Exam invigilation and the furlough scheme.

Aliraz76

bradders1983 said:

I really dont see how anyone can legitimately use the scheme, it is casual work. They have cancelled the election next month and I have lost a days pay there, I am not about to ask for 80% of it am I?

I don’t know are you? However that’s one day. Invigilators can work many weeks in the year via the sheer amount of examinations undertaken, not just official exams.  Now would be their busiest time with the option of up to 8 weeks salary to earn concurrently and no longer available to them.  Why should they not be entitled.  

stanleythesnail

The academy that I work for have said they will not be paying invigilators for the cancelled exams. The reason given is that at the point when schools were closed due to Covid-19 they had not yet set their summer exam schedule and as no exams schedule had been completed they did not request any invigilator staffing for the summer season.  

Has anyone had any success stories they can share?

JillHB

stanleythesnail said:

The academy that I work for have said they will not be paying invigilators for the cancelled exams. The reason given is that at the point when schools were closed due to Covid-19 they had not yet set their summer exam schedule and as no exams schedule had been completed they did not request any invigilator staffing for the summer season.  

Has anyone had any success stories they can share?

Hi, I work as an exam invigilator at two local schools and one has proactively contacted its invigilators to advise we are being furloughed and a one off payment will be credit to us at the end of April (it’s based on an average of our earnings during April, May and June last year). I’m going to contact the second school and see if they can do the same. Thanks 

stanleythesnail

That’s great JillHB. Good luck with your other school. I am waiting to see if the college I invigilate for will furlough me. I know they are using the scheme, just hope they will include invigilators and not just core staff.

JillHB

stanleythesnail said:

That’s great JillHB. Good luck with your other school. I am waiting to see if the college I invigilate for will furlough me. I know they are using the scheme, just hope they will include invigilators and not just core staff.

Hello again.  This morning I’ve received a reply from the second school ....‘as invigilators are casual members of staff paid for the hours where work is available and there is no work available, no furloughing arrangements are being made for the summer’.  I received a completely different message from my first school who used an average of last summers earnings, and sent a proactive email ‘We are mindful you are unable to work throughout this closure period and that this may cause financial strain and upset’. 

Fingers crossed you receive a positive reply from your college. 

MarathonMiles

InvigillJill said:

HI ChelleHex - I am in a similar position to yourself - I was wondering if you have contacted your schools or if overseen by the LA contacted them to find out - I was curious what their response was as I am still waiting to hear from my Academy!   I looked at the DoE guidance for temporary school closures and it states "Pay

Will teachers and other school staff continue to be paid?

Yes. Teachers and other school staff will continue to be paid during this period as normal, and we expect schools to continue to fulfill their contractual duties to their staff.

Will teachers and other school staff, be entitled to sick pay for an absence caused by coronavirus (COVID-19), including the need to self-isolate if a member of their household has displayed symptoms?

Arrangements for teachers and school staff sick pay are agreed between employers and relevant unions. We have confirmed that schools will receive the same level of funding regardless of any period of partial or complete closure, and so would expect pay to continue as normal.

Supply teachers and other contingent workers

Should schools continue to pay supply teachers and other contingent workers?

Schools will continue to receive their budgets for the coming year as usual, regardless of any periods of partial or complete closure. This will ensure that they are able to continue to pay for staff and meet their other regular financial commitments. We expect schools to continue to pay staff they employ directly in the usual fashion, and correspondingly not furlough them." I can't see why they just can't pay us!!

The very clear DoE guidance is also backed up by the very clear guidance from the Association of School and College Leaders here:
Should we pay exam invigilators now that the summer exam season has been cancelled?

Schools will continue to receive their budgets for the coming year as usual, regardless of any periods of partial or complete closure. This will ensure that they are able to continue to pay for staff and meet their other regular financial commitments. Where invigilators had been issued and accepted a work plan for the summer 2020 season, guidance would indicate that they should be paid. 
If invigilators are employed directly by the school or college, then the school or college should continue to pay them.  
For those employed through an agency, then the school should honour any prior bookings.

Remember, if you are on PAYE, you ARE an employee and auto enrolled onto the local council's/academy pension scheme too. If you come through an agency, it's usually because your school cannot attract enough applicants for the roles needed. More mums work, everyone is retiring later, yet more than 4,000 secondary schools need a whole team of invigilators throughout December, January, February, March, May and June. 

There are not enough physically and mentally well people around looking to add low hourly paid work to retirement income or flexible work or caring duties who are prepared to get an enhanced DBS, attend regular training, deal with every (regular) health issue or emergency that crops up, get difficult and troubled teens to sit silently for hours on end, know and comply with every single one of those many, many rules in the regulation book, stop teachers interfering with the exam routine - and also be able to stand up watching boring silent rooms for greater lengths of time than feels possible. Oh, and schools pay exam invigilators less than most universities and professional institutes do.

Presumably some schools will try the loophole that exam sessions hadn't been allocated to specific invigilators in early March, even though they hold the records of what you were paid last summer. If your employer values you that little and is grabbing the chance to make more money at the expense of some of their lowest paid employees, the next school down the road - or even better a nearby university - will welcome you with open arms.

SPJ1

Hi MarathonMiles - thanks for the info above. Do you have links to the pages on the D of E and Association of School and College Leaders that you have quoted? 

I have been offered a small one off payment rather than any furlough or other payments.

I believe we should be paid the equivalent of what we were paid last year as we are covered, like teachers and other school staff, as public sector employees.

Many thanks for your help.

SJ

InvigillJill

Hi I have the links but am not able to post them as I haven't been a forum member long enough - I searched both sites and found the information stated

MarathonMiles

The ASCL guidance can be found here, but take out the two spaces after the https 

https  /www.ascl.org.uk/Help-and-Advice/Leadership-and-governance/Health,-safety-and-safeguarding/Coronavirus-essential-information/Coronavirus-FAQs/Staff-management-recruitment-and-retention-FAQs

MarathonMiles

The Local Government Association also says schools please pay your exam invigilators using the budget you have already received to pay them:
https  ://www.local.gov.uk/sites/default/files/documents/Additional%20LGA%20schools%20guidance%203%20April%202020.pdf

Again, just remove the two spaces after https to get the link