Tube strikes during GCSE and A levels exams.

stirke now cancelled! They must have realised it clashed with the Chelsea flower show

Public transport isn't guaranteed regardless of strikes. I've had to cancel my plans and drive DD to college for 2/4 exams in the last 2w. Train derailment and signal failure. Bus would take 2hrs.

Every strike inconveniences someone. That’s kind of the point. The fact TfL management have not returned to the negotiating table makes them equally culpable.

The members dont want any changes whatsoever. They are in the dark ages re working practises.

I was in a US city a few months ago and they were trialling driveless cars. Not thinking about it - they were available and the only reason we didnt call one (they work like Uber) is that there was a 1 hour wait and we never got round to it.

They have huge final salary like pensions, are massively overpaid for their level of responsibility.

There's a whole range of reasons, the further away school might be better suited to that kid, families may have moved between year 7 & 11 but kept the kids at original secondary, behaviour/issues at the nearer schools meaning further away ones are perceived better, ability to do particular subjects in sixth form etc

You comment about the rest of the country is irrelevant. It's tube strikes not bus/train strikes. Therefore, the rest of the country aren't impacted.

Oh ok then. I didn't think it was impossible to concentrate on studying just because you're doing it with others?

Why are kids in such a populated area travelling so far for school?
Why not go to the one down the end of the road until 16 - and given how densely populated London is, surely schools must be everywhere? College, ok maybe a bit further, but 3 hour journeys??? Trying to figure out how may sixth forms DS could walk to in an hour. Im upto about 6 - and that's in 4 different towns.

How do you think the rest of the country get to school??

I read a report this week that some teachers ARE on strike and the kids they are supposed to be teaching are protesting against them.

Thank you - I appreciate that it wasn’t clear and it just looked like I was being a twat for a change 😊

I seem to remember trains and tubes striking around the same time of year in 2022(?) because my boss couldn’t get to a London for a meeting. (unless my post meno brain is making that up).

If that’s the case it’s not unprecedented so it is to be hoped that London schools can put something in place in plenty of time to enable students and their parents to concentrate on the exams without the stress of this.

BTW my comment about resilience was being sarcastic and I apologise for not indicating that

That’s happened to me in the past too, thanks for explaining.

I have absolutely no idea about the schools.

@LiviaDrusillaAugustawell now you know. I hadn’t clocked that the thread had moved on. Peace be with you.

Yes and the thread had moved on between starting my post and actually posting it.

I get it’s frustrating, but my point is that MN is generally very supportive of striking and have no empathy for those affected.

And then it affects them.

I was going to ask whether schools are likely to be able to help but that would probably result in being pulled apart for not knowing.

I wasn’t disbelieving anyone. I was asking the question because I didn’t know. Between starting to post and actually posting, the thread had moved on.

Not sure of your issue with that, to be honest.

This. Bloody bastards they will be out of work soon.

@LiviaDrusillaAugustawell you did say perhaps I’m being naive or words to that effect, I think. Ignorance in the purest sense of being unknowledgeable about something. Perhaps do posters who’ve given detailed examples of why it’s so difficult to get about on strike days a favour and believe them. Or, pop down next week - join us - and give it a try!

Well, it had already been covered upthread. At least 2 of us had talked about how difficult it is to get around on strike days even with the alternative transport available.

‘Showing my ignorance’?

Wow okay. I didn’t know so I asked the question. Not everyone lives in London

@LiviaDrusillaAugustayes you’re showing your ignorance I’m afraid. As other posters have shared it’s not unusual for buses to get so full they don’t stop on strike days.

I’m not affected and won’t be - my DC aren’t old enough to be doing public examinations this year and even when they do, they both walk to their (London) schools. I am not against the right to strike and have often had to rearrange work meetings in response to tube strikes. I don’t love it but I don’t think it means workers shouldn’t have the right to strike because it inconveniences me.

here we’re talking about 15-18yos at a time when they’re already managing pressure. I wonder how strikers with DC in this age bracket feel
about it?

also worth noting that DC of MC parents will probably have more support eg lifts as their parents tend to have more autonomy and discretion over their working arrangements or will be able to pay for expensive ubers (as prices naturally surge on strike days), in case that bothers you at all.

Yes, my 11yo on a tube and train strike day a few years ago learned that she has to leave the house at 5am to get to school for 8.30 via three busses, but that getting home takes longer as all the busses were full and didn’t open their doors. She found it stressful and was exhausted.

Just a tube strike means navigating Englands busiest interchange station with a lot of other people, it’s so bad they close platforms and create queuing systems. She needs to be there before 7am to be fairly certain of getting to school for 8.30. It’s a 25 minute journey, but she may have to wait for the third or fourth train before she can physically get on board.

Very good knowledge and resilience building. Not something I want her to do before an A level exam.

I guess it’s one of those things people in London take for granted.

During the train strikes a few years ago so many people (most of whom I suspect had the benefit of other good transport links) were loud in their support for the strikers, despite the fact that people were losing a day’s pay every time because they couldn’t get to work.

I snorted with laughter when I read your comment.

What about when you see your first suicide case? What about if your train is the target of a terrorist attack? What about if a passenger gets injured whilst boarding or leaving your train? What about the total lack of colleague interaction or fun in your working day? You couldn’t pay me a million pounds to do that job.

Have you not read the posts upthread about it taking hours and involving walking 7 plus miles?

Its really not as easy as 'just take a bus then' because the tube moves so many people around and they're all displaced into other forms of transport. At the same time!

Getting anywhere on time is extraordinarily difficult.

I was 20 minutes late for a university exam many years ago caused by a tube delay (yes I had left lots of extra time; it was a very long delay). It was horrendously stressful.

50k is a good salary. Im sure there'd be no difficulty finding people to carry out the role for the current renumeration package.