For context, I applied (informally to reduce my hours from 3 to 2 days per week). My Head denied this. I then received an email to say the school would be changing my working days to include a Thursday.
I've spoken to my union and upon their advice drafted the following email to respond to the changes:
Good afternoon XXX,
I am writing to you in response to the outlined changes to my contracted working pattern.
I would of course like to accommodate the needs of the school and appreciate the reasons for the proposed restructuring of my hours. However, the additional hours on a Thursday aren't convenient for my family needs and childcare requirements. In addition to this, I think that the additional working day would cause added stress and also anxiety about my child's well-being as a result of losing this morning with him. As my current contractual days are Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, I hope to keep these as my working days upon my return from maternity leave. If this is not possible, I would like to request a consultation to discuss the matter further.
I would also like to take this opportunity to assure you that I am a dedicated member of staff at XXXX Primary School and that I am committed to raising standards across school and within the UKS2 unit. I am looking forward to returning to my position in the coming months and continuing my role alongside the other hard-working staff at XXXX.
It is therefore my aim to come up with a solution that fits around my new and and increased childcare responsibilities and costs while continuing to support the the school. I would, for that reason, like to propose the folllowing solution with the previously made considerations in mind.
I propose the following working pattern, which would maintain the integrity of the core subjects:
Monday 8:30-12:30 4hrs
Tuesday 8:30-12:30 4hrs
Wednesday 8:30-3:00 5.5hrs
This would equate to 13.5hrs in total. I would be happy to negotiate an additional 15 minutes of directed time to increase this to 50% (0.5) equivalent.
I would like to confirm that both my previous and current requests are informal and I have not yet made statutory flexible working request in line with Flexible Working Policy.
I am hoping we can come to an agreement before I return to work on 20th May because, as always, I am dedicated to ensuring that the the needs of the school are being maintained.
Thank you for your consideration in this matter.
XXX