More teacher strikes, Thursday 27th April, Tuesday 2nd May

[noblegiraffe]

Fair warning, the NEU have said that if their members vote to reject the derisory government pay offer, they will immediately announce two further strike dates.

"If you vote to reject this offer, the executive has agreed to notify two further days of strike action on Thursday, 27 April and Tuesday, 2 May. The executive has agreed to seek local agreements with head teachers to ensure exam preparation is not interrupted for Years 11 and 13."

From the response on edutwitter and from colleagues, I think the offer will be rejected.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/4772501-up-yours-gillian-keegan-teacher-pay-offer

I presume because they're intended to cause disruption, not the opportunity for a jolly.

I think that’s exactly why they don’t strike on a Friday or Monday - can you imagine all the comments about teachers having a jolly if they did strike on those days!

I am a school librarian in an Outstanding secondary school. Over the last 3 years, we've had cuts in most support staff departments (Student Support, Pastoral, Attendance, Library). We don't have enough TAs and despite having vacancies permanently advertised we just cannot get the applicants. We're currently trying to recruit for PE and Science, and haven't had any applicants - before Covid we would have 6-8 applicants min per teaching post!
There are massive issues in recruitment and retention, due to lack of persistent underfunding. As a colleague I'm frustrated, as a parent I'm genuinely concerned. I hope the government is putting some money aside for the upcoming wave of MH issues and unemployment benefits as children leave school illiterate and unprepared!

Think I’m going to have to switch to NEU now and join in. The government are taking the piss.

I assumed it was because job sharers tend to work Mon/Tuesday/weds and weds/Thursday/fri with the crossover on weds with PPA together. At my old school (I'm no longer a teacher) there were quite a few part timers and we all worked on Wednesday's.

Gillian Keegan is very disappointed that now teachers won't get £1000.

What she failed to acknowledge is that school finances will be better off with teachers voting to reject.

It was never £1000 in our pockets anyway- she can stick it!

The ASCL headteachers union has also voted to reject the pay offer. 87% vote no on a 56% turnout.

They will also be considering whether to ballot for industrial action.

Headteachers who know their own budgets clearly do not believe the DfE lie that the pay offer is fully funded.

Yes, I saw that in a document this morning. It said, "Yes – schools would have been fully funded to meet the costs of the offer."
How are they able to say that when I thought it was only 0.5% of the 4.5% they were meeting?

Because they took money that was promised to schools in September for other stuff and said that it was now to be spent on the pay rise.

There will be three further days of NEU strike action in late June, early July on top of the two just announced. These dates will be announced on May 18th.

There will also be a reballot running from May 15th where members will vote on whether to take strike action running up to Christmas (the current industrial action mandate runs out in July).

https://schoolsweek.co.uk/neu-votes-to-re-ballot-for-strike-action/

I really hope some of the other unions will re ballot to join NEU.

Maybe NAHT will, but I don't think we can rely on heads to resolve this for us- given how so many of them have worked to undermine the strikes.

NASUWT have done their survey on a pay offer in such an odd way one might almost think they don't want members to vote against the offer.

Personally, I think if NASUWT don't announce a reballot before the end of the Easter holidays, all their members should join NEU and strike. I know people have various issues with the NEU, but I can't understand how those political objections can outweigh going into work each strike day.

I also think we need to reballot support staff- in many schools, it's support staff keeping them open (I am not blaming support staff for this, I know it's difficult for them to say no).

It does feel like this is going to drag further and further on unless other education unions actually stand up to be counted.

But without significant movement on pay, I can't see how things will get any better in schools- there are posts on twitter comparing the number of science teacher vacancies in different parts of the country- must have added up to at least 500 across England. And I know last year all the science trainees locally had jobs by February.

I'm not saying none of those posts will be filled, but imagine 500 (or more) schools short a science teacher in September...

We’ve had several staff move from NASUWT to NEU. Hopefully more will join after the crappy pay offer.

We’ve had a shocking time trying to recruit for Science posts. Loads of applicants for SLT posts though - people trying to get out of the classroom maybe?

After 19years, I moved from NASUWT to NEU on the 16th January because I totally support the strikes and NASUWT didn’t. Calling for more ‘action short of strikes’ which does absolutely nothing except open teachers up to persecution by bullying SLT is not good enough.

I would be happy to strike in solidarity with state-sector colleagues, but indie-school teachers weren't balloted (as we reach our own pay deals with individual schools, and my place has just announced 7%). I hadn't considered it, but one knock-on effect of this is that our kids won't have had any strike-related disruption in the run-up to the exams, giving them yet another advantage.

I work in an indie too, as does my husband. My husband's school IS going to be striking (over pensions though) and I know of another two schools that have threatened strike action for the same reason- awaiting outcome. I agree state school kids have had a poor deal comparatively with extra strike disruption but they ALWAYS have a poor deal comparatively (larger classes, fewer subjecr specialists etc) so it's never been anywhere near fair! Obviously not saying that's right - in fact it's criminal - but this additional disadvantage is a drop in the ocean.

Because they took money that was promised to schools in September for other stuff and said that it was now to be spent on the pay rise

The Chancellor added more funding in November -

Schools were handed a surprise multi-billion pound cash boost in today’s Autumn statement...
https://schoolsweek.co.uk/autumn-statement-2-3-billion-extra-for-schools/

Gillian Keegan is very disappointed that now teachers won't get £1000
What she failed to acknowledge is that school finances will be better off with teachers voting to reject.

An extra grant of £530 million was promised for the one-off payment here;
https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2023/03/28/teacher-strikes-latest-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-teacher-pay-offer/

Yes, the funding you mentioned will be paid to schools from September.

It's a drop in the ocean and has been earmarked and put into budgets for other things, and now schools have been told that they will have to fund the 4% of the 4.5 % offered from that money.

The one off payment is a separate amount as you state.

And if you read your own link there is a lot of crowing about returning funding per child to 2010 levels .....
What a bloody farce!

No one's falling for your Tory apologist shit.

It's a drop in the ocean and has been earmarked and put into budgets for other things

The 'surprise' extra funding was only announced in November. Earmarked here;

Sam Freedman, a former government adviser, said: “Until we know what’s happening with energy prices, inflation and pay next year – we can’t be clear exactly how generous this is.”
Increased pay rises for this year cost the sector £1.3 billion. The additional cash will also have to cover any pay rises awarded for next year, which have yet to be decided.

If £2.3 billion is a 'drop in the ocean' - then Labour's boast of an extra £1.7bn (raided from private schools) won't count for much either will it?

More whataboutery.

Even the DfE only say that schools can afford the pay rise on average, Clav, based on raiding the £2 billion promised last year in the Autumn statement.

And of course that money was needed to fill the black hole in head's budgets from last September. That black hole hasn't gone away.

Which is, of course, why the headteacher's union just voted to reject the offer as well as teachers.

ASCL just voted to reject. 87%.

More whataboutery

Keir Starmer aims to take £1.7billion a year in tax from private schools to fund a learning revolution for state-educated ­children if he becomes PM.

Hardly a 'learning revolution' with £1.7billion - a 'drop in the ocean' mate.