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Inset Days vs School Holidays
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What I don't understand is why different schools use a different amount of days if these days are so important.
My 3 children all go to different schools. The one my eldest attends always uses the maximum number of days. The one my middle son goes to only ever uses 2 of the inset days. These are always a Friday and Monday in November, giving a long weekend. My youngest's school has only used 1 so far and we've not been told of any others.
All three of the schools have an excellent reputation, though my middle son's school is the best of the three (according to Ofsted).0 -
The school here uses some inset says to go into other schools and share good practice. Not much point going to observe lessons if the kids aren't there being taught because it's the school holidays!
Perhaps if schools use different numbers of inset days, it's because other schools/teachers are coming to them to help them out so they do need the kids in rather than having a 'proper' insert day.0 -
Do you actually know what inset days are?!!!
I work in a school, and am required to attend on Inset days! Generally we will have courses, or classroom prep, meaning we have outside agencies detailing how to create the best learning environment. It could be a chance to renew safeguarding training or first aid or health and hygiene training, Or go over new policies, be taught new methods of practise, or updated versions of older practises!
It is so we can support and provide children with the best education possible!0 -
What I don't understand is why different schools use a different amount of days if these days are so important.
My 3 children all go to different schools. The one my eldest attends always uses the maximum number of days. The one my middle son goes to only ever uses 2 of the inset days. These are always a Friday and Monday in November, giving a long weekend. My youngest's school has only used 1 so far and we've not been told of any others.
All three of the schools have an excellent reputation, though my middle son's school is the best of the three (according to Ofsted).
I suspect the schools that do not use all of the inset days will instead complete that training as after school sessions throughout the year, and will have slightly longer school holidays?0 -
Schools that dont use all the days split them up and do them as twilights (3-6pm) so the holidays are longer but the students are not taught for any extra days.
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I know that some respondents (teachers) have posted saying in general terms what happens on inset days, but might any of us parents feel happier if our kids' schools told us specifically what they were doing on each inset day? So that we don't have the feeling that it's a day "off" or "wasted"? It's sometimes easier to accept specifics than generalities.
I happened to meet with our littl'un's teacher a couple of days before his last inset day, and she told me all about a specific course/seminar she was attending on that day and how it would benefit our son.:heartpuls Mrs Marleyboy :heartpuls
MSE: many of the benefits of a helpful family, without disadvantages like having to compete for the tv remoteProud Parents to an Aut-some son
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Tigsteroonie wrote: »I know that some respondents (teachers) have posted saying in general terms what happens on inset days, but might any of us parents feel happier if our kids' schools told us specifically what they were doing on each inset day? So that we don't have the feeling that it's a day "off" or "wasted"? It's sometimes easier to accept specifics than generalities.
I happened to meet with our littl'un's teacher a couple of days before his last inset day, and she told me all about a specific course/seminar she was attending on that day and how it would benefit our son.
I think that would be a good idea in theory when all of the staff were doing the same thing, but starts to get harder to get out to parents when you've got 3 teachers from one stage going on a course about the new maths and 2 staff renewing their first aid, then another 3 are at another school and 2 are having a session with 1 teacher who recently did a course on x subject.
You also then get into the realms of people complaining because their child's teacher did something 'useless' where as Mrs X or Miss Y did something far better.
I think it would be better for parents to get into the mindset themselves that Insets are not a day "off" for the staff. How many people have a job where they never have a course or never have to do any training? It's exactly the same, it's just that a schoolful of kids can't be left on their own whilst they do it.
I've never understood folks who think they should be scrapped because it'd simply mean another weeks holiday - far easier to get the odd day off (especially with them not being on set days nationally) than another hotly-contested school holiday week.0 -
Okay well last two days are inset for my wife this year they normally have a couple to start the year as well. At the end of this year they are doing various training for the new curriculum that is being introduced and also moving classrooms around because its due to be painted.
Needless to say my wife will very likely be spending a further 3-4 days in school on her holiday not to mention countless days planning as she has done 3 summers in a row during her young teaching career. It is very normal for me to be lounging around the house or the garden for days on end relaxing while she is working, my take home pay is double hers and i get to work at home and do 1/3 of the hours she does. I worked out she does 60 hour weeks during term times and averages 54 hours over the whole year, this works out as £6.77 per hour + whatever her pension ends up as. Most of those hours are needless planning and paperwork when they should be used teaching children, instead they are spent doing risk assessments.
My wife was graded as outstanding in her Ofsted recently, she's 3 1/2 years into the job and when we have children in the next few years she's going 2/3 days a week and never again doing full time simply because the job will burn you out if you try to keep up with all the paperwork, government changes, and parent demands.
Honestly its the little digs from all corners that now simply make the job of teaching one that no average person would ever contemplate, in years to come the ones that will suffer are our children and grand children. My wife she just plods on and gets on with it most of the time.When using the housing forum please use the sticky threads for valuable information.0 -
Alchemilla wrote: »Schools that dont use all the days split them up and do them as twilights (3-6pm) so the holidays are longer but the students are not taught for any extra days.
Or do as the school I worked in did - Did the training as twilight and still shut the school on the inset day so the teachers could have a day off !!
Apparently training days give teachers who are also parents childcare problems (presumably parents who don't work in education don't have the same problem)I Would Rather Climb A Mountain Than Crawl Into A Hole
MSE Florida wedding .....no problem0 -
Ok, I am working part-time in 2 different schools, one state, one independent. The last INSET day I had in the independent school was just before Easter. We had Health and Safety training, including a detailed briefing from a member of the site staff on fire extinguishers and how to use them. The previous one in that school was on teenage mental health with an excellent external speaker who reduced a number of us to tears.
In my other school, we condense our training into a number of twilight sessions which run from 3.45 until 5.15. This gives us a couple of extra days of holiday but to be honest, it is really tough working a full day then having to focus on training issues. The last INSET day was for coursework moderation, something that departments need to do, but do not have the time for in a normal teaching week.
As everyone else has said, it is for the benefit if the students and whilst I can appreciate the childcare issues it throws up, as a mum as well as a teacher, I think it is a small price to pay for excellent teaching.0
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