Teachers' Inset Days
Author
Discussion

daver

Original Poster:

1,209 posts

314 months

Monday 3rd October 2005
quotequote all
What the hell are they all about?

I don't recall there ever being a need for me to stay at home for the day whilst teachers were trained during term-time whilst I was at school.

Kids are off school what... 12 - 13 weeks per year? Is it not possible for these days to be held during this time?

The latest one at my daughter's school is a total piss-take: the Monday immediately after the October half term holiday. Can someone explain to me why this is necessary?

vixpy1

42,699 posts

294 months

Monday 3rd October 2005
quotequote all
We never had them at our school, mind you.. its not as if they could send us home for the day.

jacko lah

3,297 posts

279 months

Monday 3rd October 2005
quotequote all
It's nice to think that my Kids teachers and their managers are not happy with the status quo and are trying to improve their skills.


Personally I think there's at least 8 weeks in the holidays which could be utilised.

esselte

14,626 posts

297 months

Monday 3rd October 2005
quotequote all
daver said:

The latest one at my daughter's school is a total piss-take: the Monday immediately after the October half term holiday. Can someone explain to me why this is necessary?


Ours also have the Friday before!

billb

3,198 posts

295 months

Monday 3rd October 2005
quotequote all
they need the training but yes it should be in the hols..

remal

25,102 posts

264 months

Monday 3rd October 2005
quotequote all
my sister in laws first day in high school was a half day as they had a trachers inset afternoon thingy.

FIRST DAY THERE

wolves_wanderer

12,956 posts

267 months

Monday 3rd October 2005
quotequote all
It used to be a running joke at my junior school. The "teacher training" days were inevitably on a monday after a school holiday. The only exception to this was when they had 2 together which would be held (you guessed it) on a Friday and Monday.

Blatant scam, obviously they are far too busy marking to have training days during the months of holiday time they get already

Edit to say my junior school was in the state sector and at my (private) secondary school we never had a "training day" in the 7 years I was there. Coincidence?

>> Edited by wolves_wanderer on Monday 3rd October 12:45

D_Mike

5,301 posts

270 months

Monday 3rd October 2005
quotequote all
teachers work in the holidays too. I don't have the time or the energy to respond now but will later. Basically: they are a good thing.

nervous

24,050 posts

260 months

Monday 3rd October 2005
quotequote all
unless theyre not. like most of the ones ive attended.


in fairness to teachers though, they dont set the dates, they just attend and put as little effort as they possibley can whilst reminding all those attending how overworked they are

pdV6

16,442 posts

291 months

Monday 3rd October 2005
quotequote all
vixpy1 said:
We never had them at our school, mind you.. its not as if they could send us home for the day.

Borstal's a right bugger, isn't it?

jacko lah

3,297 posts

279 months

Monday 3rd October 2005
quotequote all
D_Mike said:
teachers work in the holidays too. I don't have the time or the energy to respond now but will later. Basically: they are a good thing.


How things have changed.

My Grandad (RIP) and his wonderful wife (RIP) were senoir teachers (Head and Head of Girls) and used to hitch up the caravan and disappear to Italy for 6 weeks every summer.

Still I bet you get more than the statutory minimum for a full time job. Me ? I count myself lucky, because despite a crap 20 days holiday and 8 bank holidays, My Boss allows me to work from home on inset days. Not that I'm working If there's 2 kids in the house, but hey at least I'm not a hard working down trodden teacher.

fryske

1,983 posts

259 months

Monday 3rd October 2005
quotequote all
Most of the training days were taken out of the hols by Kenneth Baker (hence their name in schools - Baker days)
The goverment sets a requirement for all state school staff to engage in professional development - hence the training- do you train in your holiday entitlement??

I'll happily work in my holidays as I do every summer but they would need to pay me for those days!!

Teachers are contracted for a certain number of hours in an academic year - like it or not that's the way it is

Fer

7,773 posts

310 months

Monday 3rd October 2005
quotequote all
pdV6 said:

vixpy1 said:
We never had them at our school, mind you.. its not as if they could send us home for the day.


Borstal's a right bugger, isn't it?


So I am not the only one that thought that?

silversun

4,373 posts

256 months

Monday 3rd October 2005
quotequote all
We used to get the odd day off for stuff like that. I don't think it's anything new.

_dobbo_

14,619 posts

278 months

Monday 3rd October 2005
quotequote all
Teachers have such an easy life, such lovely long holidays, another misconception that's as old as the hills and not worth trying to correct.

If the holidays look so attractive, go and be a teacher, you would get them too!

DanBoy

4,899 posts

273 months

Monday 3rd October 2005
quotequote all
_dobbo_ said:
Teachers have such an easy life, such lovely long holidays, another misconception that's as old as the hills and not worth trying to correct.

If the holidays look so attractive, go and be a teacher, you would get them too!


nervous

24,050 posts

260 months

Monday 3rd October 2005
quotequote all
there are downsides though: you have to be able to put up with finishing at 3.30 pm everyday. i dont know how they do it for the money, personally.

hat: off.

>> Edited by nervous on Monday 3rd October 13:26

fryske

1,983 posts

259 months

Monday 3rd October 2005
quotequote all
nervous said:
there are downsides though: you have to be able to put up with finishing at 3.30 pm everyday. i dont know how they do it for the money, personally.

hatff.


yeah - it's a b*gger here - we don't finish until 3.45pm!! these private schools don't half get their pound of flesh!

esselte

14,626 posts

297 months

Monday 3rd October 2005
quotequote all
Obviously some teachers can organise their time better than others.My sis-in-law is one and manages 4 weeks away on hols in the 6 weeks holiday and 2 weeks away at Chrismas...all in her villa in Florida.At half terms she generally goes to Scotland for a week or for a few days in Italy.But I suppose she needs the rest from all the stress,as she has to decide now whether to take early retirement and a smaller salary related pension or to work a couple more years and get the full monty.

NiceCupOfTea

25,590 posts

281 months

Monday 3rd October 2005
quotequote all
<bloodtype=boiling>

I don't think you'll find many teachers who "finish" at 3.15pm. You then have meetings, or after school activites. Then when you get home you have marking and lesson planning to do for the next day. Many times I watched my dad fall asleep over a pile of marking at 1 in the morning.

I say it's the 9-5 monkeys who have it easy - nice to be able to get home and switch off, is it?

I say again, anybody who thinks teaching is such a cushy lot - well why not do it then? Think you can cope with a classroom full of restless teenagers? I'd love to watch!

For the record, I don't know many teachers who would rather be at a Baker day than teaching. Generally they are full of middle managers trying to get schools to run like businesses Not a whole lot of training involved, but a whole lot of patronising, "sharing", and "putting things on the back burner".