Govt doing nothing to avert next week's two day teacher strike (England)

[noblegiraffe]

The NEU are due to take two days of teacher strike action next Wednesday and Thursday in England.

What the govt have done to avert those strikes:

Told the NEU to call the strike off and enter talks. With no offer on the table, with no promise of new money to fund any pay rises and no reason for the NEU to suppose that those things would be forthcoming

Made a patronising video telling teachers to enter these talks.

Told Ofsted that they can phone schools this Friday to be inspected next Monday. This is normally not allowed as it means that school staff will spend the weekend working their arses off preparing. (Normally you get a phonecall lunchtime for an inspection the next day so you only have an evening to prepare). This, during an industrial dispute where teachers are deeply unhappy about workload.

Ignored a joint letter from the teaching and headteaching unions suggesting that ACAS mediate talks.

"Paul Whiteman, general secretary of NAHT, said that using Acas “to create a safe environment between parties in order to begin movement is a well-trodden path in industrial relations” and the success rate is “impressive”.

He added: “It is extraordinary for any party in a dispute to refuse such an offer. I am really worried that the government are not serious about finding ways through these difficulties. I hope for the sake of children that the government can see beyond political posturing and join us all around a table.”"

www.tes.com/magazine/news/general/unions-dfe-not-serious-about-resolving-teacher-pay-dispute

The government, as ever, don't give a shit about education.

I was going to say, I also have teacher friends who've changed unions.

Do the other unions ever do a re ballot?

Meanwhile, schools will start September in an even worse state than this one.

Not forgetting that they recommended a well below inflation, no new money pay rise for September too.

So it is about pay? About being paid properly for the hours you do, or for the hours to be lower in line with pay. Working conditions are impacted by recruitment problems, which is related to pay.

I'm an ex teacher too. Since having children I can't commit the ridiculous hours needed to do the job. If pay was better I could afford to teach part time and have a semblance of a work-life balance. Friends of mine who are part time teach on their working days and then do their planning etc on their non-working days so that they can have weekends off. Teachers are working for free, they are subsidising budget cuts by buying their own resources, and they are held in complete contempt by government whose rhetoric attempts to pass that contempt on to parents and therefore children.
Teaching is fast becoming an unviable longterm profession. I get paid the same as I did as a teacher, buy now only work my 37.5 hours a week, have my stationery supplied, and don't get sworn at or have drunk parents threatening me.

@Postapocalypticcowgirl urgh. That all makes sense. May is only around the corner.

Well solidarity to all teachers from me.

Yep.

Tbf, there are local academies that can't afford to give the (on average) 5% this year, and I also know of local primary schools who really struggled to afford the pay rise (but knew if they didn't give it, they'd likely lose staff).

Without funding, it's very unlikely all teachers will even see the 3%.

The FBU have just taken a pay offer for firefighters that was unfunded. Our local fire station has lost a fire engine to pay for it.

Without funding, these pay rises are meaningless.

It's very appreciated.

The tories ultimately know that teachers have a conscience, and feel guilt about taking strike days.

I feel absolutely confident that striking is the right thing to do- I believe it's our only chance to even try to ensure an acceptable level of state education for future generations.

But equally I feel guilty about my current classes, and I only have one exam class this year.

I dont know how it is in other schools, but in DS' school, his is the only class in his year group that is striking.

Instead of unity, you now have parents me thinking why is only my child missing out on his education?

In my case, especially when he struggled so much during lockdown and is still trying to catch up from that. Its not disrupted anything for alot of parents.

In my friend's DC's school, they have no teachers striking, so it does seem hit and miss and not causing the affect that strikes are meant to and causing bad feeling amongst the parents

Agree.

I'm all for increasing funding to schools, but have little sympathy for academy trusts.
Perhaps they should divert their CEO six figure sum wages to staff.

Even Ofsted’s union members sound pissed off they’ve been told to Inspect on Monday.

This government hate: nurses, doctors, police and teachers. Weirdly the firefighters just hinted at striking and they IMMEDIATELY got a better pay offer. I don’t see what they do as any more vital than the others.

I think people should be more outraged that the govt don't give a fuck and won't come to any agreement... they are the ones disrupting children's education, not the teachers, who are trying to save a completely broken, rotten to the core system.

Schools are literally forced into academisation, though.

In many parts of my county, academies are the only option.

The school I currently work for is a stand alone academy- there's no CEO raking in millions.

Ultimately, it's the students who will suffer, not the CEOs.

I totally agree that academisation is effectively a failed experiment BUT taking the system apart will be the work of years, now. And we need a solution that will help retain teachers and support students now.

Nope they don’t care- too busy holding press conferences on unenforceable deportation policies, apparently we are all so worried about dingys in the channel. Nope I’m worried about the school system!!!

Attendance has taken a huge hit since covid. We give attendance out to students each week and I’ve got none at 100% which is unusual if compared to before covid. I would say 1/3, if not more of my tutor group have attendance in the 70s or low 80s because parents just aren’t sending them in as much anymore. It’s an area with really vulnerable kids that are dragged into county lines and massive issues with grooming who are fighting for the same college places as those in the local grammar school.
We are behind on the course because ability is so low due to missing so much. If they miss those days it will just put them further behind. Our timetable very much prioritises core subjects as a result of previous results so non core are struggling for time as it is and we want the kids to have a fighting chance.

Plus they aren’t asking us to work over Easter, staff are offering because they are so worried about the students.
I am a curriculum lead, there is no way we would be finished by Easter. We’ve recently gone from a 3 year to a 2 year ks4 too, and as a subject on a carousel style timetable at ks3 we have lost almost 100 hours before GCSE.

It doesn’t make for good headlines so they don't give a fuck.

Because you don’t get private firefighters?

tories don’t give a shit about the nhs because they pay for private gps and hospitals. They don’t give a shit about public schools because their kids go to private. Even with crime - they live in nice homes with state of the art security, why do they care about the local bobbies dealing with the drunk and disorderly and knife crime in council estates.
fire fighters are the only public service they may actually need and can’t pay for.

*state schools not public (private) schools

Well, this thread made me email my MP with support for teachers. It won't make much of a difference on its own, but at least I've chipped in on the subject. Thank you teachers for what you do. I've come across the odd one who I'm not sure is in the right role but the majority have been amazing, and go above and beyond and you are a vital part of society.

The fact Ofsted have to give schools a warning before they come so teachers can "prepare" is so wrong.

They should turn up unannounced and get to see the real problems, not let them cover up their failings

We normally get less than 24 hours notice. That's so we can make sure we have documents to hand, nothing more.

Keegan has finally responded to the unions' (joint, not just NEU) letter and rejected the offer to talk through Acas to find meaningful ground for negotiations.

This is because they have nothing to offer. schoolsweek.co.uk/teacher-strikes-unions-say-calls-for-mediated-pay-talks-ignored/

Well there's a surprise.

The whole thing is just sad, so sad. I’m a teacher in Scotland and although we’ve most likely accepted this pay offer, I won’t be sticking around. The job is just horrific now and not worth making myself ill over for any amount of money. 120,000 teachers on the exit the classroom Facebook group agree with me sadly 😔 I can’t imagine the state the education system will be in within 10 years when it’s gone downhill so drastically in the last few years. They should pay them all double and beg them not to leave!