Maternity cover for primary teacher(s). Sorry long and VERY confusing.

[mumnosbest]

Ok are you brains switched on?
My main questions are 1) Can a supply/temp teacher employed to cover mat leave be redeployed part way through to work elsewhere, and kept on to fill other vacancies at the end of that leave without interviews or advertisement?

Please bare with me while I try and most likely fail to explain the situation.
It involves 3 permanent teachers and one supply/cover teacher.
Teacher A in Class 1, due back in September, her cover has now ended.
Teacher B in Class 2, due back in Jan, cover is supply/temp teacher.
Teacher C in Class 3, starts mat leave in Jan, no cover.

With me so far? Ok summer arrives along with a complete shift around of staff.

September:
Teacher A returns but nolonger has a class :( floating PPA/cover.
Supply/Temp teacher in Class 1 instead of Teacher A
Teacher B's class 2 to be taught by Teacher X who wants a move but will return in Jan to 'cover' Teacher Cs class 3 untill she returns.

Then I guess a big change around again when teacher C returns.

The only person at all happy with any of this is the supply/temp teacher

Sorry if I've lost you. If the supply was there to cover Teacher B, surely she should go whereever that teacher would have gone, the problem being that Teacher B is actually now surpless untill January. I also have a feeling that supply will be kept on to fill a new vacancy that has arisen and hasn't been advertised.

Any comments?

Brain not totally engaged yet... but on return from maternity leave you are not guaranteed the exact same role to return to but an equivalent role. Therefore in a school situation you are not guaranteed to return to the same class....

The cover is employed on a temp contract and this can be made permanent or extended without advertising.

thanks, seems unfair though that at least 2 of the teachers are moved about to accomodate the needs of the temp over those of permanent staff.

Perhaps they really want to keep her to fill the vacancy and are bending things for her, probably not realising that it's not exactly making others happy.

It's not easy filling for multiple maternity leaves so I can see why they want to keep the temp for as long as possible to provide ongoing cover. Especially if they are good.

Don't take it personally, hopefully you'll go back to the class you want when it's all settled down.

But how do you know they weren't being moved anyway ?
In schools I've worked in, it's not about 'Teacher A' (or B or C) it's about the most effective way to deploy the staff that are available at the time.
I agree with WestCountry - cover can be kept on if that is what is wanted by both the cover teacher and the school.

The thing is we actually only need cover for teacher b as we have a surplus of teachers due to LSAs having trained as hiltas so i dont get why shes being kept on and effectively pushing teacher A into cover work. I just dont get how you can employ someone for specific cover then give them another class when there arent enough positions for permanent staff.

I also wondered if it was a way to 'get rid' of a couple of teachers now the hiltas are trained. Its certainly not to keep the cover teacher. She was a bit last minute and has been passed over for previous jobs.

You are guaranteed an equivalent role if it's not reasonably practical to give you your exact role back if you return after 6 months.

Sounds like if they've given someone else your exact role, it would have been reasonably practical to give you the role back?

Surely the moves haven't been done to accommodate the needs of the temp - they have been done to best suit the needs of the school and the pupils.

And a teacher is much better than a hlta for regular ppa cover. At the dc school they have a qualified teacher for ppa. The teacher covers a regular area of the curriculum in all classes and does their own preparation rather than the class teacher having to set work. The hlta cover is only used for emergency type cover - staff sickness or training courses etc.

Maybe they felt that the temporary cover post would be a bit less demanding for a new mother returning to work in September, and maybe teacher A could suggest that she covers teacher C from Jan?

I would suggest that with a young baby to look after then doing PPA cover might prove to be better, as there will be less work to do at home in your home time.

I am a cover/PPA teacher and TBH I love it - keeps my hand in while DC are small but not so much work to do in my own time. Although obviously I do have some work to do at home...just not as much as if I had my own class.

Why don't they put teacher A back into class 1 in September. The temp teacher in class 2 could continue that role until January then switch to class 3 to provide cover there.

Hope i have understood!

I have been kept on after the end of a temporary contract for mat leave. It's a different role and the head asked for internal applications. This was just a formality to keep HR happy though as nobody else was in a position to apply for it.

Ok I'm confused as to who's covering who to be honest! but surely the issue would be about continuity for the pupils rather than where the teachers are based temporarily?

The fact is that teacher A is returning to the exact same post, because she is employed for the school, not for a class. The Head Teacher can deploy the staff in any way she sees fit, because no teacher has a right to a particular class, even if they happen to have been teaching that class for 2/3 years.