Teaching 0.6 contract - should my responsibilities reflect this?

[PrivateWeeingGoals]

Hi,

I have been teaching on a 0.6 contract for around 2.5 years now, after returning from maternity leave. I teach in a primary school.

Last week I had the bombshell dropped on me that I am being moved year groups, with 5 days notice. (Member of staff I am replacing was dismissed with urgency)

I've taken it on the chin and I am ready to start tomorrow. Here's my issue though- I am teaching 3 days, my job share is teaching the 2 remaining days. Job share is from a supply agency and will be completing the rest of the academic year with me. Quite understandably she doesn't want any extra responsibility, as she is only paid during teaching weeks.

I have yet to have the conversation properly with management as it has all been rushed through, but my question is this - can I be expected to shoulder all the planning/paperwork responsibilities for my class even though I am on a 0.6 contract?

I should add that school is 3 form entry and planning is shared across the year. I have just received an email detailing the planning responsibilities timetable and I have been assigned an equal proportion to the other 2 teachers from the year group who teach full time!

I'm worried it will come to report writing season and i will be expected to write 30 lengthy reports. No way on a 0.6 salary!

Where do I stand?? Help!

Thank you, in advance

I would discuss with your union- or even just check on their website as it is probably covered on there. 0.6 means 0.6 of a full time post, so should be proportioned accordingly, unless they want to pay you for the extra.

Thank you for the quick response!

I've had a trawl through unions website but the focus seems to be on the proportion of actual PPA time I would be entitled to, rather than the volume of admin responsibilities, if that makes sense?

I think I'll have to give my union a call in the morning

Seems a bit odd to get the union involved before having a conversation with management about your concerns tbh. Have you actually read your terms and conditions on this subject? Assuming you are on STP&CD/Burgundy Book terms, look at section 52 of STP&CD on working time, several sections dealing with proportionate responsibilities/time spent for part time teachers there.

I would suggest reading your t&cs, having a conversation with management, and if you are not satisfied with the response you get, get your union involved.

Having a chat with management was of course going to be my next step. However, they can be difficult at times so I was planning on simply consulting my union for some advice before such a conversation takes place.
I'm not "getting them involved" simply consulting them for advice as that is one of the services I am entitled to as a paying member. I don't think that is odd at all.

I am aware that I can, and will, consult the burgundy book T&C's, I just thought I'd pop on here to check if anyone had experienced anything similar.

Your response is a little curt, flowery

Depends on your payscale too - UPS specifies whole school responsibilities. Your head could interpret that as equal planning responsibilities.

Two teachers in my school are currently doing this-contracted for 0.6 and put with supplies who are not paid any extra. I'd be really pissed off if it was me and I would be very tempted to leave. They'd have to come up with another option then!! Someone will have to write those 30 reports...

Thanks for taking the time to reply Pottering

I'm on MS6, so not sure how that could be interpreted, who knows! Having a chat tomorrow to try and clear things up.

I've just done a job share on long term supply. I was paid 2.5 days and I taught for 2. The other teacher was paid 3 and taught 2.5. We both were in school together for the half day (TA was with the class) planning, doing displays etc. For parents evening we had roughly half the dc each as it was over two nights and I was paid half a day extra.

She went to the staff meeting every other week. I didn't go to any. We both were given the minutes.

I was really aware it was tough for the other teacher job sharing with a supply teacher.

Thanks for taking the time to respond pottering

In on MS6, so not sure how that could be interpreted, who knows!
Meeting tomorrow to try and clarify the situation, hopefully

Surely whilst only paid for days worked the supply teacher pay includes pro-rata holiday pay, therefore doing a proportion of planning and marking not unreasonable? I guess though it depends on what has been agreed when she was contacted.

You didn't ask if anyone had experienced similar. The Staffroom board on here would be the place to go for that. You wanted to know whether you could be expected to do something under your 0.6 contract. I stand by my opinion that looking for union website guidance and ringing your union before actually looking at your terms and conditions which covers this is odd.

But apologies if taking the time to look up the relevant section of those terms and conditions which answers your question for you was not useful to you.

You're welcome, by the way.

