A TikToker has revealed how she was sacked from what she calls “of one Britain’s worst primary school”.
Serena, known to her fans as @Serenaworldwide shared the hilarious but “embarrassing” story with her followers, explaining she was working part-time as a receptionist at the school to help fund her online clothing business.
She admitted she “never really took this job too seriously” and had already booked a holiday with pals before she started.
Instead of being upfront with the recruitment agency, Serena decided to blag it.
On the morning of her flight she rang in sick, while standing at the airport with announcements blaring in the background.
Somehow she got away with it and jetted off, later posting snaps of the trip on Instagram where she had 10,000 followers.
But when she got back, the game was up. The agency rang to check if she was fit to return, before suddenly asking “were you in Amsterdam for the last few days?”
Serena admitted: “I died. I actually died. Just like, yes. Yes, I was.”
And with that, her short-lived school career was over.
Fans were in stitches at the confession, with one writing: “Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.”
Another joked: “Should have said you posted pics from a week ago.”
While Serena’s sacking was played for laughs, the clip raised questions about school jobs, holiday rules and how schools themselves are rated.
Teachers in the UK are entitled to at least 5.6 weeks of statutory paid holiday a year, like any other worker, but unlike most jobs, their time off is tied to school term dates.
In reality, they get around 13 weeks a year off during summer, Christmas, Easter and half-term breaks.
Their pay is spread evenly across 12 months so their salary continues during holidays.
As for Serena’s claim she was at “Britain’s worst primary school”, parents who want to know how their own local schools stack up can check official league tables.
The Department for Education publishes annual performance data based on SATs results and Ofsted inspections, available through the Compare School Performance tool on GOV.UK.
Secrets of a school headteacher
By the Secret Schoolteacher
I STARTED working in schools in 1996, when parents respected teachers and left us alone to do our jobs. Not any more.
Nowadays parents think nothing of barging into schools to read teachers the riot act if their precious child has been told off, or they’ll send angry emails in the middle of the night. Warning — it doesn’t make you popular.
I’ve worked in all manner of schools across the south west of England, from state schools to private, and I can tell you that right now many teachers are dreading the start of the new school year.
They’re braced for tears and tantrums, not just from their pupils but from their parents too.
Believe me, if you are an annoying parent it will spread round the staff room like wildfire.
So whether it’s your kid’s first day at a new school, or they’re moving up a year, these are the things you do that drive teachers crazy . . .
Parents often turn up at the school gates complaining how frazzled they are, moaning that teachers must have had a nice long holiday while their six weeks stuck with the kids was the worst.
Nothing could be further from the truth. For the first two weeks I’ll almost certainly have been struck down by a lurgy which always seems to strike on the first day of the holiday.
The next two weeks might have been an actual holiday, just like the average Brit takes in the summer, followed by two weeks of frantic lesson planning and administration.
Also, consider that I’ve probably been working over 50 hours per week during term time. Contrary to popular opinion, we don’t clock off at 3pm.
Instead, we’re roped into all manner of after-school activities and meetings before going home to do marking and more lesson planning. Please don’t turn up and make sarcastic remarks about our “six weeks off”.
We won’t be happy.
Can you be fired for lying about being sick?
In the UK, the short answer is yes – faking illness at work can land you in very hot water.
Pulling a “sickie” when you’re not ill is classed as dishonest behaviour, and the law sees that as gross misconduct.
If an employer can prove you’ve lied, they can fairly dismiss you.
One of the most famous cases was Metroline West v Ajaj, where a bus driver claimed he was too injured to work.
Secret footage later showed him shopping with ease, and judges ruled his dismissal was fair.
They said pretending to be unwell broke the essential trust between boss and worker, meaning the employer had every right to sack him.
That doesn’t mean your boss can just fire you on the spot.
Employers are required to properly investigate before making a decision.
That might mean checking medical evidence, speaking to witnesses, or asking you to explain yourself in a disciplinary hearing.
They also have to follow the rules set out by ACAS, giving you the chance to defend yourself, attend a hearing, and appeal the decision.
It’s worth noting that being off sick and going on holiday doesn’t automatically prove you’ve lied.
Sometimes doctors recommend rest or a change of environment, so an employer has to be careful before calling it fraud.
Things are different if you really are unwell, especially if your illness is long-term or counts as a disability.
In those cases, employers have a duty to consider “reasonable adjustments”, like changing your duties or hours, before deciding on dismissal.
Firing someone who is genuinely sick, without trying to support them first, could be seen as unfair or even discriminatory under the Equality Act 2010.
So while lying about sickness can definitely cost you your job, your boss still has to go through the right process.