Why are bloody teachers striking AGAIN?

[noblegiraffe]

Because, dear hearts, the government, when they offered us a pay rise of 4.5%, mostly unfunded for next September and all 4 teaching unions thoroughly rejected it, Gillian Keegan said that teachers would then have to take their chances with the independent pay review body and that there would be no further negotiations.

So teachers did. And the independent pay review body, who seem to have rather more of a handle on the current crisis in teaching than the government, recommended that teachers should get a 6.5% pay rise to introduce some stability into the system.

We only know this because the independent pay review body findings have not been published, but this figure was leaked.

Calls for the government to publish the report have been ignored. Most recently, a freedom of information act request to the DfE for the report was rejected, because the DfE says it's "not in the public interest".

Why is it not in the public interest to know what the independent pay review body has recommended? This report is published every year.

In the meantime, Rishi is briefing the press that he will reject the independent pay review body's recommendations, after making a huge fuss about how he always accepts independent pay review body recommendations.

Why should this matter to parents? Because headteachers are currently trying to write their budgets for September. The end of term is approaching. This job is currently impossible because headteachers don't know how much more they are expected to pay teachers next year, (6.5%? 5?% 4.5%?) and they have no idea how much extra money their school will be given to account for the pay rise (all? some? None??). This makes a massive difference as staffing costs account for the vast majority of school budgets. Should they be planning to cut GCSE subjects? Make staff redundant? Or will they actually be able to plan in some literacy support? That they don't know is intolerable.

A senior government advisor said that school budgets last year weren't worth the paper they were written on because of this same issue, and that it shouldn't be allowed to happen again.

Yet here we are.

The government are trying to drag this out to the summer before they make their pay announcement because then they'll be on their holidays and the 4 teaching unions' ballots will have closed.

[Whinge]

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Well said Noble.

[areyouhavinglaugh]

I wholeheartedly support the teachers!
We've had lots of very good teachers leave in the last few years.

This government are bloody awful

[TokyoSushi]

This government is utterly ridiculous. The sooner we have a GE, the better.

[Redlocks30]

Well explained.

The way the government treats out public sector workers is abysmal. How are you expected to set any sort of budget in this situation? What on earth is the education secretary actually doing that’s more important?? She may as well be on strike herself for all the good she does.

[Sherrystrull]

Hear hear! I hate not being in school with my class but staff, children and schools deserve so much better.

[GrammarTeacher]

Agreed. The situation is ridiculous. Our School Business Manager is amazing and works wonders but she does need to know what she's working with!

[PuttingDownRoots]

Fully support the striking teachers.

However... the one (main) Union striking and the other (main) Union not striking is causing a wierd juxtaposition locally. Of the three state schools in the village... one is taking children away one residential today, one is having a school fayre and the other is closed to all pupils.

[doubtfulguest]

Hear hear! Teachers have my full support in this. I am so grateful for the brilliant staff at my son's primary and I hate the way government and some media try to vilify teachers.

[Yesiaminbed]

Good luck to you all from a Scottish teacher. It’s shocking how you all have been treated.

[Vinorosso74]

I just had a chat with a couple of teachers on the picket line outside a local primary school. There was lots of support from passers by. Schools need proper funding, teachers need better pay and to be treated better. Children deserve a properly funded education system.
This government don't care.

[Freshair1]

It's appalling how the BBC is not reporting on the ongoing funding situation. It's not the pay that bothers me, it's that schools cannot afford the staff and TAs who support children that are floundering. Teachers have a near impossible job. And it's getting worse.

[ShinyBandana]

And on top of pay and budgets there’s this:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-66030635.amp

[ssd]

Thanks for taking the time to explain all this @noblegiraffe

[Redlocks30]

All that they said on the radio this morning was that the NEU was on strike AGAIN and the government spokesperson said their pay offer was fair and reasonable!

FFS

[CatsOnTheChair]

That's not the post I was expecting from the title!

I think next term will be interesting, once the outcome of the other ballots is known. I'm expecting all schools to be partially or fully shut.

[reallyworriedjobhunter]

Very good explanation! I happened to meet Gillian Keegan this week. She was prattling on about herself in the midst of this utter crisis as if nothing was happening.

[GreeboIsMySpiritAnimal]

Fight on, comrades. Those of us who care about our children's long-term education are on your side.

[ButImNotOldEnough]

150 teachers in our area (Scotland) found out on the Friday before schools ended that their contracts weren’t being renewed from august. Government don’t give a shit about education.

[ButImNotOldEnough]

^ meant to say, if it’s as bad in England as it is here in Scotland right now, strike away. You’ll be supported by parents at least.

[Forestfriendlygarden]

@GreeboIsMySpiritAnimal

Fight on, comrades. Those of us who care about our children's long-term education are on your side.

This.

[MMorales]

I support the teachers.

I've got 2 young kids.

I hate to see how their chances for a good education are being destroyed

[wonderstuff]

Excellent explanation as ever. We really are in a crisis with staffing, if your child has a full complement of specialist subject teachers in secondary then they are in a very fortunate postion. My dd in Y10 has had much more disruption due to recruitment and retention issues than due to strike action. In my school we have never struggled so much to attract staff. I know it's only teachers striking today, but the situation with TA recruitment is also dire.

[AnnPerkins]

The strikes are a bloody nuisance and must be having a detrimental effect on children's education.

And I hold the Government entirely responsible. Thank you for explaining the situation so clearly.

I 100% support the teachers.

[1dayatatime]

Firstly I totally and 100% support the teachers pay rise demands.

But the problem I see is where will the money come from?

After £500 billion was spent on Covid measures Government debt is now £2.5 trillion and we spend more on interest on that debt than we do on education. You can't increase taxes as 50% pay no income tax, 1% pay 30% of income tax and 49% pay 70% of income tax.

[QwertyWitch]

I support the teachers strike. They deserve their pay rise and work bloody hard.