Advice for being a Year Head

theoldbreed

Hi all,
I'm going to be year head next year for the first time. It's not a post in my school, it's completely voluntary. It's a job I really want as I love getting to know the kids on a different level.
I'm just looking for any advice that those more experienced could pass on?

Thank you in advance

mtoutlemonde

theoldbreed wrote: »

Hi all,
I'm going to be year head next year for the first time. It's not a post in my school, it's completely voluntary. It's a job I really want as I love getting to know the kids on a different level.
I'm just looking for any advice that those more experienced could pass on?

Thank you in advance

If you are an ASTI member ... you are going against this

https://www.asti.ie/news/campaigns/posts-of-responsibility/

It is unacceptable that teachers would be expected to undertake duties – which were previously part of a paid post of responsibility – on a voluntary basis. Teachers are already undertaking extra work, including additional hours. While additional work, such as the Croke Park 33 hours, is part of a formal agreement that union members had an opportunity to vote on, there is no agreement that teachers should undertake unpaid post of responsibility work.

From the directive:

ASTI members are hereby directed not to carry out Post of Responsibility duties in circumstances where a Post of Responsibility listed on the school’s Schedule of Posts 1 is vacant and where the post/duties are not filled by the appointment of a teacher to the post in accordance with the normal
appointment procedure and where a teacher is not paid the appropriate Post of Responsibility pensionable allowance.

I do hope you realise the responsibility and trouble being a year head is - that's why it's a PAID post. I have worked in several schools and year head is always a post and if a teacher retires and the post is lost, the remaining year heads/management step up. Now being a class tutor is different and is not a post.

evolving_doors

mtoutlemonde wrote: »

If you are an ASTI member ... you are going against this

https://www.asti.ie/news/campaigns/posts-of-responsibility/



From the directive:



I do hope you realise the responsibility and trouble being a year head is - that's why it's a PAID post. I have worked in several schools and year head is always a post and if a teacher retires and the post is lost, the remaining year heads/management step up. Now being a class tutor is different and is not a post.

might be a very small school though!

mtoutlemonde

evolving_doors wrote: »

might be a very small school though!

The principal/deputy principal are still getting allowances ... let them deal with it. If we have people starting to do things i.e. posts voluntarily, where will it stop ... maybe cleaning out the toilets and serving lunch to the students.

km79

theoldbreed wrote: »

Hi all,
I'm going to be year head next year for the first time. It's not a post in my school, it's completely voluntary. It's a job I really want as I love getting to know the kids on a different level.
I'm just looking for any advice that those more experienced could pass on?

Thank you in advance

Be personable. Get to know as many of your students as possible if you don't already. Take an interest in their interests.
You are not the Big Bad Wolf. Well not all of the time
Be firm but fair. Know your Code of Behaviour and apply it transparently and equally.
Make a record of EVERY conversation/meeting you have with students/parents. It is funny how sometimes things are misheard or misunderstood............
There will be a LOT of paperwork so make sure you develop a system or strategy to minimise time spend on it.

Most of all . Enjoy it. In my opinion it is a wonderful opportunity to get to know the students you may not teach in particular.

km79

mtoutlemonde wrote: »

The principal/deputy principal are still getting allowances ... let them deal with it. If we have people starting to do things i.e. posts voluntarily, where will it stop ... maybe cleaning out the toilets and serving lunch to the students.

I doubt anyone would volunteer to do that.......itis funny you mention serving students lunch though.......I subbed in a school 15 years ago (so before this culture of "volunteerism" as I have heard it described was prevalent) and all staff were on a rota to do breaks in the tuck shop. It was required. Small school too.Never came across anything like it since though!!!

RealJohn

mtoutlemonde wrote: »

If you are an ASTI member ... you are going against this

https://www.asti.ie/news/campaigns/posts-of-responsibility/

There's a word for it, regardless. I'd probably get an 'infraction' for saying it though.

