Any teachers gone back part time?

[pudding25]

My SMP runs out end of Dec and I am going to have to go back to school then. I am a primary teacher and have been teaching Year 1 so that is the job waiting for me.

I want to go back 3 days, ideally doing cover, taking out groups. I don't want full-time for all the obvious reasons - want to spend time with dd, ridiculous workload, chilcare costs. I also don't really want job share as I would still have class responsibility, reports, parents night etc etc.

I have a meeting with the head next wk to discuss coming back.

Has anyone gone back part time doing what I want to do? How did you put it to the school?

Anyone got any ideas as to what I can say? I know that I have to make it look good from the school's point of view.

Me again - just thought of a few useful questions for you to think over as it may help!
If you go for the taking groups out option, presumably there will then be a totally new class teacher, as the maternity cover teacher will go back to her TA role. How will you feel about this? (I am assuming you would need to work with this teacher at times?) How much reporting/record keeping would there be with the groupwork? IME, interventions such as literacy work in groups often require a lot of intensive work, it can be very results driven. A school paying a qualified teacher to work with groups will expect you to improve reading and spelling ages quite rapidly for instance. Will you continue to feel as involved in the school, without your 'own' class? For some teachers this isnt a problem, others feel adrift without their own class. Would the group work be withdrawing children from all classes? Because although you're talking smaller numbers, you would need to be happy to teach across the age range. (Shudders at the thought of reception children ).
Should you opt for a jobshare proposal, do you get on well with the TA who is currently covering the class? Are your styles compatible? Would there be ishoos about 'ownership' of the class? Does she really WANT to continue teaching - presumably as a qualified teacher she had her reasons for wanting to be a TA? Or maybe it's exactly what she wants, and the maternity cover has been a foot in the door. I really think your best bet is to think all these things through, think about the longer term too. There is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to cut back on your working hours and spend more time with your baby, but you need to find a way of making this work for the school while protecting your own interests.
Hope that helps!

Whoops see we x posted! Seeing as the cover teacher hasnt been a roaring success, I do think it's unlikely the governing body are going to be keen on a jobshare with her. Maybe she knows she's not up to scratch too and will happily return to the very different role of TA!
I think the best proposal longer term is to look at a jobshare with someone else, where there won't be the 'baggage' of one partner having been the unsuccessful maternity cover.
BTW, I know 8 months seems very little, but your dd will be fine! When I went back after my first, maternity leave was 6 months max, and a lot of people, myself included, routinely went back when the baby was 3 months so don't worry on that score.

PPA cover sounds a nice job in theory but I gave it up. There was planning for every year group, I was having to switch from upper junior to reception in the same day, I had to keep moving rooms, there was little satisfaction in it and teachers(understandably)gave me the subjects that they didn't want to do themselves.
A job share is lovely if you get on well with your partner and have a similar style of teaching-it can be a nightmare with the wrong person.

Thankyou for that. I imagine that the maternity cover would continue for the year if I did not go back as a class teacher. She needs the money. If we did a job share, I would most definitely be the one in charge as she is very unconfident and does not know what she is doing (those are her words, not mine). I would have another class teacher to work with as 2 form entry and we work very well together doing planning so the maternity cover would just slot in. My worry about job share with her is that I would end up doing a lot of her work as she is very unconfident and knows very little about teaching in this country (she taught abroad before).
I would like to take groups out across the school. I am going to use that as an argument saying that it would help me grow as a teacher as I have always taught yr 1 (only been teaching 4 yrs as had a career change a few yrs ago). The deputy knows that I have always wanted to work in the juniors so taking out groups would give me a better grasp of what goes on in the rest of the school.

I will find out about what kind of accountability there would be for group work.

Now hoping I will win the lottery between now and jan!

I was a year 6 teacher and went back in april as a PPA cover teacher for 3 days per week. I mentioned before I left on Mat leave that I wanted part time and people before me have done this as well. They basically did invent the role for me and used me to cover for PPA and curriculum leader time.

I found the new role way less challenging (not in a good way) and a bit boring but much easier than class teaching and I have much more energy and time to spend with DD.

Hopefully your head is flexible. Good luck!

That's good it worked that way for you Febes, but basically, the school must have needed a part time PPA teacher - I know a lot of schools have had to employ an additional person to meet the requirements about non contact time for teachers. That's not really the same as 'creating' a job for someone. I just think we need to be aware of the distinction, as I have honestly met (a few) people in real life who imagine they can waltz back into work with a job tailored to their particular requirements - and life aint like that! But it's great when your needs match the employers needs - everyone's a winner.

I am hoping that because our school is expanding rapidly, that there will be a job for me, or that they may even create one. I just want to know now so that I can get my head round what I will be doing and I can begin to organise childcare.