Teacher strikes 5th and 7th July

[noblegiraffe]

Just announced, because Gillian Keegan has refused to clarify whether the DfE will accept the recommendation of a 6.5% pay rise from the independent pay review body, and is also refusing the publish the report.

She is also refusing to re-enter into negotiations with teachers and headteachers.

The NEU will be striking in July, all 4 teaching unions, including the headteaching unions are currently balloting for strike action in the Autumn term.

https://www.tes.com/magazine/news/general/teacher-strikes-2-further-days-next-month

Yeah, I increasingly get the impression most parents don't actually value their children's education at all. It's pretty sad.

Fortunately for their sake, I do care. If we win this dispute, it will be through economic disruption, not public opinion.

Yes, I agree, doctors and nurses get this all the time too.

There is this idea that public sector workers should martyr themselves for their jobs, but ultimately, people have bills to pay- if their wages aren't enough, they will leave. It really is that simple.

I’m hearing that many schools were going to have to cancel the transition days anyway as they don’t have enough staff to run them. Highly likely that your DC is going to have classes without a teacher in their new school as schools can’t hold onto staff they have or recruit for replacements.

@noblegiraffe
Rest assured I have. I sat in my last budget meeting in absolute despair. I have never, ever set a deficit budget but I can't even cover basic costs with the existing income unless I cut support staff to the bare minimum and take away all classroom support that isn't directly funded for 1:1 provision, thus adding to the teachers' workload.
All of this might be bearable if the profession was thriving and appreciated but sadly it isn't. I am also involved in recruitment of trainee teachers and the numbers this year are dire. As a country we need to wake up and something has to change.

Strikes that don't cause disruption are pointless. If people are concerned about the future of education, they need to be supporting the strikes, or at least suggesting other ideas.

Supporting the strikes HOW? WHAT other ideas? What specifically do you expect normal parents to do? You think this government is going to listen to us? I’ve written letters, signed petitions, talked to my MP. What am I meant to do to help? I might be able to do more if I wasn’t using all my bloody leave covering strikes. Which member of the government is being punished by these strikes? It’s children and parents being punished and it’s not working. You have a good cause but this is too fucking much. If I could even remotely afford it I’d ditch the whole system and go private, but I can’t.

Isn’t 6.5% more than other public sector areas have got?

Decent educational provision should be for all in the state sector. That is the sector that caters for the majority. If it is not adequately funded surely something is morally wrong?

In the last academic year, the school I teach in has had 15 days where the Head teacher, or deputy head, has taken three classes (96 children) and supervised their lessons in the hall. No active learning, just answering questions from text books. No supply staff available, and all current staff are at their max working time (95% timetable)

The Head has also been teaching A-level business studies this year, despite being a science teacher.

We've had begging emails coming round, asking us to sacrifice our PPA time, otherwise the school will have to be closed to certain year groups.

This is in a large, oversubscribed, outstanding school.

More than some, less than others.

FFS. I too support strike action and absolutely get the need to cause maximum disruption.

But, I could cry! Our dc's secondary transitions are also on those dates. My ASC girlie is already struggling enough with the idea of secondary school and we've even arranged extra transition evening sessions so she can familiarise herself with staff and layout. Her twin brother will be fine. But she is going to be a nightmare.

This is so very sad.

However, it's very normal. I transitioned to high school in the 80's. We had no transition days then either.

Prior to that , no school trips etc, They'll be fine.

If you actually care about your child's education, I expect solidarity, rather than saying it's too much and spreading misinformation that the campaign isn't working- that's massively undermining.

The campaign is demonstrably working- last year, the indications were this September teachers would be getting a 3% pay rise. That was already upped to a slightly higher offer of 4.5% at Easter, and now the independent body that makes recommendations about teacher pay is suggesting 6.5%- over 3% higher than last year. That wouldn't have happened without the NEU's organising.

All Keegan had to do to avert the strikes is discuss the 6.5% with the unions, but she was unwilling to do that until after the end of the school term. This will massively fuck with school budgets, because heads won't know whether to plan for 6.5% across the board, for more for ECTs, less for UPS, if there's any additional funding...

Your child will likely have a less good educational experience next year because of this.

So at the very least, don't say the strikes aren't working, because they very clearly are...

1. We don't know we have 6.5%, it comes from a leak to the times. If the unions were in negotiations with Keegan about the 6.5%, these strike days would not be going ahead- the NEU were pretty clear on that.

2. A lot of public sector workers haven't agreed any pay deal yet.

3. I'd say NHS and education are facing more of a crisis than other public sector jobs- something in both sectors needs to change very soon, or we will see a massive collapse of services people take for granted.

