The teacher strike is on the same day as DS's transistion day to year 7

It's what union members agreed to. The teachers don't care clearly.

There isn’t an expectation for some staff to strike, though. ‘Carry on going to work and no one will (or should) think any the less of you’ is what it actually means but that is a tad wordy.

During the last few weeks of term it would be nearly impossible not to hit dates with transition, trips, sports days etc. I expect most schools will rearrange if at all possible. And if not, it's not the end of the world.

The bigger issue, that there is very likely not going to be enough qualified people to teach our children in the very near future is too important not to prioritise.

In the last few months, my husband and friend have both left teaching for good, my daughter's head has stepped down as the job is unsustainable for, five other members of staff are leaving her one form entry primary (several to teach abroad) and my own school is unable to fill the vacancies we have been posting for months. In addition, my son has not had a biology teacher for weeks, just a continually changing rota of unqualified cover teachers.

I understand the concerns and disappointment (my own kids have trips and a sports day scheduled for these dates) but I am far more concerned about the long term problems for the education

High schools don't coordinate their transition days. My Y6 class are going to eight different secondary schools between them and their transition days are all different.

Whoever decides not to strike is exempt from the strike.

College transitions are less likely to be affected, as most lecturers are UCU members rather than NEU. DDs reception induction session is on the 5th, really hoping they just move them into one of the other two sessions that week.

If people aren't up in arms and protesting about the state of the NHS then I honestly can't see them lobbying the government about schools.

I agree with this.

I think a lot of parents will be understandably frustrated and it will only continue to fracture already fragile relationships between schools and parents rather than put any pressure on the government.

I’m a teacher myself and have 2DC (one who is autistic) who are supposed to have transition days on the striking days, so I see both sides.

I haven’t actually decided whether I’ll be striking this time around because of this

On our union what's app, it said teachers on residential were exempt from the strike.

On our union what's app, it said teachers on residential were exempt from the strike.

I would have thought if there are trips scheduled the teachers involved will just do them… In my experience , as much as some colleagues complain about non-strikers, a booked trip was one of the things where everyone said “ah, ok, fair enough”. (No longer teaching in the UK though, so things have probably changed).

Children are disenfranchised from learning due to a huge range of reasons. Namely massive underfunding of their education and the recruitment crisis. Not the strikes. Schools are in such a sorry state, some kids are probably learning more at home with their parents on strike days than when they're at school.

They’ve had to deal with a lot lately poor things, with pandemic and strikes

And you don't think the careless ways schools are being underfunded, teachers overworked to the bone and the current teacher recruitment crisis is targeting children specifically?

They deliberately didn’t target exam days. No strikes were held or an announced during the exam period.

our Children, the perpetual after thought of all the people in charge. Be they government or unions.

No wonder so many kids are disenfranchised from Learning.

Yep. The question for me is where the disruption is targeted.

The thing around rescheduling seems challenging (to me, anyway - not a teacher, but recent industrial action in my sector too) - because you're not supposed to just rearrange work to minimise impact. Work which was supposed to happen on strike days is the work which just shouldn't happen. In practice, many in the public sector will (because of a sense of obligation to the public), but it's not the spirit of the strike for those who are striking or their colleagues who are not. I sympathise with teachers who may face a particularly difficult decision on these dates.

My Y6 child is on a week-long residential with school that week so I'm not sure how that will work. 🤔

Could you speak to the secondary school’s inclusivirity officer. I was worried about one of our kids going to secondary school and their primary school arranged an enhanced transition. They went in one lunchtime a week after summer half term. Had lunch and joined a lunchtime with other children also on the enhanced transition. It was amazing for their confidence starting. I stayed the first week as it was a tour of the school and then they went in in their own.

If trips are disrupted surely they will have to refund the parents because strikes won't be included in any insurance.

I think if the logic behind ‘strikes are supposed to be disruptive’ is that parents will be annoyed with the government and lobby for change - I don’t think that they will.

They really don't. I've been in education 10 years and have never heard of it referred to at all. Around here different secondary schools don't even have the same date, so you have Y6s going on different days. I've worked in 3 different English counties and none has had an official 'transfer day' (never even heard it called anything other than transition).

The 'teachers will lose support' is typical of exactly how teachers are treated. Patents say they support the strike until suddenly it doesn't suit. You know what else isn't good for your child's education? Schools that are haemorraghing teachers, trying to meet the needs of SEND pupils who can't get a special school place but desparately need one, that can't recruit TAs or midday supervisors for love nor money and don't have the funding for rubbers by this stage in the year, let alone the resources needed for a primary science lesson or whatever. Schools would fall apart without the goodwill of teachers. They're beginning to say enough is enough.

The summer term is a nightmare. Every date would have clashed with something: trips, residentials, writing moderation. OP it wouldn't even occur to me your son's transition wouldn't be rescheduled; I'm sure it will. I hope he loves his new school.

Absolutely. The problem is after lockdown, this is another minor inconvenience and they don't give a shit. In comparison to the very recent lockdown, this is a small inconvenience not disruptive in the eyes of many, including gov.

The only way things will get better is if teachers vote with their feet. When schools can't open because they haven't the staff left, then that is when there will be change.

This.

It's not like it's exams that are being disrupted or school work this near the end of term.