If you're not being paid extra, you shouldn't be taking on duties of this sort, end of story. If the school isn't big enough to be entitled to a post, it's the responsibility of the principal and deputy principal.
You're getting ahead at the expense of the profession, and you need to think hard about that if you're going to do it, because if you're only getting to that position now, you won't be out of schools before you're reaping what you sew.

evolving_doors

mtoutlemonde wrote: »

The principal/deputy principal are still getting allowances ... let them deal with it. If we have people starting to do things i.e. posts voluntarily, where will it stop ... maybe cleaning out the toilets and serving lunch to the students.

I remember a situation where someone stepped into an AP1 post voluntarily for a year, can't remember why it wasn't paid as acting AP, might have been during the cutbacks, anyway the absent AP left and his post came up for grabs, needless to say the acting didn't get it and was devastated (not so much for the career progression or money, but because shed built up a good rapport with her yeargroup).

I'm of the opinion people who get paid for a job get more respect than people who take on stuff voluntarily.

However, in the case above the OP said Yearhead wasnt a paid post in their school. So if they mean all yearheads aren't paid then it must be a really small school. With that, if they are looking to progress career and possibly move to another school then it would be very good for the CV.

theoldbreed

evolving_doors wrote: »

I remember a situation where someone stepped into an AP1 post voluntarily for a year, can't remember why it wasn't paid as acting AP, might have been during the cutbacks, anyway the absent AP left and his post came up for grabs, needless to say the acting didn't get it and was devastated (not so much for the career progression or money, but because shed built up a good rapport with her yeargroup).

I'm of the opinion people who get paid for a job get more respect than people who take on stuff voluntarily.

However, in the case above the OP said Yearhead wasnt a paid post in their school. So if they mean all yearheads aren't paid then it must be a really small school. With that, if they are looking to progress career and possibly move to another school then it would be very good for the CV.

No Year Heads are paid. It is a small school and Year Heads are not posts of responsibility in our school. Don't schools get to decide what are and aren't posts themselves? I know a few other schools where YH is not a post of responsibility either.
Really disheartened at the preaching without knowing all the facts. I'm not going against any directives. 'Reap what I sow?' Seriously.

Thanks to those who did give me genuine advice, much appreciated.

SligoBrewer

mtoutlemonde wrote: »

The principal/deputy principal are still getting allowances ... let them deal with it. If we have people starting to do things i.e. posts voluntarily, where will it stop ... maybe cleaning out the toilets and serving lunch to the students.

If the school is too small for YHs, it's too small for YHs.
Don't do a job that someone is or should be getting paid for.

theoldbreed

SligoBrewer wrote: »

If the school is too small for YHs, it's too small for YHs.
Don't do a job that someone is or should be getting paid for.

It's not too small for YH, I said it's a small school. We all decided last year, as a staff, that YH would not be a post. Do not tell me what I should or shouldn't do.
Without giving away my school I have a colleague that is very high up in the union so if we were doing anything that was against union directives she wouldn't be long in letting us know.
I asked for advice on doing the best job I can. I didn't ask for condescending comments

RealJohn

theoldbreed wrote: »

Thanks to those who did give me genuine advice, much appreciated.

I'm not looking to start an argument, but I did give you genuine advice. Just because I'm not clapping you on the back doesn't mean the advice isn't genuine.

The profession is being devalued enough from the outside as it is. We don't need teachers devaluing it from the inside too.

theoldbreed

RealJohn wrote: »

I'm not looking to start an argument, but I did give you genuine advice. Just because I'm not clapping you on the back doesn't mean the advice isn't genuine.

The profession is being devalued enough from the outside as it is. We don't need teachers devaluing it from the inside too.

I don't need you to clap me on the back. Nor do I need condescension. With genuine advice I meant on the topic I asked about, this thread has been derailed. I've actually received a few PMs from people with advice who can't be bothered replying here for fear of being attacked!

I'm not devaluing the profession at all. I'm not going against any union directives. Whatever you think yourself on you go! Enjoy your summer holidays.

spurious

Locking this.

SligoBrewer

theoldbreed wrote: »

It's not too small for YH, I said it's a small school. We all decided last year, as a staff, that YH would not be a post. Do not tell me what I should or shouldn't do.

Answering your own question here.