laptop use during long term illness policy?

[chrbb]

Does anyone have a policy that states when or if a teacher is off on long term illness or maternity leave, the laptop remains the property of the school and as such should be left for the supply teacher?

 

Not sure if this makes sense, but we have smartboards, projectors and laptops in each classroom, the teachers take ownership of the laptop and are allowed to take it home and use it for PPA. However, as a school with limited funds we are running short of laptops with staff on long term illness retaining the laptop.

 

Not sure about the legalities re asking for laptops to remain in school whilst the staff are off sick etc.

[Pottsey]

For long team illness we let teachers keep them but TA’ have to hand them back. If we are short we might ask the Teacher if we can have it back and explain the situation but so far that has not happened.

[laserblazer]

I was told by HR that if a job includes a laptop (our teachers do) then they are entitled to keep it whilsy employed by us. A real pain, we have three off with sprogs and one permanently ill.

[bossman]

@laserblazer:

 

I would ask HR where exactly does it stipulate that a laptop goes with a teaching post.

Laptops for teachers scheme finished over 2 years ago if I am not mistaken.

 

I have new teachers coming into school and the first thing they ask for is a laptop, I ask them this question and SLT have backed me up on this, the teachers then try to blag it and say it is in their contract of employment, I reply that it isn't and the school is not duty bound to allocate one.

 

We have remote access for Sims and work areas and therefore the teachers can buy their own computer for home and connect to the network securely and do their work from home if necessary.

 

Every classroom has a computer for the teachers use connected to a IWB so there is no need for a laptop.

The staff have a work area and also dept heads have offices with computers in so no need for laptop there.

 

Nah it is just teachers way of getting something for nothing and trashing them cos they don't have to pay for them.

[jamesreedersmith]

I would say the laptops (where provided) are for use in line with their work duties, therfore if they are off sick or on maternaty or paternaty and are therfore not working they do not need thier laptops as they do not have any work to do on them, what else would they need them for?

 

Thanks

 

James

[steve]

The policy in our school is laptops must be handed in when going on maternity or if off long term.

 

We are expected to issue cover staff wih laptops, so these have to come from somewhere. On the odd occasion staff "forget" to hand it in, so we just inform the head of department their cover staff won't get a laptop until teacher x hands it in.

 

All we do different is have a few spare hard drives preconfigured that we swap for cover staff to prevent them screwing up the teachers settings.

[fiendishlyclever]

You can't expect someone on long term sick to fetch in a laptop so you need someone prepared to collect them from their house. This would also only be an option for staff signed off for long periods of time - and you don't want to be seen to be harrassing staff who are ill.

 

You could request that laptops don't leave the site, but that begs the question why buy laptops in the first place?

 

Alternatively issue laptops that are so old and crap that staff buy their own to use at home!

[laserblazer]

Our teachers' job description says they get a laptop. It doesn't say they have to hand it in if they get sick or pregnant.

[Mr.Ben]

We don't have a policy, but I see it that the Laptops are property of the School and If someone is going to be off for a long time then I think it's fair to have the Laptop back before they leave.

 

It all depends, our Deputy head is off sick at the moment and will be for a while, but I know that she is still working, sending Emails and doing as much as she can whilst she is at home.

 

However maternity leavers and other long term sick teaching staff wouldn't be doing that, as they have no need to. In fact i think if they are on long term sick doing work should be far far behind getting themselves better! So i kindly request them back - no one has questioned this.

 

The laptop goes with the teaching post (which implies that you are teaching, not off sick). If we are having to cover the post then the laptop stays with it!

 

I did have a bit of a fight last year as the head always wanted me to purchase new laptops for new teaching staff, regardless of the age of the existing laptop. I won thaty one when it was realised that the increase in laptops this year would mean having a cupboard full of 10 month old laptops. Next year it's viable as 10 or so will need replacing.

[cookie_monster]

Our teachers don't get a laptop unless they have a good case. Some still have their laptops for teachers ones that they can do what they want with.

 

In my opinion and i'll be pushing for this with the new batch is that if they're on long term sick they should NOT be working (that part isn't my opinion it's the law). The school provide the laptop for WORK and as they can't/shouldn't do that while sick the laptop will be unused. Only a fool would try to argue that they should keep an unused laptop in their house all that time when it could be used to help educate the students.

 

 

@Mr.Ben

It all depends, our Deputy head is off sick at the moment and will be for a while, but I know that she is still working, sending Emails and doing as much as she can whilst she is at home.

 

As stated above this is a poor reason, working while off work sick is against the law if something goes wrong the persons employer is liable. IS they're working at home while sick they certainly shouldn't tell people about it and if their manager finds out it's their job to discourage them.

Edited November 26, 2009 by cookie_monster

[Mr.Ben]

As stated above this is a poor reason, working while off work sick is against the law if something goes wrong the persons employer is liable. IS they're working at home while sick they certainly shouldn't tell people about it and if their manager finds out it's their job to discourage them.

 

I agree, but in this case it's treatment keeping them off and they are fully functional for 2 weeks out of 4.

 

Personally I think it has to be taken on a case by case basis. Is keeping them from working (and taking their mind off of problems) doing them any more good?

 

I just think its different for members of SLT and regular teaching staff (who should either be planning or delivering lessons, nothing else) with no management responsibilites. I go nuts when I have more than a week off sick if I don't do anything, regardless of my condition. (Mind you that hasn't happened for 5 years).

 

Teaching Posts get Teaching Laptops, Locked down and configured for the school network. SLT laptops are locked down, but these people should still be able to have a say in the running of the school if needed, after all they will be coming back to it - it's not working, it's communicating. Teaching laptop's are there to aid teaching - in classrooms.

[dalsoth]

Unless they need the laptop at home for work reasons, my line manager who is part of the SMT would most likely ask them to return the laptop so that someone else can make use until they return. Usually when we cotton on to the fact that the replacement needs one. Makes sense really. We have had to do this in the past once or twice in all and the teachers involved had no problem with it. The only ones that would are probably the sort who are not going to come back anyway and want to hang on to the laptop as long as they can.

 

I certainly would not go chasing laptops myself in such a situation. These things are best left to school leadership teams or the head teacher.

[steve]

We typically have 3 or 4 off on maternity at any given time (one of the problems with a young female staff). I have known 7 to be off at once.

 

So with these numbers it makes sense for us to insist laptops are left.

 

When it comes to long term sick we ask for the laptop to be returned by a partner, collected by a visiting friend from school, or if they are off for a few weeks, then an SMT will visit anyway and they can collect.