Thinking of taking unpaid leave as I am anxious of returning to work at school

Thrugelmir

paul2louise said:

So I wondered if it was unreasonable to say that I don't want to return on the first day back. I want to let school settled down and when they are getting it working I will see how I feel about returning. 

You can never receive 100% assurance in any situation. Difficult to see what's going to change as long as the risk exists. Perhaps look for a role where you'll feel more comfortable. 

Dr_Crypto

I don’t know how much if anything a school can do to change things. Social distancing isn’t practical and may not be desirable for children - young ones won’t understand it and older ones won’t do it. 

I suspect all you can do is wear a mask and a visor and wash your hands often. That seems to work for most hospital staff. 

Going off sick isn’t really a solution as the virus will be here at least until we get a vaccine which may not be until 2021. If there’s no vaccine then what will you do? 

Sea_Shell

I can sort of see where you're coming from, however...

It's not fair on your colleagues, for them to do all the initial work on reopening, with you then "swanning" in later.  It's how they may view it.

Being there, helping deal, from day one, will give you knowledge of the "lay of the land" and you can help to be part of the solution.

There's a chance you'll feel even more disconnected from it, if you've missed the first few weeks.  

Socajam

paul2louise said:

I am fit and healthy and am not scared of covid for myself just how the rules and restrictions make was a simple rewarding job seem like a logistic nightmare

Even fit and healthy people have died from COVID.
The virus have is not selective, being careful we all should be

[Deleted User]

You can’t just dictate you have unpaid leave anyway. The school need to agree to you having time off and find cover at short notice. You’ll be risking your job if you fail to turn up. 

paul2louise

I don't want to dictate about unpaid leave. I also know that people fit and healthy of my age have contracted the virus and died. Yes I am worried about getting it but more about who I unknowingly give it to. I haven't seen my mum since Feb. I waited while at school to not visit. But now they have gone into lockdown so I can't even visit her in the garden. I worked thro lockdown and when the schools opened to year groups. There are some members of my team who haven't worked since march. Those that didn't return in June were not paid. I have been there 5 years and was planning to be there another couple of years till my son leaves for secondary school. I don't want to swan in after a few weeks. I just don't want to have to go in on day 1 with no idea of how it will work. That's what happened in June. There was zero opportunity to discuss things. We all arrived 15 mins before starting and were told which group of children we were looking after. 
There is no opportunity to wear masks or other protection. It is not allowed. We are provided with hand gel. Previously I would work with another member of staff to look after children. So you were never on your own. But because of spreading you are not to help anyone else nor them help you. If you need help, then you use a walkie talkie to ask for back up.

I really wanted things to go back to a normal school scenario which the job and the children I loved . But I don't think is going to be "normal" for anytime soon. 

Sea_Shell

If you don't want to go in on day one, but don't want it to be a few weeks either, when will you be happy to return?

Surely whichever day is your first day back will be difficult.  May as well get it over with asap.

Rip the bandaid off, as it were!!

onwards&upwards

paul2louise said:

KxMx said:

Is it possible to go over the Head perhaps to the board of governors or education department of local authority?

You have my sympathy, Mum's job has radically changed and she has been extremely stressed over it, but as the weeks go on it becomes more normal and she is adapting. 

he said it was just a learning curve and we all just need to be patient with each other. 

That is probably the best way he could have responded, tbh. 

paul2louise

onwards&upwards said:

paul2louise said:

KxMx said:

Is it possible to go over the Head perhaps to the board of governors or education department of local authority?

You have my sympathy, Mum's job has radically changed and she has been extremely stressed over it, but as the weeks go on it becomes more normal and she is adapting. 

he said it was just a learning curve and we all just need to be patient with each other. 

That is probably the best way he could have responded, tbh. 

Yes but I wanted him to acknowledge my email and say come and have a chat or something. Instead he ignored it. Cos my supervisor told me to email him and she had to badger him to speak to me. She kept asking if he had replied. 

paul2louise

Sea_Shell said:

If you don't want to go in on day one, but don't want it to be a few weeks either, when will you be happy to return?

Surely whichever day is your first day back will be difficult.  May as well get it over with asap.

Rip the bandaid off, as it were!!

When we opened to years foundation 1 and 6 one staff member quit, 2 refused to come back and 1 just kept the cleaning job but not the dealing with children. 1 of those that refused decided after 2 weeks that she would come back and she was welcomed back no trouble. She knew how everything worked. She knew her hours, what children she was looking after. That's sort of what I want.