experienced tutor to do it 🤷‍♀️

The load for form at our school is insane! The PM reg sessions are quite in depth and you really do have to go through them before delivery- I'll be honest, I've had to wing a few recently because of time but it's not ideal. SLT do QA of the booklets too. Then there's the usual stuff that comes with a form like attendance calls, supporting kids with issues, dealing with uniform in the morning, contacting parents about things. We are supposed to try to check on/celebrate home learning as well 🤯 it's like a full time job in itself!

Do they want to have to cover you when you're off sick too???

Your SLT sound like they have too much time on their hands. Maybe they could do tutor time for you.

Gosh that does sound like a lot for a tutor to cram in!

I hope their ideas help a bit but I think you're absolutely right that if you can go back to them and say, look we did XYZ which has helped with ABC but there are still these issues, what else can we look at? You're in a decent position then.

Hopefully as the term goes on you might find some of the absence dropping off if any of it is seasonal- the relief of a day when everyone is actually in and there's no cover is such a nice feeling!

@MrsHamlet indeed!