[senco-forum] Cover supervision

From: Janrolnick at aol.com> Date: Fri, 8 Jun 2007 17:12:33 -0400> To:

We are all covered by the 'no detriment' clause of workforce reform anyway. 
Nobody should have to do more than 38 hours cover in a year.  Before 
workforce reform, if you only ever did 20 in a year you should never again 
do more than that - no detriment.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Barbara Blaney" <BBLANEY at chalvedon-barstable.com>
To: "WrayJanice Wray" <jwwray14 at hotmail.com>; <janrolnick at aol.com>; 
<senco-forum at lists.becta.org.uk>
Sent: Saturday, June 09, 2007 9:47 PM
Subject: RE: [senco-forum] Cover supervision

I agree with Janice. We too are a large comprehensive.  We don't have cover 
supervisors but have two or three supply staff who we employ every day 
whatever.  They know school, teachers and pupils well and do a good job in 
our challenging school, when they have odd lessons available they usually 
come to learning support to see if they can hep out.   We also use agency 
supply staff.

The school operates a cover policy under which the leadership team cover 
first up to a high proportion of the timetable to protect teachers; 
sometimes the head or a deputy might take thre clases in the hall. The more 
experienced the teacher the more cover they could get. This means that 
teachers might only have two covers a term and our ranks of trainees and 
GTps and NQts don't get any.

Barbara

-----Original Message-----
From: senco-forum-bounces at lists.becta.org.uk on behalf of WrayJanice Wray
Sent: Fri 6/8/2007 10:41 PM
To: janrolnick at aol.com; senco-forum at lists.becta.org.uk
Subject: RE: [senco-forum] Cover supervision

We are a large comprehensive.
Before the employment of cover supervisors we used some regular supply 
teachers who were excellent - they knew the school well and actually 
'taught' the cover work.
Now we have 4 cover supervisors - 2 initially and then they employed 2 more. 
They are cheaper than supply teachers.
Not all the school rounds here employ cover supervisors - we are one of the 
few.
They are only supposed to hand out the cover work and supervise the class.
However, one is being used to 'teach' English as there were 2 people on long 
term leave - this I think is totally unacceptable - cheap teaching by the 
back door - unqualified people playing at being teachers.
At first I was approach (as SENCO) to see if I wanted to be in charge of 
them in some way but I refused because it is against NUT policy.
They are liked by teachers in some ways because they take the burden of 
cover and exam invigilating from them.
Currently, they seem to spend a lot of time sitting in the staff room 
checking their e-mails and practising their Italian. I complained to the 
Head who said they are supposed to be deployed into faculties to do admin 
work, display etc - but this doesn't often happen.
I have complained to the Head; when my department is at full stretch trying 
to give SATS students the readers/scribes they need and there are people, 
being paid more than 2 of my T.A.s, sitting doing nothing in the staff room 
and I have made my views known and am not very popular.
One of our deputy heads couldn't understand my feelings - they are educated 
people he said - they could teach as well as anyone else - So, I replied - I 
can go into Sainsbury's and say 'Any educated people ere ? COme and teach in 
my school.' Ridiculous.
So, no, I don't like them - children aren't sure who they are - they seem to 
give the impression they are teachers - some children run rings around them 
and whenever they cover my classes (small groups of 10) the children seem to 
do hardly any work at all.
If you are going to employ them - think hard about it.
Could I use them for T.A. type work - well, yes I suppose I could but it 
would not be reliable support because they are sometimes used to cover 
lessons more than at other times.
Obviously other people will have very different views from me.
I have 2 senir T.A.s who took the higher pay scale of H4 and do act as cover 
supervisors when the teacher is away in a lesson where I deploy them - they 
know the students, the work and what to do - they work closely with the ICT 
and maths departments and 'team teach' with those staff. Maybe if cover 
suprtvisors were attached to a faculty and really got to know what was going 
on............who knows.
I think I am against them in principle
Janice Wray
Secondary SENCO Herts

> From: Janrolnick at aol.com> Date: Fri, 8 Jun 2007 17:12:33 -0400> To: 
> senco-forum at lists.becta.org.uk> Subject: [senco-forum] Cover supervision> 
>  > I am interested to know how other people usecover supervisors. Do you 
> employ > them for that role alone or do you use TAs on an as needs basis? 
> What is the > best way to do it?> > > Many thanks> > > Janice Rolnick> > > 
>  >
_________________________________________________________________
Feel like a local wherever you go with BackOfMyHand.com
http://www.backofmyhand.com

The information transmitted is intended only for the person or entity to 
which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged 
material.
If you are not the intended recipient of this message please do not read, 
copy, use or disclose this communication and notify the sender immediately. 
You should delete the
message and any attachments accompanying it immediately. It should be noted 
that any review, retransmission, disseminationor other use of, or taking 
action in reliance upon
this information by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is 
strictly prohibited.  Please note that e-mail is not a secure form of 
communication and where
appropriate, you should verify its authenticity by contacting us by 
telephone or facsimile.  Additionally, the recipient is assumed to have full 
responsibility for the protection and
integrity for the recipient's computer system.  We will not accept any 
liability for any direct or indirect loss or damage caused by any viruses, 
worms, trojan horses or other
potentially destructive software and you are advised to carry out your own 
virus checks.

-- 
No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition.
Version: 7.5.472 / Virus Database: 269.8.13/842 - Release Date: 09/06/2007 
10:46