Work refusing to let me leave

[Summerreid]

This has happened twice now where I have needed to leave during the day and work have refused, saying there is no one available to cover (secondary school teacher.) Just wondering if anybody knows what my legal position is.

Your reply sounds really combative and arsey. Like you think you’re going to win an imaginary internet point over the OP when she admits her child didn’t actually die in this situation and it was just a miserable shitty experience as a teacher and a parent.

www.gov.uk/time-off-for-dependants

Surely there's some slack now that the yr11 and yr13 have gone? I've had to do emergency cover in that gained time.

I think you need to speak to the school / headteacher / HR representative about this. I’m sure there must be some clause in your contract regarding dependants but each company/institution is different. You need to know where your school stands on this and then discuss further. Being a parent is tough but the first port of call is to know your employee contract and/or handbook and then you can go from there. There’s not much advice we can give here without knowing the official line from your school, and that’s contact line not just being told in the moment that you can’t leave. If there is nothing official then you need to discuss this directly with your employer and try and negotiate a clause regarding dependants in light of yo my having young children.

I think the replies have been extremely harsh here. Probably from people who aren't teachers themselves, don't have a clue about schools and think all teachers do a crap job anyway and they could do it better 🙄
I don't have anyone other that my DH to collect DC when they are unwell and it's happened a few times. Could your partner (if you have one?) collected your child?
I'm very surprised "no cover" was available as that's not really how it works. Are you primary? Options might be more limited there but surely a DHT or the HT could have stepped in? Seems they are very unsupportive line managers. How do you get on with them generally? Whereabouts are you in the UK? Maybe worth looking at a sideways transfer as you don't seem to have much support from your managers. I hope your DC is feeling better. I get it, it's shit when your children are unwell. It's a shame the replies on here haven't been kinder.

OOH you’re so clever!! The OP might have forgotten what she did last time! It was solvable all along and just needed you to point it out! All hail you! 🤣

@PlantSpider I don't know how 4 words can sound combative and arsey but ok.

I wanted to know because if OP had to leave her poorly children at school infecting other children her SLT are shockingly neglectful.

But you carry on seeing the worst in everyone and being bitchy to strangers...

Presumably if you phone in sick tomorrow, cover will miraculously be available? Or they will work something out.

Well it's not. Because by law the school have to let you leave for a dependent.

I posted recently that I disagreed teachers get a hard time on here and thought it was the reverse. I take that back. Sorry OP, this sounds shit and the replies are mean, goady and rejoicing in you being in a crappy situation that most of us have been in as mothers.

Ok, fair enough.

And if anyone reads the legislation they’d see:

the employee just needs to tell the employer they are leaving, they don’t need permission.

that it doesn’t need to be serious or life threatening illness

that it doesn’t matter if there is someone else who can get them.

this is the law of the land. You don’t need to like it or agree with it but there it is in black and white. People should read it before making up their own version and passing judgment on OP

that isn’t the case though is it.

I’m not sure how it works in schools but where I work in the NHS you’d have to make up the time or they would deduct your pay. Other Trusts may have a different policy. It would be hugely disruptive.

Unfortunately, @MummyJ36, there is no HR manager in a school, you have to get permission from the headteacher. You get a few days paid per year (3?), the rest unpaid, but every teacher knows that it's very difficult.
I really feel for the OP if she's struggling. She needs to have a conversation with the headteacher if she has little support.
I always wondered how one of our DHeads managed with 3 small children - turns out she has a househusband!

I am SLT in our school and in this case one of us would cover. There is not an abundance of cover staff just waiting to deal with emergencies I can assure you. Times are tough in some schools and we have had at times very very little staff in some faculties. If it's every week, that's different but an odd occasion we'd figure it out because we all have family in our school.

Either of those options are preferable to knowing your poorly young child is stuck somewhere miserable and uncomfortable without the one person they rely on to comfort and protect them.

DH is often working away and we don’t have grandparents. But as I’ve said, this isn’t why I’m posting.

Occasionally things will come up - an ill child or you are ill yourself or a bereavement - and the school just refuse. They just say there isn’t cover. I’m wondering what the legal standpoint is on this. I’m certainly not suggesting anyone leaves a class because a child has sneezed but on the other hand if (all real examples) you faint during the school day, your dad has died (honestly) your child has been sick … they just say ‘well, there’s no cover.’

There must surely be some sort of legal position on this, and I am wondering if anyone knows what it is. If you don’t know - at the risk of sounding really horrible and I promise I’m not - but I am not here to be told I’m in the wrong career, need to find some more support or am being unreasonable, as none of those things are a) true or b) helpful.

It quite literally says that it isn’t always her in the post you quoted…

Here you go OP

www.gov.uk/time-off-for-dependants

Are you in a Union? If so why not ask their opinion of what’s reasonable and whether there are agreements in place for such occurrences

You need to check your school's sickness and absence policy which will detail their official stance on the issue of dependants requiring care.

There's absolutely no way that anyone on MN can comment on whether or not the school gave yo let you go, unless they know the details of this policy.

I know what you mean, OP and I sympathise. It really is such an inflexible job. The only thing I can suggest is that in the morning you call in sick. Now, you may be asked to attend a meeting to explain your sickness if that is more than a few days per year, but it could help you in the short term. It's tough.
I had a childminder who would take mine when they were ill, but in all honesty I called in sick once or twice just to manage it. My sickness never exceeded 5 days per year, so I was ok.

OP sorry you're getting a pounding here, as if you choose to have an ill child.

Have you spoke to your union?

As per girlmom21