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Original poster

Do children still have to do work during strikes?

62 replies

JustWantedACat · 27/01/2023 22:24

I was on the understanding that teachers will not be settling work or revision, nor will they be marking work done during strikes or looking at emails. I have been sent this from my dcs secondary school, which says they still expect students to be doing work when the school is closed due to strikes. .

We will be expecting our students to complete remote learning and are currently planning the details around
this. We will be in touch early next week with clarity about how your child should access this learning. We are
fortunate that our experiences during the pandemic have allowed us to build up a thorough bank of online
lessons and resources that are available on our remote learning gateway and will ensure continuity for
student learning. Any planned interventions sessions or appointments with external professionals due to take place in school on Wednesday will be rescheduled unless you hear from us directly.

OP posts:
Beginningless · 27/01/2023 22:26

There’s been nothing like that for us in the 2 (or is it 3?) strike days we’ve had in Scotland. Day off.

Stardustkid · 27/01/2023 22:30

Some of our years are working online and have work set. BUT only by teachers not striking those on strike are not expected to set work. Children are expected to log in

Original poster
JustWantedACat · 27/01/2023 22:32

I thought it was a case of teachers not on strike not being allowed to set work to cover lessons of teachers on strike?

OP posts:

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General education
echt · 27/01/2023 22:33

Your internet broke.
You have no wish to undermine the striking teachers, etc.etc.
Your internet broke

They're doing this because they've been told to.
In no way will they be putting up work that will disadvantage students who don't access it for any reason. Notice they say "bank of resources", these are not tailored lessons.

echt · 27/01/2023 22:34

JustWantedACat · 27/01/2023 22:32

I thought it was a case of teachers not on strike not being allowed to set work to cover lessons of teachers on strike?

They are not not allowed to, just they cannot be obliged to.

littleducks · 27/01/2023 22:38

Our primary school isnt closed with some classes open. Usually lessons are written by one teacher for the whole year (so all year 4 have exact same lesson slides and learning objectives with differentiated levels of tasks and are taught it at same time each day). So in theory children off could follow online, which is how it ran through the COVID bubbles being closed and self isolations period. But we have been told closed classes should do homework and signposted to oak academy.

YouJustDoYou · 27/01/2023 22:39

We've just been told - go to such and such a website and you do the assigning of work, whatever" basically. They've washed their hands of it.

MrsHamlet · 27/01/2023 22:39

Non striking teachers can be directed to set work their own classes. That's it.

Original poster
JustWantedACat · 27/01/2023 22:41

echt · 27/01/2023 22:33

Your internet broke.
You have no wish to undermine the striking teachers, etc.etc.
Your internet broke

They're doing this because they've been told to.
In no way will they be putting up work that will disadvantage students who don't access it for any reason. Notice they say "bank of resources", these are not tailored lessons.

Ah OK. My dd is quite stressed to be honest as these strike days are just a couple of months before her GCSE exams and she's stressing if she needs to do the work/revise/get in trouble if it's not done/worrying about missed intervention.

I'm doing all I can to reassure her etc but the whole strike situation has come at an unfortunate time for her to be out of routine and feeling even more nervous about her up and coming GCSEs.

OP posts:
AppleKatie · 27/01/2023 22:41

Whatever gets put up will not be worth the paper it’s written on and won’t be marked by a striking teacher.

It’s the actions of a cowardly HT who is worried about the angry parents complaining that there is no provision for their kids who are close to exams etc etc…. A HT with more confidence would say ‘Staff at X school will not be asked to undermine the striking Teachers and as such no new work will be available. We do have a bank of pre prepared lessons that pupils are welcome to dip into, it is also advisable for those pupils nearing public exams to engage in active independent revision, just as they would at weekends/in the holidays’.

echt · 27/01/2023 22:45

JustWantedACat · 27/01/2023 22:41

Ah OK. My dd is quite stressed to be honest as these strike days are just a couple of months before her GCSE exams and she's stressing if she needs to do the work/revise/get in trouble if it's not done/worrying about missed intervention.

I'm doing all I can to reassure her etc but the whole strike situation has come at an unfortunate time for her to be out of routine and feeling even more nervous about her up and coming GCSEs.

Show quote history

If it's Year 11 GSEs then I'd amazed if teachers hadn't already encouraged students to devise their own revision schedules around the exam dates.

Everyone does English, so re-read texts in a relaxed and non-notetaking mode.

Original poster
JustWantedACat · 27/01/2023 23:07

echt · 27/01/2023 22:45

If it's Year 11 GSEs then I'd amazed if teachers hadn't already encouraged students to devise their own revision schedules around the exam dates.

Everyone does English, so re-read texts in a relaxed and non-notetaking mode.

Show quote history

She has revision she can do. In her mind, after all the uncertainty of lockdowns/covid throughout her secondary years, she doesn't understand why her teachers are making such waves during the last few months of her school life, in other words why choose now when they are so stressed with mock exams in march and real exams in may, instead of July after GCSEs or the Autumn term. She said her peers all feel the same.

OP posts:
FreestyleInTrance · 28/01/2023 01:12

JustWantedACat · 27/01/2023 23:07

She has revision she can do. In her mind, after all the uncertainty of lockdowns/covid throughout her secondary years, she doesn't understand why her teachers are making such waves during the last few months of her school life, in other words why choose now when they are so stressed with mock exams in march and real exams in may, instead of July after GCSEs or the Autumn term. She said her peers all feel the same.