This ^. She doesn't want to publish the report because apparently the pay increase recommended in it is 6.8%. She's delaying publication deliberately because she wants parents to turn on teachers because of the disruption of more strikes right before the holidays and during transition time. The only people damaging our children's education is here is her and the rest of that shower of a Govt.

I know they work hard - but they seem to be always moaning. AND their pensions - like most of the civil service - are simply mouth watering!!!! Many retire well before 60 on great pensions. Paid for by yours truly the taxpayer!

I know. My daughter was one of the 2020 starters. She’s quite confident and sociable and managed fine. Her brother isn’t the same personality type at all, and I’d already asked the school for enhanced transition for certain specific issues that he has, so it worries me about losing a key part of it.

Obviously I don't know your daughter, but I do teach students with ASC and other SEN who struggle massively in secondary because of things like lack of TAs, lack of consistency of teaching staff, regularly having supply teachers, having to merge with other classes, having timetable changes when staff leave mid year, having activities and events called off due to lack of staff...

Long term, if we can make secondary schools a bit more stable in terms of less staff leaving and being able to recruit (good) staff, then it will help students with similar needs to your daughter.

@Haneggsandchips , sorry, I meant to tag you in my previous reply and forgot.

Transition day here in East Mids too at lots of the local schools based on my DDs school and friends and family.

Righto. Won’t say that again then. How long after I take that hugely significant action will this get settled then? And has the increased offer actually got things closer to being resolved since there’s no additional funding for schools to pay for it (unless I’ve missed something) - my understanding was that was a massive part of the problem. It could go up to 20%, if there’s no money in the school’s budget to pay for it it’s going to lead to job losses which hardly provides the outcome teachers and pupils need. Has progress been made on that aspect of the dispute? If I’m wrong about that I will - genuinely - stand corrected.

I stand by the comment that this action is too much. It is too much. 7% of my 23/24 annual leave allowance will go on these strikes after losing 14% of 22/23 already. That’s too much. Assuming no more strikes, over a fifth of my allowance gone in a few months on days I didn’t want to take causing disruption at my own work (local government, so makes shite all difference to the government) and meaning I have to use more paid for childcare in the school holidays than I would otherwise have done. I don’t expect you to care but I wouldn’t have thought it was beyond the capacity of a teacher to understand people being frustrated and annoyed by this.

More and more teachers are opting out of their pensions because they cannot afford to pay into them. The pensions don't help with the recruitment and retention crisis, except for perhaps a small number of teachers near the end of their career.

It is true that teachers used to be able to get a good pension if they retired in their 50s, but this is now no longer the case- I think one of the reasons people leave is they can't imagine teaching until they are 67!

The thing is, there is a massive teacher shortage in this country, which is getting worse year on year. If we invest in education, long term it helps the whole economy. If we allow state education to collapse, it hurts the country long term.

You may think teachers get great benefits- if that's the case, why not become one! We desperately need more. There are tax free bursaries to train in many subjects too... And yet we are still not hitting recruitment targets!

On 3, local government funding has been absolutely decimated since 2011. Schools and the NHS have been protected in relative terms compared to that - it obviously hasn’t been enough, before anyone jumps down my throat for that - so imagine how much worse it might be in statutory council services? It’s only gone largely unnoticed because the public don’t really give a shit about children in care or elderly people needing social care.

This has caused a lot of distress for teachers too. I have been typing non stop since the announcement was made and it is not stopping. Some are saying they will not strike on transition day, others have events that they cannot miss or move so will not strike. If the striking numbers are low much will be made about teachers not supporting their union or the strikes. We cannot win either way.

I have gone on strike every time in my career because it has been for reasons I support. I know the situation is dire, I experience it every day. When I leave my current school my classroom will be empty because most of the resources have been bought by me. I just wish we were not striking now but focussing on the joint action. I know I will get flamed but I am being honest. A strong strike that forces action - great. A weakened strike that does nothing because Gillian Keegan can announce it the next week and say that was always her intention, a workforce that is even more demoralised and even worse people who have been debating their vote change it or just don't vote. I can't see a positive result from this and that is just heart breaking.

I absolutely love this job and care deeply about the children I teach and want the best for them and I am just trying not to let the demonising of my profession break me.

If you have children in school, please read this.

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2023/jun/17/trying-to-find-a-maths-or-science-teacher-is-like-looking-for-a-unicorn-inside-english-schools-recruitment-crisis?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

The pension (which is no longer the good one we used to have) and the holidays are not stopping 25% of teachers leaving the profession. Nor are they encouraging poodle to join it.

We don't need poodles, obv. Just people.