Reasonable adjustment for pregnancy?

[Aquablues]

I am 28 weeks pregnant and not feeling great. I have my risk assessment next week (second of them.)

I teach three days a week. On one of these days I register a form group on the other side of the (big) school. I’d like to ask to be relieved from this for the rest of my pregnancy. I don’t like walking back to my classroom amongst the crowds and it’s quite tiring.

I’d also like to ask to be taken off break and lunch duty.

I think these are reasonable adjustments - what do people think?

No it's not at all and I'd quite happily cover for you. All this "I did this when I was pregnant so you should manage..." is nonsense. I had my babies on the first day of maternity leave, twice. Doesn't mean all teachers are capable of working til the end. If you have sciatica, of course it's reasonable to not have to walk across school etc. It's for a matter of weeks. I completely disagree with a pp that a school wouldn't identify the thibgs you've pointed out as risks. If you feel there's a risk to the baby and they disagree and you're subsequently hurt, they're on very shake ground.

When I was pregnant with my third I had SPD from 16 wks. But even before this once school knew I was pregnant adjustments where made so I wasn't having to walk through the busy corridors/ up and down the stairs (was given a lift key) more than was necessary.

Once I was on crutches for SPD school gave me my own car parking space right next to my building so I didn't have to go far and moved all my classes to one class room instead of me having to move around. I didn't have to do break duty anymore and on parents evenings SLT came to check on me and see if I needed anything.

Basically it will depend on your school. I didn't ask for any of these changes but they were hot on health and safety and didn't want a pregnant woman getting injured by a boisterous teenager/ wanted me to be able to continue teaching as long as possible.

God, such little sympathy on here for a pregnant woman! On Mumsnet! Sciatica is a frequent symptom in later pregnancy and muscle pain can be awful. I certainly think these are reasonable adjustments to request OP. I used to be a teacher.

It isn't lack of sympathy. It's realism about what an employer may think. The OP needs to present a reasoned case, not "I don't fancy doing this". And to remember that they may not want to go off sick, but the employer could force them to, or trigger maternity leave early. Sympathy gets you answers you want to hear. Those are often not the answers that are correct or useful.

Honestly, I don’t want to sound difficult but I don’t think there’s anything about

not wanting to walk across site with nearly two thousand shoving teens
wanting to avoid footballs
not wanting to be in the vicinity of fights

that is not a ‘reasoned case.’

I do think there has been a strong element of ‘well I had it worse than you, so tough luck.’ That’s not really the point. Some people do have it worse, I don’t know how hairdressers, nurses, cope. Equally, many people have it far easier and ultimately if I wanted to change my job to an easier one the time to do it would have been before pregnancy.

So we have a twenty minute reg period that would need covering, a twenty minute break duty and a forty minute lunch duty. The school won’t collapse without me for those things!

But it's not a reasoned case! You are literally not giving explanations, you're basically listing things you don't like.

Surely you can see the critical difference here between not liking something and being able to demonstrate hazard, risk and solutions? 😂😂

You can't write a risk assessment, or expect someone else to, on the basis of dislikes. You need to be clear, coherent and factual. If you go in with the same language to the meeting as you have here, you'll be back complaining about the lack of action.

Critical thinking.

@PinkFootstool I am really not. If you can’t see that I don’t think there’s anything to be gained to keep arguing about it.

Yeah great, go with that. If it works, lucky you. Or you could try making a properly reasoned case. Is there some reason that you object to thinking through how this is presented? Surely the best strategy is to present solutions not problems? And to demonstrate that you've thought about how things can be done differently that meet both your and the schools needs?

I am really starting to get a bit upset with this to be honest. There is nothing unreasoned about not wanting to go down flights of narrow stairs when heavily pregnant with thousands of jostling, shoving teens. Or of not wanting to stand with flying footballs or be in the position of breaking up fights. But you know, you’re probably right and I’ll keep my mouth shut and just get on with it because I’m so fucking stupid.

Reasonable adjustments are for people with disabilities From what you've said, you are pregnant without any disabilities? That said, a decent employer would try to make things easier for you, but thats's not always practical or reasonable

Seriously? Is that your idea of a reasoned argument? And you are a teacher? People are trying their level best to advise got on how to present the best possible case in order to get what you want/need, and you have a tantrum?

Maybe just me, but I find a lot of these posts really unsympathetic. As someone who had an awful pregnancy, I can understand not wanting to walk across the quad due to physical pain but also for the nerves of being hit or knocked by a unseeing student. My school reassigned my tutor group (worked well as they needed a new tutor for the next academic year and they happened to have someone who didn't have a tutor group). I don't think it would be unreasonable for you to request your tutor room be closer as a temporary precaution. If you don't ask, you don't get. The duties is tough. You can't just not do them but I think you would be within your rights to request a quieter duty with no footballs or running. I was moved from external duties to internal and near my classroom. It was still tiring, but I was near a toilet (very important haha) and could take a seat and still be on duty when I needed to.

