All schools will experience teacher absence at some stage during the school year.
In most situations, other members of staff can provide cover or the use of supply cover can adequately meet need. A significant contingent of staff absence due to flu or other common ailments is usually coped with by the use of supply staff. Governors tend to contact the service when teacher absence seems an endemic problem in their school or when key members of staff are absent on long-term sick leave.
The majority of issues regarding teacher absence do not have immediate solutions but some good advice holds true for many calls of this nature.
Advisers will encourage the governing body to keep frequent contact with staff members at the school, explain the position and what they are attempting to do to remedy it. This can lessen the stress element for other staff as they are included and are aware of the efforts being made to resolve the issue.
GovernorLine advisers will also explore with the caller the possibility of re-examining the role and resource of support staff in the school that may be able to assume responsibility for some tasks that can lessen the burden on their teaching colleagues. If supply cover is short-term and the governing body is concerned about quality of education, can the supply teachers have increased support to ensure that continuity is retained in the school?
If supply cover appears to be a more long-term coping mechanism, the advisers may explore what the school is doing about recruitment over the longer term.
Recruitment situations vary in different parts of the country and together with contractual requirements it is unlikely that schools can find replacements quickly, but it is important that schools make their Local Authority aware of the problems they are experiencing and for effective recruitment procedures to be in place to obtain necessary staff with the least possible delay. The Local Authority may be able to assist with additional provision or secondment in extreme circumstances.
Under the new 'rarely cover' regulations, teachers, including the headteacher, should cover only rarely, for absences which are not foreseeable as part of their terms and conditions. If governors or the headteacher breach this duty, then a teacher could potentiallu have a grievance.
This guidance was last updated in August 2009.
Call GovernorLine on 08000 722 181 or you can e-mail us from this site.
