Ask the union coronavirus Your union has been working hard to create guidance and support for you at this extraordinarily difficult time. Here is a selection of some commonly asked questions, but you can access more at neu.org.uk/coronavirus I am on maternity leave and had planned to return to school after Easter. Can I still give my 21 days’ notice of return to school even though it is closed due to Covid-19? Will my pay continue as before maternity leave?
If you are due to return from maternity leave, you should notify your employer as normal using the arrangements that your employer has put in place during the school closure period. You can then formally return from maternity leave while the school is closed. Your pay will be unaffected, and you will return to the appropriate pay range on your school pay scale. If you were entitled to any incremental pay increases, these should have been applied.
I work in an independent school, have a zero-hours contract and am on PAYE. I have worked for 0.5 to two days a week since January and want to ask to be furloughed. Is this possible?
The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme has been devised by the Government, following pressure from the NEU and other unions, to protect the earnings of those who would otherwise be laid off. Under the scheme, all employers in the UK, regardless of size or sector, can claim a grant from HMRC to cover 80 per cent of the wage costs of those who are not working but who are kept on the payroll (furloughed). The grant is capped at £2,500 per calendar month for each employee. The NEU is calling on independent sector employers, as far as possible, to top up the remaining 20 per cent. Any UK employer with a UK bank account will be able to claim via the scheme, but employees must have been on the employer’s PAYE payroll on 28 February 2020. The scheme will be backdated to 1 March 38
2020, be open for at least three months and will be extended if necessary. The Chancellor has stated that the scheme will apply to everyone paid via PAYE. The legislation had not yet been published at time of writing, but we are pressing for the best protections for our members in independent schools.
My agency has said that it will only be able to pay 80 per cent of the minimum wage, rather than 80 per cent of my total earnings. Is this correct? No. If you have been employed or engaged by an employment business for a full 12 months before the claim, the employer can claim for the higher of either the same month’s earning from the previous year or the average monthly earnings from the 2019-20 tax year. If you have been employed for less than a year, the employer/agency can claim for an average of your monthly earnings since you started work. If you only started in February 2020, the employer/agency can use a pro-rata for your earnings so far to claim.
If I’m in school, should I be wearing PPE?
The Government has not confirmed testing of school staff or provided protective equipment. The NEU’s detailed advice on safe working practices can be found at neu.org.uk/ advice/coronavirus-keeping-yourself-safe It covers the need to minimise the number of students and staff at school and to establish, in consultation with staff, protocols for social distancing, contact with and between students, and hygiene and cleaning procedures.
I am a head teacher and the parents of one of our children
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deemed to be vulnerable have declined the offer of a school place for their child. Can they do this, or should I insist the child comes into school?
Parents/carers can choose not to take up the offer of a school place if they would prefer their child to stay at home – and the Government advice encourages them to care for their children at home if they can. It is expected, therefore, that only a proportion of children eligible to be offered a school place will actually take up that offer. For vulnerable children, the child’s social worker will work with parents/carers to assess the best option for the child.
I live with two people who are aged over 70, one of whom has underlying health issues. Should I be going into school? No. Self-isolating is important to avoid