My job share has been told she has no extra responsibilities other than day to day teaching. INSETs and meetings are always on one of my days so she needn't attend any.
It is difficult as I'm completely aware of the reasons why people do supply-to avoid all the extra responsibilities, so would never expect her to do anything in she isn't paid for.

The move has proven to be a huge upheaval for all involved, but I do feel at the moment that I am dealing with a disproportionate amount of the fall out!

I've done this. It was awful - I ended up doing everything: all paperwork, assessments, reports, displays, which was impossible to fit into my 2 days. I had to go into school at weekends to get it all done. I was UPS at the time in a newly-academised school with new SLT and I left in the end. How is your relationship with SLT? Speak to them about what their long-term plan is. If they plan to advertise for a long-term position and you would only be doing this short-term, it might be ok. Otherwise, I know a job-share teacher who was paid an extra half-day to do all the planning, assessments etc. If they expect you to just suck it up, I would be looking for another job

Oh I'm sorry flowery, I'm not familiar with every single board on mumsnet, this board came up as the result of a Google search.

My tone was friendly in the OP. I was looking for advice.
Using phrases such as "have you actually read your terms and conditions" was snippy and got my back up. Not necessary.

Thank you for the helpful advice and sharing your own experiences.

The arrangement at the moment is planned to stay as it is until the end of the academic year. That is, if we both stick at it!
The poor class have already experienced a lot of upheaval so I couldn't think of leaving them in the lurch again! Although if things did get too much, I might feel differently of course!

Tbh, extra pay isn't really my concern, its the work-life balance. I've recently been made a single parent, so the extra workload eating into my time with my v.young child at home is what I'd like to avoid.

Well the feeling's mutual then- people who want advice but complain when they get it rather than acknowledging the effort someone's gone to on their behalf get my back up.

I asked have you actually read your terms and conditions in that way because I was frankly astonished that anyone would seek advice on the internet about where they stood in relation to an aspect of their terms and conditions without first reading them to see what it said.

Anyway, me and my (clearly wasted) time spent trawling through STPCD for you will leave you to it.

I would sit down with SLT with a list of additional duties and ask them what they expect you to do and in what time. You may need time out of class at assessment time, for example. Do you lead a subject? Could you ask for that responsibility to be passed elsewhere?

I'm sorry you are in this situation, but I think someone's trying to pull a fast one. If your agency job share partner had been given a similar long term cover but full time, of course she would have had to shoulder all the planning, marking, staff-meetings, report writing, etc. Fine if you are working day to day, going from school to school, with the insecurities and upheaval that entails, but when you accept a secure long term assignment, it changes the 'rules of engagement',and requires the supply teacher to offset some of the benefits of day-to-day supply work (ie no planning etc), for the responsibility of a more secure period. We have had to book supply teachers to step in full time for 3+ terms twice in the last few years, and they did everything that is required of a long-term post holder. My friend 'specialises' in going for 0.6 to FT long term, urgent, hard-to-fill covers (and negotiates enviable deals with his agency) and he always acts as a member of staff, doing all that is expected, because that's what is required if you are going to be an effective practitioner. It is about meeting the needs of the pupils, after all. Please don't be fobbed off! Good luck!

Well, it kind of sounds like you're going to put up with it and that's the sort of goodwill some head rely on! You will have 100% responsibility for that class on 60% pay-I wouldn't do it!

I think they're pulling a fast one too, especially if you're main scale not UPS. Make sure you go through threshold next year...!

Meeting today didn't happen, pastoral issue with one of my kids, so unavoidable.

I am no way planning on taking 100% responsibility for the class

SLT know I've got them out of a huge mess and they won't want to upset parents yet again with yet another change (parents are already unhappy) so I have some leverage. I think.

I'll be asking for extra time and/or some of the responsibilities to be shared more equally amongst the year group members proportionate to working hours.

I'm so bloody tired I can't really think straight!

Thank you for all the helpful advice, its very much appreciated xx

Could you possibly approach management and ask for a day out to write the reports as you are unfamiliar with the children and feel that on 0.6 contract it is too much for you to do them all as standard - maybe they could get supply teacher in an additional day for one week to allow you time to write them. Writing the reports will be difficult enough only knowing the children for a short time
But there will also be aspects of the curriculum you don't teach therefore expectations should be adjusted!