Author Archives: Andrew Lifford

How much time am I entitled for school break times?

Teachers’ working hours can feel complicated. You are often expected to work as much as is reasonable to be able to effectively discharge your professional duties. With planning, marking, parents’ evenings, open days, revision sessions and after school activities, it is important teachers are able to manage their working time in such a way that allows them to perform well and maintain a healthy work-life balance.

Dealing with difficult parents

You should be free of fear of abuse from parents at your school. There might be instances when you encounter aggressive behaviour or harassment from parents. This could be at parents’ evenings, receiving abusive emails or phone calls, angry parents at the school gates to even parents posting negatively about you on social media.

Disqualification by association

Disqualification by association no longer applies to teachers in schools. Under the Childcare Act 2006 teachers working with children under the age of eight could be disqualified from teaching because of offences committed by people who live in the same household as them.

What are my rights when faced with redundancy at school?

You may be aware of colleagues who have been made redundant at your school or are going through the redundancy process yourself. There are a number of reasons why you could be made redundant and you should be reassured that it is not an uncommon process. In this article, we outline how you can be selected for redundancy, how to appeal a redundancy decision and what rights you are entitled to if being made redundant.

Private tuition as a teacher

You may already provide private tuition or are looking into offering private tuition while employed by your school. Many teachers already do this. It could be an effective way to supplement your income or to teach another subject you are passionate about by offering music tuition or sports coaching. In this article, we outline factors to consider when offering private tuition and how to anticipate any difficulties you might encounter with your school.