A tutor calling in sick on a teaching day is routine for a centre. The class still runs, or families hear why not, before they leave home.
This guide covers who decides, how to find cover, what families need to hear, and how pay follows the tutor who taught.
Name who decides
Give sick calls one owner each day, such as the manager on shift. Tutors call or message that person, not a group chat.
Ask tutors to tell you as early as they can, with the classes they will miss.
Find cover first
Look for a tutor who:
- already teaches that course;
- is free at that time, with nothing else booked;
- has a current Working With Children Check.
Keep a short list of tutors happy to cover, by subject. Ask them first.
When nobody can cover
Cancel early, and say so plainly. A cancelled class owes its students a make-up, so offer one in the same message.
Tell families
Tell families about a tutor change before the class. Keep it short: who is teaching instead, and that the time and room stay the same.
Brief the cover tutor
- Where the class is up to.
- Students to watch, and any planned absences.
- Who marks the roll.
The roll matters most here. Pay and invoices both follow it.
Pay the tutor who taught
Pay goes to the tutor who taught the class, not the one on the timetable. Record leave and cover on the day, so pay is right at the end of the period.
Hand the class back
Ask the cover tutor for a short note: where the class got to, and anyone who struggled. The usual tutor then picks up from there on their return.
Common mistakes
- Cover found by group chat. Nobody is sure who said yes.
- Families told at the door. A message before the class saves the awkward moment.
- The roll under the wrong tutor. It pays the wrong person.
- Forgetting the rest of the week. A tutor sick today may be sick tomorrow. Check their next classes.
Cover in Atrium
- Tutors ask for leave in their app. When one phones in sick, record it for them.
- Once leave is confirmed, their sessions are flagged until another tutor takes them. A calendar shows who is away.
- Approve a cover request with a tutor who is free. Only that session changes.
- The cover tutor and the tutor who is away each get an email.
- Moving a session to a tutor with no check recorded saves, with a warning.
- Cover pay goes to the tutor who taught, and approved leave stays off the timesheet.
- Email the class’s families, and see whose email arrived.