School closed. You have to make the time up in holidays!

stuliet_2

Just wanted to make it clear to those reading this thread that as the previous poster said, teachers are paid/contracted to work for 195 days each year, so we are paid for 195 days, but it is pro rata'ed out so we receive a salary each month. It is not like we are paid for all year and have these huge holidays - yes, we do get long holidays, but we are not in fact paid for them, only for the 195 days we are contracted to work!

MissTingle

Just thought I'd add my thoughts:

I am a teacher, and we received one snow day (the other two we opened up with average class sizes of 6 because parents didn't want to send their kids to school, and some of the pupils skived.)
If the policy was that we had to make the time up, like a lot of other organisations have to, I'd be happy to - as i go in quite a lot in the holidays anyway so wouldn't actually make a difference to me ( if its a week/ 2 week holiday, i'll spend half of it catching up on marking, and in the 6 weeks and i'll spend about 2-3 weeks in school preparing for the new year.) I also spend every sunday doing about 4 hours of work, and most evenings a couple of hours of work - This is my job and i would never skive, and so making up snow days would be fine.
However the arguement i don't accept is about child care. I am a teacher, not a child minder; if teacher's can't get in due to the weather then its the parents responsibility to plan for these circumstances- we are not free child care.

p.s - from a logistical point of view I can't see how they could enforce schools opening up in the hols with the pupils in because a lot of staff/pupils will have holidays booked. The only way would be to make staff come in, at any time in the holidays, without the pupils there - which as i said before I do this anyway.

beccabee_2

Just to add my experience.

I am a teacher in a Secondary School, Thursday last week my school was open, both my sons (10 & 2) school and nursery were closed for the day. I rang school to say I was stuck without childcare and I was going to struggle to get in as I couldn't get my car off the drive. The Head rang me back to say either I come in and bring my children or I take an unpaid day off. I chose to take my kids with me which I was lucky to be allowed to do. Sods law the opposite happened on Friday my kids could go and my school was closed, I spent the day writing reports and creating new classroom displays and then went over to help at my sons school as they were short handed.

donnajunkie

the182guy wrote: »

Hi all,

Someone I know works for a primary school. Today and yesterday the school has been closed because of the weather, they have been told that because they are off they have to make the time up during the summer holiday, or they can try and come in if they don't want to do that.

Doesn't seem right to me, I know two other people that work at different schools who when asked have never heard of this policy.

What are your thoughts?

i can see alot of kids just not turning in. of course the logical thing to do is say as we are expected to book our holidays away in the summer holidays(rather than term time) that you already have your holidays booked for those days they say you now have to come in. the schools around here dont seem to do anything about kids having time off compared to when i was at school anyway.
i cant understand why they are targeting the summer holidays. why not just cancel the half term due in february.

MissTingle

donnajunkie wrote: »

i can see alot of kids just not turning in. of course the logical thing to do is say as we are expected to book our holidays away in the summer holidays(rather than term time) that you already have your holidays booked for those days they say you now have to come in.

Sorry if I misinterpret what your saying - the fact that teacher's are restricted to the school holidays to book holidays away means that it becomes expensive for us (you'd be suprised at how many of our pupil's parents will gladly take their kids out of school for this reason) and so by taking away the feb half term to make up days would cause a lot of issues, especially with the unions (don't get me wrong i'm not their biggest fan whatsoever)-but empolyers, i don't think in any organisation, can stipulate how their staff can spend their holidays (please correct me if i'm wrong)

MissTingle

beccabee wrote: »

Ispent the day writing reports and creating new classroom displays and then went over to help at my sons school as they were short handed.

I think this is how things used to be done, that if your school was closed you'd have to work at the nearest school, but there's no way this could happen now with all the safeguarding issues. I am only CRBd to work in my school LEA.

donnajunkie

MissTingle wrote: »

Sorry if I misinterpret what your saying - the fact that teacher's are restricted to the school holidays to book holidays away means that it becomes expensive for us (you'd be suprised at how many of our pupil's parents will gladly take their kids out of school for this reason) and so by taking away the feb half term to make up days would cause a lot of issues, especially with the unions (don't get me wrong i'm not their biggest fan whatsoever)-but empolyers, i don't think in any organisation, can stipulate how their staff can spend their holidays (please correct me if i'm wrong)

i sometimes see news stories on tv about how parents take their kids out of school for holidays during term time and how schools dont like it. that is why i suggested the idea of saying you have holidays booked at the time you expected there to be school holidays. i mean the time they may be telling people they now are expected to be at school. if you have holidays booked they cant hold it against you if that was when school holidays were going to be. yes i know it is more expensive to go on holiday during school holidays. i just suggested the going away thing as a way out for anyone who wants a way out.
regarding february i just suggested that as it has lesser impact on peoples holidays than in summer. i suspect most people dont go anywhere in february. i know if i had to make up time i would rather do it in the february half term than in july when the weather is nicer.

lovetowinacar

slummymummyof3 wrote: »

I feel quite irritated by some of the comments on here about teachers being paid to sit at home on their lazy *****. I for one spend every evening and most of Sunday each week planning and marking work.

My job is not one that I am paid to work 24 hours a day. Teaching is not a 9-3 occupation and I have certainly not sitting at home without doing any work. If you worked out how many hours the average teacher spends on planning and marking each week I think you would find it would equate to less than the minimum wage.

LOL I have several friends who are teachers and they would not agree with this! It's a pretty good profession with great perks and pension so lets not pretend otherwise..

Barbies_2

Wouldnt have thought the school could enforce this as many staff will have done some work at home. Lots of people work at home regularly anyhow, so if the school doesnt accept that you did, they are questioning you as a professional. The unions will know.

poet123

If the school was closed and the option of going in was not there, then you cannot be forced to make up the time. I work in a college and we were closed all week, we had no option but to stay off, even though I could have, and would have, walked in. We will not have to make up the time or lose pay.