Just because so many people commenting managed and we're fine, doesn't mean that everyone is... It's not unreasonable for your work to help accommodate you so you can work as long as medically/suitably possible. And as much as some say, "well you should go on leave early", that's not possible for many.

Be kind to yourself.

OP go to your GP and request a reasonable adjustment via a fit note citing pregnancy related with a reasonable adjustment of a static workspace (your classroom) and adequate rest breaks. When you give fit note to your school manager or whoever is doing your updated risk assessment you can explain your reasons why along with advocating that you don't feel safe being in communal spaces with pupils due to the crush in the corridors risk of being knocked over / not undertaking break & lunch duties as you need rest due to your sciatica and walking / standing / dodging flying balls aggravates this.

I'm 23wks and my work have been extremely supportive and suggested I work remote until I begin maternity leave due to pregnancy related rollercoaster. Which is the case for me from tomorrow. Appreciate you can't work from home as a teacher but they need to be supporting you to mitigate risks to you and your baby. My work proactively pulled me from school delivery early on and whilst I feel 💩 about it as hate letting others down / putting more work on colleagues, baby and I well-being trumps this 💜

I should add they then gave me a tutor group which was closer to my teaching classroom, so I still had tutor time.

Completely this. 100%.

I feel a lot of people on this post either has easy pregnancies, were martyrs unnecessary, aren't teachers or just forget how grueling pregnancy can be.

Look, I won’t be asking for anything, it’s better just to carry on. But I would appreciate it if we could leave it there, I’m already a bit worried about how I’m going to get on tomorrow and people telling me what an unreasonable fool I am isn’t really helping.

I think people are just trying to help you phrase your case, you are getting defensive instead of explaining why walking through the corridors is a risk. You are implying that there is a risk of being struck or falling, you need to state this really clearly if its the case. Its not that people are unsympathetic, its that all cases are different. My job risk assesed my attendance on building sites for example. If you dont ask you dont get, but make sure your case is as water tight as you can make it.

OP, you’re getting a bit of pushback but (most) people aren’t saying your requests are unreasonable, or that you are unreasonable. They are saying that many schools are shit employers in this area and you need to spell things out really clearly to maximise your chances of getting adjustments approved.

Do you have to write risk assessments, or are you trained to do it? Think how you’d write this if it was about something else. You couldn’t just write “busy road” on a RA for a trip, you have to say “students expected to walk alongside busy road. Risk is causing an RTA, being injured as part of an RTA, etc. Mitigations might include adequate staff:student ratio, change of route, reminding students beforehand to walk sensibly, etc etc”

it’s obvious to you why busy corridors are dangerous. You’re not unreasonable to think that. But as a previous poster set out really helpfully, you need to be specific and really spell it out. That minimises wriggle room for SLT when they decide on potential adjustments.

They're not saying that.

They're advising you to articulate specifically what you do need and why, instead of just a list of "I don't want to do... "

"It would be helpful if [form group could be relocated] so that [explanation re risk in corridors].

That's the structure you need. Not just repeating over and over that "I don't want to do xyz".

OP, I would not want to walk down a stair case with a thousand jostling teens either, and I'm not pregnant. Your work environment doesn't sound safe for anyone, let alone a pregnant woman. I think that's the "problem" with your thread. Your duties are not incompatible with pregnancy but you are describing a really rough place generally.

Staying in one room and actually being able to sit down at break/lunch really isn’t asking an awful lot.

Given that your colleagues would have to cover this if you can’t do it, then maybe you could offer to do other work for those colleagues while sitting down at breaks - a bit of a swap?

I was a TA at a secondary school and my line manager (senco) made those adjustments for me quite early on without me having to ask. I was working in one ‘challenging’ class and they were worried about me getting knocked into but I was happy to do it because I liked them and somehow they were very careful around me. My other TA colleagues covered for me for duties etc and I in turn did other bits but only because I begged them to let me help. I was given a lift key (preferred the stairs but it was for times I couldn’t manage) and left lessons earlier to avoid crowds.

I don’t see why they can’t make those adjustments for you. There seem to be too many martyrs on this thread and want you to do the same. All pregnancies are different and people have different needs, some people prefer to be martyrs, others prefer to take care of themselves as there are no medals for martyring yourself. Anyway, if you don’t ask you don’t get. Just be honest about your worries and also speak to your union if you’re worried but please don’t let people on here put you off.

the thing is you are pregnant as are many others! pregnancy is also a choice. i mean if i were your boss i would only agree if i had literally no other choices and there are plenty of other available options. i mean they aren't going to reasonably adjust your pay are they?

You realise though that these reasonable adjustments are as much to protect the employer as the employee? It's not very clever management to end up with an employee who sues you. Also colleagues covering is the norm in schools - if someone goes on long term sick for example, parts of their job role fall to colleagues rather than supply (if there is supply).

Then that is the angle you need to approach any request with. The risks