Working parents have my every sympathy (as do the teachers, btw!). I'm only dilly-dallying about making a drs appointment for dd, not wondering whether or not to take the day off.

well......mine have now all had letter telling me that YES, they ARE strikin (after last week having letters telling me otherwise and me booking eye test's ).

I am not against the strike per se, but I am cross that they decided last week NO, and then yesterday, "oh, hang on, maybe we will....oh, (dither dither).....go then yes we shall"

arghhhh....

am thinking of striking myself tho as a parent on friday and just not sending them in. why strike o a thursady......weds would have been better as half way thro the week is a nice day to have off!!

I bet that if they had chosed to strike on a Friday people would be complaining that the 'Lazy teachers only did it on a Friday to have a long weekend! Why can they strike in the holidays FFS!'

lol MB....yep, very true

I'm with the NASUWT, and so will be working but not covering as per my unions advice

Our whole school will be shut down - I can't understand the nightmare that must follow when some classes are open and others aren't.

"Mummy, why do I have to go in but X doesn't?"

Our school is shutting, luckily my employers are quite flexible and don't mind me taking ds with me to work (things may change once they have met him ) It is a pain for me as I don't get a huge amount of holiday and I need to save what I do have for the school holidays

the schools my smaller ones go to are both doing a full shut down.

the senior school my girls go to isn't.....all yr10's are to go in at 11am as they have an english exam, and all yr11's are in as normal as the are almost at their GCSE's!

at least there are enough staff to cover those ages, as they are the most important years!

Most schools now employ exam invigelators rather tthan using teaching staff for the external exams (part of the working time agreement) so exams will be OK, unless the invigelators are in a union (which seems unlikely since it is such sporadic work)

ah, so maybe the yr10's are exam covered only then.

well.....in that case strike that last post, at least they are covering yr11....

(thought you had done eye tests )

Liking it being thursday - where DH changed his afternoons off, it means I don't have to take him to work as he only has to pay for parking for a couple of hours

I am having eye tests......not trusting the specsaver man who did me, seeing as ALL mine have had either stronger scripts for their eyes, OR not needed any at all.

I don;t want to start with CBT or extra driving without addressing my 'maybe' astigmatism (sp?).....they said I had one on my right eye, and tis the from the right that my accidents were, and also from the right that I am now convinced ALL cars are trying to kll me!!!

soooooooooooooooo

I have eyes

Aaaaaaaah, see I was thinking you meant you had had the tests done in school time when you could've taken them on their day off

(How odd is it that I only came back to MN just as you posted a reply??)

I haven't heard anything from dd's school yet.

<Hijack... Did your boy go to school in the end? Mine is VERY bouncy and has no-one to wear him out <sob>)

I'm thinking of writing the HT back to tell her that these sort of absences are nopt usually excused now that she is in compulsory education.

I don't really know why they are striking so can't really voice an opinion. But, I certainly sympathise with working parent who have to scramble to find care (and pay for it).

DDs school is shut for the day.

It won't actually affect me since I already have care in place for DS so DD can join him at no inconvenience to me.

Just spoke to my friend dd's school isn't effected there are notices up apparently.

Well our school is partly closed, so DS2's teacher is striking (and I had laid money she would be one!). DS1's teacher not.
The school apparently cannot get supply teachers to cover the non-working ones because agency has refused to supply for that reason .The Head teacher has put the fear of god into other classes, telling the CHILDREN they have no excuse to be absent just because their sibling are. I am very angry about this - she can come on as heavy as she likes with the parents, but knows it will cut no ice and so is terrifying the children, who have no control over whether they are or are not sent to school. Will teachers be picketing??? I am not taking DS1 to school if he has to walk past teachers in his school making complete fools of themselves.
As DH has to take time off work and lose money in the process, he is going to take both DC out for a fun day so as to make the best of it.
I am annoyed that I try to support the school, reinforce respect for teachers, and DS2's teacher is now setting him the 'example' that if you are unhappy with something you storm out in a hissy fit. Great lesson for them in conttructve conflict resolution. . the Head Teacher is referring to it as 'Industrial Action' ??? INDUSTRIAL???
My forefathers were active in the foundation of the union movement. These were people wprking in dangerous soul-destroying jobs who were powerless and had no rights or job security. If teachers, with all the rights available to them now in the workplaces feel their jobs are in any way comparable with life at the coal face or riveting sheet metal, they are in the wrong job, and certainly do not derve the respect for their profession that they are always whining about, or to have the key role of influendcing my children.

MrsGofG: have you ever spent, say, a week at the chalkface?

They don't deserve respect for striking ?

It is every persons right to withdraw their labour if the correct procedures are followed.

And your child that will be being taught should be in school - that is your responsibility.

My dh (whos is NASUWT and is not striking) will be spending the day with his A level students and preparing them.

I find it really offensive to say that picketing is someone making foold of themselves - no,it is a peaceful protest carried out in a libertarian and democratic country.

I don't think by any stretch of the imagination it could be called 'storming out in a hissy fit'!!

hmm right to strike precious = must never be used by anyone or it is devalued and ancestors swivel in graves

please explain further mrsgofg

I actually agree that I wouldn't take my child to school across a line of picketing teachers.

I think vital services should not be allowed to strike (firemen, for example). I'm not sure if a aschool qualifies as a vital service. But if I didn't have a nanny in place for Thursday, I'd be a whole lot more upset with the teachers at DD's school who are striking.

BTW, why are they striking? Perhaps I would be more sympathetic if I knew the reasons behind it.

My DD is in one of three classes that have to go in. DS in the juniors is off that day due to strikes

We have heard nothing from school wrt the strike. Does that mean they aren't striking?

If you look at the NUT website you will see why they are striking. If you haven't heard anything you will be open as usual.

The school I work in has over 30 teachers, and only 2 of them are in the NUT (and AFAIK they aren't striking).

not heard from dds school (yet) I know that one local school has warned parents of poss closure. Another - out of several NUT teachers only 2 are striking (one is a friend who is rather at the others) so that school will be open as usual.
So I dunno whats going on. I help a friend with her dd during school holidays if she needs it and she is going to look after dd for me on thursday if needs be.

Also, I'm a supply LSA and I've not been asked in (which is good as i couldnt manage thursday and I hate saying no)

Actually, having read the NUT Q&A if I am asked to cover I will not.

Whats the difference between an LSA and a TA kitten?

So, it's about below inflation pay rises. Gosh, what are they going to say when inflation skyrockets after Gordon bails out the banks?

hope so most of class have planned a day out to wisley

AN - good point. We are the verge of a recession that is going to blow our socks off, record redundancies and repossessions, private sector employees with no proper pension provision, enormous fuel shortages, the porrest in society losing out over tax changes - and the NUT are bleating about their below inflation salary offer.

LSA - I do early years, am not qualified at the moment - its mostly playing with the reception kids (in a constructive way!)

Oh yes, everyone should accept crappy pay deals because the rest of the economy is going tits up too?

I didn't say that. But, we do have to consider the country's budget. And what will happen if everyone wants infationary pay rises when inflation goes up -- and it will. It is not the only consideration but it is one thing that should be considered.

I work in a private school and although we're all in unions no-one is striking. I guess their pay has nothing to do with govnt...I wonder where that leaves them re being a scab!!!

Why is it always NUT though, first all that anti-army nonsense and now they are the only union striking. They are a scary bunch, must be hard to work with if you are the civil servant in charge!!

Learning Support Assistants in my school are highly trained to work with children who have additional needs.