How much ‘free’ work is acceptable in a Primary School

[Jaye12]

Hi Everyone,

I’m just after a bit of advice really..

I’m a School Business Manager at a Primary School, I’ve been there just over a year and on the whole I really enjoy it.

The previous School Business Manager before me was full time, 5 days a week, term time only. When she retired they restructured the job to 3 days a week (18 hours), term time only. The hours suited me well and with kids at home, term time only was ideal.

In her infinite wisdom, our Head teacher set up a WhatsApp group for all staff which goes off at all hours of the day/evenings/weekends/school holidays.
I do my best to mute the group on my non-working days etc but if I don’t respond, staff tend to phone me anyway.

I find myself having to answer queries on my non working days, there are demands on my time during the school holidays, supervising contractors etc for jobs that can’t be done when the children are learning during term time.

Today, (Saturday and in the school holidays) a teacher rang me to tell me that she couldn’t log on remotely to our school system to download something from her email and ‘could I go in to check the server’

Is this reasonable?

Staff seem to assume that as School Business Manager I’m paid a fortune but I only earn £14k a year as it’s part time, term time only.

It feels to me that the role is a full time role and the school have tried to save money by making it part time, but I am doing so much unpaid work that I am starting to resent it a bit.

Any advice on how I should proceed with this would be welcome.

Thanks for listening to my rant x

My headteacher would do her absolute nut if a teacher contacted me on a weekend or holiday like that if it was a work thing.

Leave the school WhatsApp - you can send a message before you do reminding people you are part time and term time only (it is very easy for people to forget other people’s working hours).

Then set up an automatic out of office email for your non working days reiterating your working hours and asking any urgent emails to be sent to the correct person (probably the head or deputy).

You are hourly paid (and not a huge amount) so any overtime you do should be paid. Speak to your head about this and agree how you will submit your timesheet. It will clarify their mind of they really do need you there.

Very sensible.

I earn just over £50k a year and if they call me to go in I get paid time and a half. Just for being “on call” 24/7 (having my phone with me at all times and not drinking alcohol) I get £2 a hour for all hours outside 9-5 weekdays. Business managers are always really poorly paid in schools (and gp surgeries). It’s shocking.

You need to meet with the headteacher. If they want someone to be available in school holidays they need to pay for it. Most school business managers do work some hours in the holidays but this is part of their contract. No one should be phoning you on your days off. You need to politely state all of this.

Resist the temptation to reply out of your working hours and they'll soon get the message.
Can someone full time be trained in any simple yet essential things to act as a contingency?

Completely unreasonable - I am a teacher and would never email the admin team or business manager out of hours. If they want someone out of hours to manage letting they need to pay someone. I would meet with your headteacher and go back through your job description and then be specific about how you plan to meet the JD. If lettings are part of the job description ask how they would like you to take your time owed. Be specific about how this is affecting your wellbeing. Schools are terrible for taking the piss but this is just not on!

Also my DH works in a supermarket and you’d be surprised how much he is expected to do at home. It has increased significantly over the years. So not the easy option it seems!

SLT will take as much as you allow them to get away with. Teachers are constantly put under pressure to work longer and do more and that filters through. Its the culture of the place. If you do your working hours its like you arent committed to the school. You need to set boundaries. I wouldn't answer work calls outside of working hours. Do you have a spare phone? I'd be temped to get a new number just for work and only turn that phone on during your working hours.

Don’t be on the group chat. I refused in my last school and I was a teacher. Headteachers work all hours and forget other people are not on their wages.
Put your working hours in your email signature and a polite sentence that you will be unable to answer outside of those hours. Then set an out of office on when you finish for the week.

Unless your employer is paying for your phone, I wouldn't give anyone at work my number.

I meant no offence.. apologies

Leave the WhatsApp group. Put your out of office on when it's not your working hours and if they ring you then just say "I'm very sorry but this is my day off and I am not available to talk about work" until they get the message. Speak to hr and ask them to make a plan for who people should contact in your absence.

No offence taken I just meant every job seems to think this is ok now and therefore being clear with your boundaries is important in any role now. Good luck!

I wouldn't do any work for free but it sounds like you need to be firmer with your boundaries.

Today, (Saturday and in the school holidays) a teacher rang me to tell me that she couldn’t log on remotely to our school system to download something from her email and ‘could I go in to check the server’

I would reply saying I'll look at it at 9am on Tuesday 23rd April after the holidays.

I'm a SBM
I work FT, am a senior member of staff on SLT & earn a good salary.
I work more than 37hrs/wk but once I leave the building that's it - I don't have emails on my phone, log on or respond to calls (bar a few people)

Change your email signature to state clearly when you work, leave the WhatsApp groups and document your issues to raise with the head.
Also think about possible solutions. Are you prepared to increase your working week? Would a pt caretaker be part of the answer?

It’s unacceptable - if you don’t want to leave the group you could always make a point of muting it at weekends and during the holidays? Tell them you are going to do it and then mute. You shouldn’t be expected to respond outside of your work hours.

At my probation meeting at the end of the first 6 months, I met with the head and the chair of governors.

We spoke at length about the role needing to be full time and that the job had, historically always been so. The decision was made, when the previous SBM retired, to make it part time due to budget constraints. This is the same reason why the school caretaker wasn’t replaced.

I said that I would be fully prepared to increase my working week to full time and that I had concerns about the staff WhatsApp group. I was told in no uncertain terms that the ‘saved’ budget had already been allocated but that it could potentially be reviewed at the end of this academic year.

I guess we’ll see what happens at the end of next term but I’m not sure we can go on as we are.

I have eyes on the budget all the time and I can’t see how it can really change unless there’s a restructure of sorts.

The budget not being enough is not your circus. You work 3days and that’s it.

If the school can get a full time working while paying part time they will take advantage. It is up to you to have boundaries and make it clear you are not going to carry the

In most primaries if no one else is being paid to do it then it becomes the head’s job.

if you are only three days a week term time only I would put that in your email signature and start refusing to work outside that time.

They won't increase your contract to full time (paid full time) if you are doing it for free!

Why pay you for the extra when you answer/work for free?

Mine too.

The work culture at your school is very poor OP. If you have a wellbeing/ staff committee i would genuinely raise this as a problem. You won't be the only PT member of staff being expected to be responsive on non working days.

The WhatsApp group is an absolute joke too. If you can leave it, i would.

Leave! School business managers are always advertised for a reason. I work in school finance. If they can't login they need to contact IT not you.

Perhaps it what happens when the school becomes part of an Academy Trust.

My previous school was local authority funded.

I must admit the Academy model does seem to have some radically different approaches. In some ways it seems to be business ahead of children and very much about cost saving.

I often have to beg and borrow supplies from one of our secondary schools in the trust.