This is a common question for “newbies” starting out as a Daily Organiser. Every school is slightly different and there are a lot of factors at play. Here are a few thoughts on the matter…
Generally the best approach is for the Daily Organiser to look ahead and plan for all known/foreseen staff absence. Deal with what is known, but leave enough flexibility for unforeseen absence.
Enter all absence data into the Daily Org Module of The Timetabler to help calculate the number of classes/yard duties that need covering.
If there is a full day (or possibly even a half day) of classes requiring cover, think about the nature of the cover…. can it be covered internally with teaching staff or externally with a CRT (Casual Relief Teacher)?
Internal Covers (Teaching Staff)
- Do you have under-allotted teaching staff who could cover it or perhaps a teacher who has lost a class who could be allocated a replacement?
- Can the class be covered easily internally, or combined with another small class or sent to a senior study group?
- How many spare teachers can you use, given that they may have already done a recent extra, or they may already have had a busy teaching load day?
- What stage of the week are you at? Typically, internal covers can tighten up towards the end of a week requiring a greater requirement for CRT’s.
External Covers (CRT)
- What budgetary availability do you have to hire a CRT?
- Is it a specialist subject (e.g. hospitality, science prac work, PE coaching, art practical class) that would really benefit by having a CRT skilled in that area?
- Think also about location – are the students required to be offsite such as a swimming pool or tennis courts or a martial arts training session? A CRT may be more appropriate.
- What age group are the students? Typically younger students require more instruction and consistency. Having a dedicated specialist CRT may help in these circumstances.
- How long is the absent teacher going to be away for? If for more than two days think again about consistency and what would be best for the students. A CRT may be better than having several other teachers just taking a single lesson.
- What season are you in? Often the winter months, and towards the end of term have a higher staff absence due to illness and fatigue . Examination and report writing periods are other times where staff absence may best be covered with a CRT.
- What is the staff employment agreement? Some school systems require staff absence due to Professional Learning to be covered by a CRT
- What is your availability of CRTs? How difficult is it usually to get a CRT at late notice?
Best of wishes for the coming Term 3. Remember, the 3rd quarter of a football game is often called the “Premiership Quarter”. We can possibly apply it to our teaching and learning as well.
Don’t wait until the last minute to try to make a difference, and make full use of whatever chance you get to make ‘halftime adjustments’ in your life.
https://www.theroar.com.au/2017/09/11/digging-deeper-premiership-quarter/
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