Show quote history

Strikes are supposed to be disruptive! The whole point is to show how crucial teachers' labour is, and that therefore they should be paid appropriately. Strikes at a more convenient time would miss the point!

The fault lies with the government expecting workers in so many sectors to keep working the same job for effectively less money.

Also the cost of living crisis is now, waiting until next autumn to begin strikes isn't realistic. People need more money now!

IDontWantToBeAPie · 28/01/2023 06:44

@JustWantedACat you need to help your DD with her anxiety tbh. It's a few days not weeks. And she has months until her exams... maybe teach her about the reason why people strike.

These few days will make precisely 0 difference to her results.

Whycanineverever · 28/01/2023 06:55

Have the school confirmed Y11 won't be in. At our school they have said 7-10/12 are remote and they are working on plans for 11/13. I understand they will try and keep them in school.

TenThousandSpoons · 28/01/2023 07:00

Our primary school is not setting work online.

Our secondary school will have year 11 and 13 in school. The rest of the pupils have been told they will be set remote work for some lessons, IF those teachers aren’t striking.

JammiDodgers · 28/01/2023 07:05

FreestyleInTrance · 28/01/2023 01:12

Strikes are supposed to be disruptive! The whole point is to show how crucial teachers' labour is, and that therefore they should be paid appropriately. Strikes at a more convenient time would miss the point!

The fault lies with the government expecting workers in so many sectors to keep working the same job for effectively less money.

Also the cost of living crisis is now, waiting until next autumn to begin strikes isn't realistic. People need more money now!

Show quote history

Yes! With bells on!

JammiDodgers · 28/01/2023 07:09

IDontWantToBeAPie · 28/01/2023 06:44

@JustWantedACat you need to help your DD with her anxiety tbh. It's a few days not weeks. And she has months until her exams... maybe teach her about the reason why people strike.

These few days will make precisely 0 difference to her results.

Yes.
I fully support the strikes. They are being the voice of the many.

NancyJoan · 28/01/2023 07:11

JustWantedACat · 27/01/2023 23:07

She has revision she can do. In her mind, after all the uncertainty of lockdowns/covid throughout her secondary years, she doesn't understand why her teachers are making such waves during the last few months of her school life, in other words why choose now when they are so stressed with mock exams in march and real exams in may, instead of July after GCSEs or the Autumn term. She said her peers all feel the same.

Show quote history

My DD was in Year 11 last year, her teachers went out on strike for six days this time last year. I completely understand how she feels.

After two years of disruption with teachers off with Covid, Covid herself, not to mention two terms of lockdown learning, I felt very resentful of even more missed teaching time, and had she dropped any grades I would have been furious with them (probably irrationally so).

I did also understand why they felt they had to strike, at least to begin with.

Devastatedyetagain · 28/01/2023 07:14

@JustWantedACat I feel for your daughter. My education was severely disrupted back in the eighties by teachers strikes. We got through but as a consequence I have no time for teachers striking!!!

Mummyme87 · 28/01/2023 07:15

No. Setting work totally defeats the object of the strikes surely. I’ll be treating it as a day off for then, planning to take them up to London

Anothernameanother · 28/01/2023 07:24

Devastatedyetagain · 28/01/2023 07:14

@JustWantedACat I feel for your daughter. My education was severely disrupted back in the eighties by teachers strikes. We got through but as a consequence I have no time for teachers striking!!!

Well support her to understand.

A strike now, if effective, will allow schools to fix deficit budgets and hire sufficient staff for the new year (teachers are striking for a funded pay rise; the 5% rise this year was taken out of school budgets and is crippling them). It might prevent yet more teachers leaving the profession, as slightly more teachers will tolerate the workload if they are reimbursed more appropriately. It might mean people sign up to initial teacher training.

None of the above help your child with their GCSEs. But they might mean she has a competent and motivated teacher for next year. And on a wider view, it might mean that her children have competent and motivated teachers when it's their turn.

MarshaBradyo · 28/01/2023 07:24

JustWantedACat · 27/01/2023 23:07

She has revision she can do. In her mind, after all the uncertainty of lockdowns/covid throughout her secondary years, she doesn't understand why her teachers are making such waves during the last few months of her school life, in other words why choose now when they are so stressed with mock exams in march and real exams in may, instead of July after GCSEs or the Autumn term. She said her peers all feel the same.

Show quote history

Exam students are going in at Ds’ school

I get why she’s stressed over last few years etc

mumof3now2 · 28/01/2023 07:27

My year 9 and year 11 have to be logged into their teams by 9am on weds. They will
Find out then which teachers are in school teaching and which are out on strike.
Their school have decided to keep year 13 and 13 on site, part of me thinks its should have been year 11 and 13

themimi · 28/01/2023 07:29

Devastatedyetagain · 28/01/2023 07:14

@JustWantedACat I feel for your daughter. My education was severely disrupted back in the eighties by teachers strikes. We got through but as a consequence I have no time for teachers striking!!!

People are in such uproar about the strike day and the damage to their dc's education . No one seems to be complaining about the extra day for the coronation. Why? Is it because on coronation everyone's off, so parents aren't inconvenienced? People don't want teachers striking as they see us as free childcare. That was my take home from what was said about us in the pandemic.