Know Where You Are in the Pecking Order

The staff hierarchy in schools can be confusing for newcomers. But as Gerald Haigh explains, there are some subtle shades of seniority and points of protocol that NQTs would do well to bear in mind.

1 Be clear about who is in charge of you in your various roles. If you’re a form tutor, your ‘boss’ for that area might be the head of year. But if you’re also a subject teacher, you will report to the head of that subject. So make sure you know who is supposed to run what.

2 Listen to your leaders. Yes, you’re bursting with much better ideas and you can’t wait to interrupt, but contain yourself. When the moment comes, ask the right questions and show that you understand what’s going on and what the issues are.

3 Don’t skip stages in the hierarchy. The next person up from your subject leader may be a faculty head or a deputy. You may hate the subject head and love the deputy, but you shouldn’t leapfrog to the deputy to try to alter a decision or settle differences. The deputy will most probably support your immediate manager and your stock might go down.

4 The above point does not mean that you can’t recruit the top brass to your cause if you have a project that’s not making progress. Wait for the head or deputy to ask how things are going then say “Fine, next term I’m hoping Mr S will let me…”

5 Your manager have right to tell you what to do. That might not seem too obvious if you’re straight out of college, where instructions are usually regarded as open to argument. So if the deputy says “Can you please go and supervise playtime.” Don’t come back with, “Yeah, man let me just grab a coffee…”

6 Try to develop an ear for the subtle shades of meaning to be found in some management phrases. For example, comments such as “You might try this..”or “That might be OK, but it might be better to…” are usually meant as instructions.

7 Do you feel you’re being bullied? Maybe you are, but maybe you’re just not used to acting on instructions from more senior staff. If you think a manager is ill-treating you there are established procedures for making a complaint. Find out what they are and stick to them. If you think you have a grievance, contact your professional association and make dated notes of particular incidents. Vague complaints about attitudes won’t wash.

8 Don’t monopolise or suck up to the senior management. Even if this approach has some short term influence, it will go down like a lead balloon with other staff and won’t win you many friends among the rest of your colleagues.

9 If you want a serious talk with a manager, don’t rely on catching them in the corridor or at break. Ask for a date and time – maybe after school. Make notes on what you want to say.

10 Managers and mentors can often be reticent in voicing criticism, so you might come away form a briefing (after a lesson observation for example) no wiser than when you went in. Always pin them down by asking ‘What exactly do you mean’.

Source: http://newteachers.tes.co.uk/news/know-where-you-are-pecking-order/45715

NQT Tips - Staffroom Etiquette

Make your breaktimes more restful by reading our dos and don’ts of staffroom behaviour

It’s seen as hallowed space. Some even bar children from entering. It’s a place where you can kick off your shoes and get comfy on the sofa and maybe even on a Friday evening,share a glass or two of wine. The staffroom is a haven for most teachers; that is if you like to spend your breaks in the company of the entire school staff group in one usually quite confined room.

You could go out and give it a miss but for those who choose to stay and reap the benefits of sharing close quarters with colleagues ignore the house rules at your peril:

• Use your own mug. You might be feeling frazzled after your Year 6s have pushed every button imaginable, and a quick cup of tea before you dash off to make sure they haven’t set any booby traps by the school entrance would be just the thing you need. But if you commit the cardinal sin of taking someone else’s mug, then be prepared for the backlash. It has been known for the entire morning break to be taken up with staff deep in conversation over missing cups, who has got them, where they were last placed, how could someone mistake their cup for someone else’s, and similar high brow discussions.
• Wash it up afterwards. Don’t twist the knife in the heart of your victim by leaving their beloved mug abandoned and filthy in the sink. Wipe the tears from their eyes by leaving their mug in pristine condition and put it back in its rightful place.
• Don’t take the last doughnut. All schools have at least one day of the week when treats are kindly brought in for staff. They commonly include sugary, jammy doughnuts; muffins, home-made cakes and chocolate logs. In other words, the type of thing that the government wants to ban from children’s lunchboxes is to be found on the coffee table in the school staffroom. Though you will look longingly at the final slice of mouth-wateringly delicious chocolate log sitting temptingly on its own, don’t make the fatal mistake of eating it. If you do, the whole of the staff team will gather together to play the longest game of ‘Whodunnit?’ you have ever seen.
• If you borrow anything from the staffroom, usually books or any other kind of resource, don’t forget to put it back. The red-faced teacher who looks in exasperation for lesson plans for next week’s PE timetable will not take kindly to the fact that you forgot to bring them back from home. Some will even highlight your error to anyone present in the staffroom at the time, most of whom will be horrified at your shameless behaviour.
• Always make a fuss of anyone who has been off sick, even if it is only for one day and even if your mum saw them out shopping in the sales during the school day. It is always good manners to find out how people are feeling when they have been off sick, but in the staffroom, this often takes on a dramatic level. Heartfelt enquiries about a person’s well-being accompanied by pale, concerned faces, and hugs are common types of behaviour. The person who was ill may like to reciprocate and describe in complex detail the various stages and manifestations of their illness to the shock, horror and sympathy of colleagues.

 Source:http://newteachers.tes.co.uk/news/staffroom-etiquette/23663