Chapter Five #2
‘Rosy.’ She knew she would never win this battle over first names; Amanda wore formality as most women wore knickers, as a matter of course, and never removed in the workplace.
‘I’m afraid we have to talk. I appreciate that this is our first day teaching, and it’s only lunchtime, but I’m afraid I do believe speed is of the essence in situations such as these.’
Oh no. Please don’t let Marion have gone to Amanda’s class after Rosy had kicked her out.
The last time she had done so Amanda threatened union involvement, although if she did let the two women battle it out, it would be a close call as to who would win.
Amanda Adams in the blue corner dressed in pinstripe and sporting a fetching ballerina bun or Marion Marksharp in the red corner, in a new season Cath Kidston dress spotted with ladybirds and her trademark fuchsia lipstick.
If they could just hold off a couple of months then she supposed it would liven up the Christmas Fayre.
Pulling herself out of her daydream she tried to focus on Amanda’s very concerned face.
She did hope Toby’s mum hadn’t sent him in with only a bar of Caramac and can of Red Bull for lunch again.
Last time Amanda had felt compelled to ring her and dictate a recipe for vegetable soup down the phone.
Rosy had sent her on a training course immediately afterwards about working with parents and to Amanda’s credit, she had managed to rein her judgement in and made a real effort to build bridges with the parents.
It was just a shame she always looked like she’d be more at home jangling keys in a prison camp as she did it.
‘Which situations, Amanda? Here, do sit down.’
‘I would have brought it to your attention on the training days but I didn’t have the news for certain until yesterday afternoon and I wanted to confirm before I said anything.’
This didn’t sound good.
‘Go on, how can I help?’
‘I need to come and tell you that I am due to have tarsometatarsal fusion surgery – the bones in my foot are arthritic as a result of sports injuries when I was younger. I was very sporty and things sometimes got rather competitive. I have been for both steroid and local anaesthetic injections into my foot to see if that helped, but unfortunately neither provided any lasting relief.’
‘Oh, Amanda, I’m sorry. That doesn’t sound very nice.’
‘No, it’s not. It is very painful at the moment and I appreciate I may be a little grouchier than usual.
’ Rosy was thankful her professionalism won through at this point, preventing her eyebrows from bouncing through her hairline.
‘However, I shall ensure it doesn’t affect my teaching, except for the time off required for the surgery, which I’m afraid could be anything from twelve weeks to six months.
I anticipate being back after twelve weeks – I am not a woman that is happy to admit weakness of any kind… ’
‘I wouldn’t define it as weakness. Your health is vitally important and it seems to me that one can’t help being in pain.
I know you take a very stoic view, Amanda, and I respect that.
However, as well as making sure there is cover for your very necessary time away I think that if you are in pain, which you must be, I cannot in good conscience allow you to carry on teaching PE.
I know you believe in doing so in a very active fashion… ’
‘I do. I expect my children to undertake PE properly, not merely throw some beanbags through a hoop.’
Rosy fought to keep the grin off her face; she knew exactly what point Amanda was trying to make.
Harmony didn’t believe in competitive sports of any kind and it had been a constant battle to get her to teach it a little more robustly.
In fact, addressing the imbalance in PE delivery was one of the top things on Rosy’s to-do list for this term.
‘Absolutely, so I think we need to get cover for you. We can’t have you in a worse state because of your teaching, and we want you back quickly so it makes sense that we get some proper cover for you, right up until, and possibly after, you’re back.’
‘I know when we drew up the action plan for this year I agreed to help you develop a more robust whole-school policy on PE, and I’m happy to do that.
But I do appreciate you raising this. I have been concerned about delivering it personally to either my class or in a mentoring capacity to those who need it.
’ Amanda arched a brow to make sure her message had gone across.
‘Alice could of course take over that side of the curriculum for me with my class, but I can’t have her out of the classroom doing everybody else.
Those children come to me very strong on their PSHE skills.
They are, to be fair to her, emotionally intelligent when they leave Harmony’s class, but their physical capabilities are barely developed beyond Class Two. ’
‘Yes, I know. The fact that we all have such different contributions to make is why Penmenna turns out such well-rounded children. It is a blow, Amanda, I will admit, that you can’t wholly implement it – you are certainly the most skilled.
But you could definitely oversee it still.
You’re right, Harmony can’t do it, and I don’t want to ask Sarah – I’m trying to decrease her load up until retirement, not add to it – so it will have to be you and me or Lynne.
And you know she does nothing but curse the day she trained as a teacher whenever she’s put on the sports field.
Lynne is excellent in the classroom but no natural athlete.
Leave it with me. You and I can work on the Action Plan but I’ll arrange coverage of your lessons and get someone in to do some extra provision.
I don’t want to take the teaching assistants away from their current roles. I’ll see if County will help.’
‘OK, thank you. And you’ll have someone to cover me from tomorrow on?’
‘Alice will have to cover you this week, but yes, I’m on it. And keep me posted about anything I can do to support you in the run-up to surgery.’
Amanda nodded curtly and left the office as Rosy gulped and stared at the phone.
Ringing County for cover involved calling Edward Grant, a school improvement officer, who Rosy had tangled with earlier in the year.
Rather like Gargamel from The Smurfs, the man oozed grease, prejudice and (since Rosy opposed him when he had tried to close Penmenna) cold vengeful fury.
Wincing, she knew sooner was better than later and pulled up his number.
‘Edward Grant.’
Rosy took a deep breath before speaking into the phone.
‘Hello, Mr Grant. I’m glad I caught you, it’s Rosy Winter here from Penmenna.’
‘Ah, Rosy Winter from Penmenna, what can I help you with?’ Rosy could hear the glee in his tone, almost see him rubbing his hands together, the grease on them making a squelching noise as he did so. Any hope that he might decide to be professional and supportive quickly vanished.
‘I was calling to discuss the provision in place to support us in improving our PE teaching this year. It was on the School Improvement Plan when we submitted it. But our lead teacher is now unable to deliver it, so I was hoping that you could generously rejig the scheduling, perhaps send an Advanced Skilled Teacher earlier than planned?’ Her brow furrowed as she pled her case; she really hated him, but if obsequiousness was needed then she could serve it up, if only for a minute or two.
‘Well, as much as I’d love to help you, Miss Winter…’ squelch, grin, squelch, ‘…I’m afraid all our PE AST’s have been allotted for the year already and Penmenna is not on the list.’ Argh! Edward Grant and his poxy lists. The man was obsessed.
‘It’s the first day of term, Mr Grant. And we were already on the plan for PE improvement. I’m not sure how we could have been overlooked.’
‘Miss Winter, I appreciate that you are used to getting your own way, but in this instance, as I have already said, we cannot help you. Obviously if I could, I would…’ Rosy wished she could screech, ‘Liar!’ down the phone but there was no way he was driving her to unprofessional behaviour, proving his belief that as a woman and especially one under fifty she shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near the Senior Management Team of a school let alone be in charge of one.
‘…and perhaps if you had managed your School Improvement Plan properly then this wouldn’t have fallen through the net.
I’m afraid that even in the face of, and the expectation of, your ineptitude and lack of professionalism, there is nothing I can do.
Nothing at all. You’ll have to find another solution.
And fund it out of your existing budget.
I am so terribly sorry, Miss Winter…’ he oozed out of the handset, unable to contain the joy in his voice, ‘…I just can’t help you. ’