Special needs assistant croke park hours

dartsmad21

Hi all,

just wondering if i could get some advice, I have recently started working as special needs assistant. I realise that in the croke park agreement it was stated that SNA's have to work an extra 12 days or 72 hours outside there normal hours. I have been assigned to supervise study afterschool by myself for two hours a week in the school I am in. I have read in my duties that i am not to be left in sole charge of a class or group of children, is it ok then that because this is my extra hours that i can be left in charge. I am just worried if anything happens am I covered as all the teachers and principal have left the school when study is on.

any advice greatly appreciated.

spurious

Moved to Teaching and Lecturing forum.

evolving_doors

dartsmad21 wrote: »

Hi all,

just wondering if i could get some advice, I have recently started working as special needs assistant. I realise that in the croke park agreement it was stated that SNA's have to work an extra 12 days or 72 hours outside there normal hours. I have been assigned to supervise study afterschool by myself for two hours a week in the school I am in. I have read in my duties that i am not to be left in sole charge of a class or group of children, is it ok then that because this is my extra hours that i can be left in charge. I am just worried if anything happens am I covered as all the teachers and principal have left the school when study is on.

any advice greatly appreciated.

Leaving Croke Park aside.. the role of an SNA is for care needs + any other duties as required by the school .... the 'any other duties' can be literally anything but I'd be a little bit concerned about taking/giving sole responsibility for students!

Smells a bit funny to me!

happywithlife

Wow I'd say that's definitely NOT what the extra hours are envisioned for.what a chancre of a principal :-(
I'd definitely get onto your union rep if you have one and fight it on the angle of being left in charge of a group of students.
Out of interest are the students paying extra for this study group facility?
And is this a new thing Xmas?

dartsmad21

It's not a new thing they've always had study for the tsudents after school. i'm not with a union I just was advised by a friend who works in this area that they didn't think it was appropriate that I was in sole charge of a group of students as it states under our duties that in no circumstances should we be left in charge sole charge of students. I don't mind doing the extra hours as i have helped out with other extra curricular activties after school hours before.

seavill

Our snas supervise study in s paid capacity as the teacher do on the weekly rota if they are interested. Obviously that leaves them in charge of the kids.
I know previously (not sure about this year) during staff meetings snas were put into study (unpaid) in lieu of attending the staff meeting (cp hours)

dartsmad21

I don't get paid but obviously it depends on the school thanks for the feedback everyone. I'll continue to do it so.

happywithlife

But surely those snas paid to supervise volunteer for that job. This op isn't been given that choice.that would be a totally different scenario IMO.
As the principal is allocating her to this role as part of her CP hours surely the normal working conditions apply ie she shouldn't be left in charge of a group of students on her own. Not to frighten the op but what if there was an incident of some sort? Is she covered by insurance?

seavill

Yea that's what I said normally they do it and get paid but during cp meetings they are assigned to do it without asking and without pay as part of their cp hours