General Discussion

[Chalks]

Hello All,

I have noticed that as of late there has not been much discssion on here about our work and such like. Its mainly been about people having interviews, which I do hope went well for all?

I was hoping that this could be about any general things. I am interested to know peoples opinions about their roles as Cover Supervisors. I have worked as a Cover Supervisor since September. I work in a Secondary School although my training and qualifications is for that of primary aged children. I find that I enjoy the younger years, 7 and 8 because I feel like they need me more! Do Cover Supervisors work in Primary Schools?

Sometimes though I do wonder what is next for me? I know when you start work you go in at the bottom and work your way up through experience and maybe NVQs. I enjoy the role and do aspire to teach one day but in the future as I dont think I could be doing with all the extra 'stuff' it seems teacher have. I do enjoy finishing at the end of the day and going home with no worries other than what I have to make for tea that night! But between being a Cover Supervisor and a Teacher is there anything I could do? Courses maybe? Or is this it, if I decide not to do a PGCE am I just a Cover Superviusor forever? Let me know your thoughts, it would be great the hear them.

I am usually busy everyday. The school has a lot of teachers off with illnesses at the moment so there is no rest for us and the teachers during their free periods! I have to say that I am looking forward to the Christmas break and am just starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel now.

I look forward to hearing from some of you

[barbara853]

Hi Chalks!
I have been running a course for Cover managers and it has become obvious that there is a need for an accessable forum for CM's and CS's. I have a facebook page "Cover Managers In Secondary Education" and am starting up a page "Cover Supervisors Support Network".
Please feel to join either or both. The idea is to have an easily accesable forum for having a good moan and to share problems and solutions.
My training was also in younger children - however I find secondary more challenging because I do get the chance to engage in real conversation and debate with the older students. I used to crave adult company after a day at work!
Look forward to hearing from you - and anyone else interested in joining the facebook sites.
Barb

[Chalks]

HI Barbara,

This sound like a good idea. I will have a search for these groups after work, as clearly not allowed on Facebook at school!

Good to know that you too have qualifications in earlier years. I was having an indepth discussion with some Yr 11's this morning about the X-Factor and their opinions on who won. I guess you just wouldnt get this with a class of 6 year olds! I would just like to add that they were doing their set work too!

I do love my role but know some people dont, or get a little annoyed with their work place. Hope to hear others opinions on their roles, either on here or in your groups.

Thanks for replying
Chalks

[barbara853]

Hi Chalks!
I think that in order to enjoy working as a Cover Supervisor you have to really enjoy working with teenagers. It is great to be able to discuss X Factor (Waterloo Road is a fav with my year 11 girls!!) it builds positive relationships with the students. All of our CS's have been nick named by the kids - and that is a sure sign that they have been accepted (they are all nice names I hasten to add!!!)
We see them in such varied situations and so we get to know them better than any other teacher ever will! And we dont have the stress of getting them through their GCSE's! All the fun and none of the preasure - well - some days anyway!!! LOL!
Where abouts is your school? It is a large cover dept - how many students do you have?
Barb

[Chalks]

Hi,

Ha! Yep, I do know what you mean. I seem to have built up a good relationship with some students as more often than not when they realise I’m covering I do get some sounds of joy! It’s quite surprising just how often I cover certain students though which is nice but it does makes me feel a bit bad because this means they don’t have their actual teacher. I do wonder whether I have a nickname, I don’t that I know of which could be a bad thing I suppose?!

The school I work at is based in Lincolnshire and has just recently become part of an Academy. In the school of over 1600 students there are three Cover Supervisors. I am the last to join the group. I started this September gone and the other two started the year before me. I think we work well as a team and all have our different subjects which we like to cover so our CM tries to fit us in where we are best placed. So I suppose we are quite a small cover department really. What about your school? How big is it and how many are in your team?

I really enjoying working here but am only on a one year contract. I do wonder when they might tell me if they are going to extend it? They were very honest with me in my interview when I asked why the contract was for only a year. They just replied that if they didn’t like me I was out! But I know that I am needed as there aren’t many days when im not covering all five periods plus a registration. I’m just trying hard to make them like me now! Do you have any ideas as to when they might say anything about my contract?

