TA in high school want 4 not 5 days

ANNIEHAHA

Hi I work as a TA in a high school and have just started my 4th year there.

I work 26 hours and they are spread out over the 5 days, so 1 day I travel 6 miles there and 6 back for 2 hours work.

I would like to reduce my week to 4 days, my previous manager would not budge even though 2 others done a 4 day week.

Headmaster seemed on side, then changed his mind and sided with my manager and said no.

We now have a new manager but he has blocked me from doing this and has told her no.

Another collegue does 23 hours and she has got her 4 day week.

My contract does state mon-friday although I have not signed or returned it.

Thanks

ANNIEHAHA

Thought not!
They insist its due to the children, I insist its bloodymindness on his part

What about insets/training do you know how many I have to attend over the year?

DollyDabbler

In the LEA I work for if you are contracted for 39 weeks, then you would be expected to attend for insets. Less than 39 weeks and I would think not, unless it was something specific like Safeguarding which involves the whole school staff, this comes generally with time off in lieu.

The TES community has a good section for questions like this.

http://community.tes.co.uk/forums/63.aspx

Oldernotwiser

ANNIEHAHA wrote: »

I work 26 hours and they are spread out over the 5 days, so 1 day I travel 6 miles there and 6 back for 2 hours work.

Sorry but it's not exactly a long commute, is it?

Savvy_Sue

If you've made this a flexible working request, then you do need to give thought to how this could be achieved - you say others do x, y and z but have you set out how the children you work with could be supported if you were working a 4 day week?

However, if you have made this a flexible working request, then I believe you can't make another one for a year.

It may genuinely be that having another person doing 4 not 5 days makes the whole timetabling of support insufficiently flexible, or means that there's less continuity of support for children who need consistency - without knowing what you do it's impossible to tell.

Jarndyce

4 days is the hardest pattern to accommodate from an employer's point of view as they then have to find someone to work one day a week. Fine if there's someone else who is part time and wants to increase their hours, not so fine otherwise.

As Sue says, if you make a formal request under the Flexible Working Regs you need to offer suggestions as to how your proposal can be accommodated. Are you in a union? If not, join for help with such a request and any appeal.

And by the way, it doesn't matter a jot whether or not you have signed or returned your contract, by working you have affirmed your agreement to it.

ultrarunner

Jarndyce wrote: »

And by the way, it doesn't matter a jot whether or not you have signed or returned your contract, by working you have affirmed your agreement to it.

Was about to post this. After 4 years in the job turning up every day you've accepted the terms.

Hammyman

ANNIEHAHA wrote: »

Thought not!
They insist its due to the children, I insist its bloodymindness on his part

Personally I think you're unbelievable for not being able to see the bleeding obvious. Intelligence is obviously not a requirement of being a TA.

I'll explain it as simply as I can.

You are a TA at a school. The kids do a 5 day week from say 9am to 3pm with an hours worth of breaks so 25hrs a week or thereabouts. Therefore it is not unrealistic to expect you have to do 26hrs over a 5 day week. What point is there doing 26hrs over 4 days when for several of those hours there would be no pupils to assist?

Savvy_Sue

To be fair, Hammyman, it does depend what the OP is employed to do.

If Annie is employed to assist one particular child, then it's more obvious that she's needed every day.

If she's employed to provide support to various different children in different situations, with others providing support to the same children at other times, then it might be possible to work a four day week. But as Jarndyce says, it is a difficult pattern to accommodate if someone is needed every day, because very few people only want to work one day.

And I know that part-time teachers can be given 'difficult' timetables - a .3 contract that requires you to be there every day, for first and last lesson on at least one day, is one I've heard of! And it was changed when the teacher concerned said that was NOT what had been agreed previously!

If the request was made on the basis that 'other colleagues are allowed to do this' without offering suggestions for how it could be accommodated, then the best thing would be to consider how it could be accommodated, ready for next year!

ANNIEHAHA

Thanks for all your feedback, I have thanked you all.

I work in different classes with different students across the years, There have been other TAs allowed to work 4 full days but I was not allowed last year. When the year 11s left I was allowed to go down to 4 days.

On a wednesday I go in for 2 hours, this time can be made up elsewhere through lunch duties.

My new manager is trying to accomodate, there is no reason that having one day off would affect the students because there is no continuity on the timetable, e.g I have 2/4 maths lessons with the same class

My friend works 23 hours and has now got her 4 days and Im pleased for her, there is no effect on the students.
As for not having intalligence I have a degree in psychology but have children of my own to bring up as well.

Savvy_Sue

ANNIEHAHA wrote: »

On a wednesday I go in for 2 hours, this time can be made up elsewhere through lunch duties.

You've said how you can make your hours up, BUT more to the point is how can the students be given the help they need if you're not doing those 2 hours?

If you don't address that issue, either by discussing it with your colleagues or having your own ideas, it's much easier to refuse your request.