Pregnancy and Teaching

[beenana]

I'm new here so I'm not sure if this is the correct hope for this topic. Me and my partner are starting to think about having our first baby. I'm taking folic acid to prepare and as I am a teacher we've decided to start trying in the summer.

However, the problem lies with work. It's no secret that the state of teaching is currently dire. No staff, challenging kids... the school I am at is facing these problems. I can deal with behaviour and most stresses the job brings but I'm worried about safety of baby whilst pregnant. Lots of our kids have violent outbursts and there are a rising number of assaults towards staff.

I think I've made up my mind to leave. But I have so many questions surrounding this. Do I leave teaching or stay? Do I then become pregnant whilst potentially at a new job early on? If I leave teaching, what role do I take?

I'm hoping for some advice. It's a tricky situation.

Only you can make that decision, for me it would depend on if you feel you can trust your employer to do a thorough risk assessment & put measures in place to protect you.

One of my best friends was a teacher when she fell pregnant, there were a few children in her class she was particularly worried about who frequently threw things/themselves at her, could be violent. She shared these concerns with management when she fell pregnant and they did do a proper risk assessment and moved things around/put extra measures in to keep her safe so she did stay there and was completely fine. It depends if you feel your employer would do that?

Personally if you’re going to change jobs I would really advise holding off ttc. You’re unlikely to be eligible for even SMP if you fell pregnant straight away at a new job, and if that job offers enhanced pay you’d likely not have been there long enough to qualify for that either. Unless money is no object, you really want to avoid starting a new job and then quickly falling pregnant.

Op your employer has a responsibility to ensure you are safe in pregnancy - if children in your class attack staff, then you can't teach that class. That's your employers problem to sort. You shouldn't have to miss out on maternity pay due to it.

I would maybe start TTC ASAP, then if you're lucky, some of your pregnancy will clash with the summer break. Then by the time you are back, if you feel unsafe and your employer won't sort it, you can use a chunk of sick leave and then go on mat leave. I appreciate that isn't in anyway ideal, but you shouldn't have to deal with violence and the risk to your baby.

Good luck

I would make sure you have a risk assessment in place and it’s actually adhered to.