Advice And Help Needed

[Guest]

Hi,

 

I am a Foundation Stage co-ordinator in a school and from March 2007 we will have a Children's centre attatched to our school.

 

I currently have responsibility for 42 Reception aged children with 2 TA's and 1 LSA as well overall responsibility for FS Unit which has 8 staff (2 of which are teachers/ 1 being me!) and have a 2b TLR.

 

I have known for a little while that I would also be expected to be the QTS input into the Children's centre because the Nursery teacher is an NQT. However, I was led to believe that I would recieve some extra salary for this as well as release time to fulfill role.

 

After a meeting that we had yesterday I have found out that this will probably not be the case as there is only £7000 available for 2 years and this will be used for release cover for me and not for a TLR as this is a permanent position.

 

The more I have thought about this the more unhappy I am becoming. I already feel that i have alot of responsibility without a lot of financial recompence in the unit as there is oly 1 other teacher and I have alot of jobs from management meetings, etc.

 

Do I have the right to refuse to do this job without extra pay if I am released during school time to do it?

 

Please give me some advice as i feel that I need to discuss this with my head but do not know my position in terms of pay and conditions, etc.

 

Thanks caroline

[JacquieL]

I forget chapter and verse but look at the STRB on the following link

 

www.teachernet.gov.uk/management/payandperformance/pay/

 

I would read all I could and then have a confidential chat with my union if necessary before deciding what to do. On the face of it it seems to me that if you have overall responsibility for a unit and the Teaching and Learning in the Children's Centre you should have a TLR as this would be on a par with the Key Stage Co-ordinator and is responsibility for learning in more than your own classroom. Why would this position be temporary I wonder? I hope that you manage to resolve this.

[Susan]

Hi Caroline,

Dont have any concrete advise but definitely sounds like a lot of extra work and responsibility with no financial incentive! However, I would be questioning not the finances but the workload as the former never seems to me to adequately recompense for the latter once you are a teacher in a management role and it is on the latter that you are judged.

However, sounds like a change of role that could be considered a promotion and would definitely be sustained and substantial for UPS!

Talking to your union, seems a good option to me and you can ask for advice without obligation. Many heads seem to resent the fact that their staff do this, although expecting them to be protected in such a way, so I would caution you to be careful before asking them to act on your behalf.

Good luck. Let us know how you get on.