working term time in a school

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Hi does anyone work term time in a school? not a teacher - can you have time off in the week if you need to like for a plumber coming or to take child to medical appts?

Schools shut at 3.15 normally, surely you can arrange medical appointments and plumber for after that rather than in working hours

In a word No, we aren't allowed any time off for such jobs as this, school doesn't finish at 3.15 for staff giveme but for the children most staff work contracted hours and are there till 4pm or 4.30.

I work part time (20 hours a week) in a school and have arranged time off for things like Christmas church services and recorder assemblies. My head of department is fine with this as long as I make up the hours either before or after the event. I don't work directly with the pupils though.

With medical appointments it really depends. Routine dentist/optician/doctors no. But if more specialist then yes, because getting appointments outside of school hours is hard.

For a plumber, it depends. Routine, no. Emergency and you are flooding yes.

Why?

No. In our school you have to fill in an application for absence form then dependent on the circumstances it might be granted, but will probably be unpaid. The whole thing will be conducted with an air of disapproval. However, if you have a real emergency, my particular school are very good.

Our TAs start 15 minutes before pupils arrive and work 15 minutes after they leave, and have half an hour for lunch. For deliveries, boiler servicing etc I rely on DH having time off or sympathetic relatives and friends. I have learnt to schedule dental appointments far in advance to get the holiday ones.

That's the price you pay for 13 weeks off a year.

Dinner ladies have time off quite a lot, I find, for any reason they like. Ditto with cleaners.
The TAs and other staff sometimes have urgent medical appointments for selves (chatted to one of the teacher's with nasty head cold walking back to school from GP surgery on Monday, around 9:30am; it could have been in her PPA time, I wouldn't know), I think that's understandable. Same if it's a child's appointment that you can't reasonably reschedule.
I imagine you'd be alright if it was a emergency plumber/electrician situation for taking time off, too. Like if your house was highly unsafe until sorted.

What ihear said.
Some hospital clinics only run at that time - then you would usually be allowed, but stuff you can make your own appts for - eg dentist - you make after school or in the holidays. No chance to 'be at home for a workman '

thx everyone - got an interview for a job in a school and just wondered - guess it may depend on sch and contract - I'll ask

Tbh, asking about time off for plumbers during an interview probably won't go down well. There is a school holiday every seven ish weeks, appts need to be made then. Anything else, you have to rely on family, friends, neighbours etc. In my school I had problems leaving early to pick up DC when their school closed early because of snow last week

Definitely don't ask at the interview!

Time off to attend a medical appointment -yes. Dentist if an emergency yes. Plumber -no. It also depends a lot on head. Some are more understanding than others.

Congratulations on the interview, but don't ask at interview about time off you won't get the job. You get a week off every few weeks just make all appointments then.

I work as part of the admin team in a school, and ours is very good for allowing time off for reasonable reasons, as long as the time is made up, but I think flexibility is not necessarily standard across all schools. I've had time off for appointments (mine & the kids), school assemblies, sports days etc, a day off for training to be a stud dog holder with Guide Dogs for the Blind and I even had a day off when I won a weekend away in a competition and we were struggling to fit it in before the time period elapsed. When I was interviewed for the job, the bursar made a point of saying that they were happy to be flexible as they understood that in a normal job people would take time off as part of their annual leave whereas we aren't able to do that. I think it depends on the individual school.