[kdb80]

You are right, there has not been much activity regarding the actual role of Cover Supervisor. I am now in my fifth year in the role. I work in a secondary school as well. There is little scope for progression within many schools that I have come into contact with. I have been to a number of courses and meeting with other CS. For most this is it. Many other roles within schools do not often have the same grading as a CS which does limit the possibilities.

I am not aware of any primary schools that have a CS. Most of the cover is carried out by TAs or HLTAs. There are a number of schools that share a supply teacher, the supply teaching covering about 4 schools, going where she is required, or when not needed for cover has other roles within the group. In my school each CS has a dept they are attached to. For me it is Science and ICT. When it is a little quiet, which is not often, we go along and become an extra body in some classes. This is to support the teacher, and give a little extra help to some students in the class. I have found that this does enhance the role a little. In another school each CS is attached to a year group, and get fully invovled in what is going on, attending the year meetings and cascading things down to the other CS inthe school.

If anyone else has found more, please let us know

[steptoe]

It's really anoying at the school where I work, my job as CS was created as part of a need to get the kids to saty in the classrooms. The school was just coming out of special measures and behaviour was rife...

My own background in schools for 5 years previous was in IT, I'd worked up from ICT Technician to Network Manager, I hated my role at the top mainly due to the politics of it all and decided back in 2005 that enough was enough and vowed never to return to the education ever again. I joined my current school in September 2008 as CS with many skills to bring along with me. My ICT skills are wasted in the school as all the kids ever want to do is doss around as though it's a free lesson, I'm sure we've all had moments like that.

My other skills are in Design Tech, I've tried so hard to teach these kids and they all loved it, eventhough I did have to take my own tools and suplies into school. Then I got told that as cover I wasn't allowed to do practical lessons due to health and safety reasons, lessons after that were just worksheets which the kids hated.

We get so much cover in our place you wouldn't get your hat on...

[wallomrslug]

SOrry to sound hostile, it's not my intention but there is a lot of talk about teaching here.
You are not employed as a teacher (even if you are qualified) so no active teaching should be taking place, as stated in your jobh description.

Any schools who allow Cover Supervisors to teach rather than support are breaking the job agreement and are doing a grave disservice to the children. As you are not assessed in teaching the children and your lessons aren't planned properly etc and in line with the national curriculum you could at best be teaching something totally irrelevant and at worst teaching something completely wrong.

Cover Supervisors serve a very great purpose in schools and free up time for teachers as they no longer have to cover. But a cover lesson should be about the children being SUPERVISED to carry out INDEPENDENT tasks.In fact it's less of a lesson, more of an activity. Your job is class control not class teaching and if you are expected to carry out teaching while on a CS salary you are being exploited and should consult your union.

If you choose to teach without your school's knowledge, bear in mind that it could come and bite you on the behind in the future and you are letting these students down. For organised schools who follow the guidelines, it is also a disciplinary offence to actively teach against their wishes, and rightfully so.

[Firstwatch]

I'm going to be Devil's Advocate, split some hairs etc.

I was lucky enough to go on quite a good course before I started as a CS, where the issue of not "actively teaching" came up and was discussed. When I went back to my school, I was sufficiently concerned about this to go to the member of the leadership team in charge of CPD and say"What should and shouldn't I be doing?". She mentioned various things such as I shouldn't be preparing lessons, shouldn't be setting homework, but the bottom line was that I should come and inform her what I was being asked to do on a regular basis if I was at all uncomfortable/unsure. We are lucky to have a person in this capacity, I believe.

I am often assigned to cover MFL lessons, as one of the reasons I "swung" the CS job interview away from the competition was that I have three European languages at various qualifications and levels of ability, having worked abroad often. I put it forward that, if a student even asks me to translate a foreign word that they have never heard before and I do so, haven't I then "actively taught" them something? Beyond this, if one of them is a bit blunt or even bordering on rude towards myself or one of their peers, and I suggest to them that "a better way to put it would be.." haven't I then actively taught them a social skill?

I am in total agreement with the colleague on this site who made the comments about CSs not being used for cheap teachers, but if this issue comes up in a situation of consequence, isn't it open to interpretation?

[julieg]

In my experience, the interpretation is usually in teching staff/management favour!