to ask WHY in the name of Gove are teachers striking again?

[loftyclopflop]

DD's school is closing on 1st October because they have chosen to strike. Is it over pay, pensions and conditions? Did they achieve anything by striking a couple of years ago other than massively inconveniencing a lot of parents?

I know Gove is a twat but do they really expect to change anything by taking the day off?

PM/appraisal is a 2 way thing isn't it? - In an ideal world, yes. But what of headteachers who look at the budget and realise they can't afford much increase in pay this year? I heard one suggest less than scrupulous ones may set targets that are unattainable on purpose. Not to the level of capability, but justifiable to OFSTED as ensuring we only have outstanding teachers (and that reduce the need to give pay rises).

Ivykaty

The only place that I can find reference to statutory leave is in "outto"'s maternity matters.

I would really like to know where it is cos I can't find it.

So, given that people of such entrenched opinions, what can we as teachers do? The policies Gove is implementing have (and will continue to) damaged the education of children. What can we do to ensure our opinion is listened to (not dictating to government) instead of this refusal to talk to the unions which has been his main characteristic in office.

I'm in the NASUWT. Work to rule? We still run clubs every lunchtime (my DH and I, also NASUWT) and judging by the list of clubs at our school most teachers are doing the same.

Would love to work to rule but all of us too scared of repercussions if we did I guess.

Exactly, proper work to rule will never happen as that really WOULD affect the kids!
Of course, I've just taken on teaching an extra A Level as an extra curricular option so I would say that!

Our c

Our contract stated 1265 hours or whatever it takes to do your job. If we work to rule and don't get the job done, heads will simply place you on capability!

It does amaze me how many people are unaware of the 'whatever else the head tells you to do' element of our contracts.
My impression of work to rule was we'd stop doing jobs from the list (collecting money, photocopying) and stop volunteering from extra-curricular activities.
A school without extra-curricular music, drama and sport would be a sad place if you ask me.

Yup Englishteacher... I am a music teacher. Would love a lunchtime!

It will be hugely inconvenient for me if the teachers go on strike. I will have to take a day off work, at a time when I can ill afford to do so.

However, I fully support the teachers in their decision to strike, as I recognise that they do not take this decision lightly. It's a last resort, and we should be blaming Gove for the inconvenience, not the teachers who have been pushed into this position.

The teachers at dd's school are absolutely fantastic. Incredibly hardworking, dedicated, passionate about what they do. It's about time that the government started listening to them. If they have to go on strike to make this happen, then I will gladly bear whatever inconvenience this might cause me. Allowing Gove a free hand to ruin our education system will have far greater long-term consequences than closing the schools for a day.

If Gove still refuses to come to the table, another day is planned before the end of the Autumn term, although the date of that is yet to be announced.

boneybackjefferson and what does it say in maternity matters?

LGE

Accrual of annual leave during maternity leave for school teachers employed by local authorities

A teacher should be advised prior to commencing her maternity leave
that she has a statutory entitlement to 28 days annual leave

Please note that a teacher taking adoption leave will be entitled to take their leave in the same way as a teacher on maternity leave.

LGE have to work to this www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1998/1833/contents/made

Oh goody another strike day = another day out with DD!

Ivykaty

May concern is how it appears to be buried. I still haven't found it in the burgundy book or in the statutory pay book either.

then ask your LA to help you boneybackjefferson as they will be able to explain to you how it works as they will be used to dealing with pay and conditions and maternity etc

Right, after reading through this entire thread, here is my two pence worth...

I am currently a secondary school English teacher on maternity leave (currently breastfeeding and typing wrong handed on my phone- please forgive any typing errors!)

I have been teaching for 7 years. When I started morale and conditions were pretty high. Slowly but surely I have watched as years of meddling by government and slating by the media have meant that confidence in teachers and morale is lower than I have ever known it. It is an extremely tough place to be and tbh I am considering my options after returning from maternity- I am concerned that the hours if I go back full time will mean I am unable to care for my baby (who will be 8 months old) in the way that I want to.

Don't even get me started on the English gcse results scandal last summer, and the fact that changes have been made to the curriculum IN THE MIDDLE OF THE COURSE meaning my lovely hardworking year tens worked their bums off to get good grades in their speaking and listening assessments because I had stressed that they are worth 20% of the final English grade, only for that part of the qualification to be scrapped at the end of the school year last year, making the two that they had completed (and spent considerable time preparing for) were a complete waste of their time. But hey. Who needs to be able to talk effectively in a formal context anyway? It's not like young people need to be able to do that in the wider world now is it?
And that is just my subject!

Another one here who should have been working to rule, but hasn't been because of a combination of not wanting to let down students and fear of repercussion from leadership. If working to rule had been done properly, it would have been far more damaging than two days of strike action (which is what there has been in my entire career)

No one is saying it's easy in other jobs, but teachers are standing up for our own rights (which we are legally entitled to do). And for what it's worth, I have attended two local protest marches in the last three months about cuts to our local nhs a and e services.

On the whole (according to this thread anyway) public support does seem to be on our side - there are far more people saying they support us. There only seem to be a few naysayers arguing the toss and repeating old arguments - childcare, holidays, gold plated pension, other people have it harder blah blah blah. And like another poster said, it shouldn't be a race to the bottom.

And yes. Michael gove is a fuck faced cunty bollocks who seems to have no comprehension of the enormous damage he is doing to education. Oh whoops, sorry, teachers aren't allowed to swear are we?

Sorry, don't know why that posted twice...

I heartily support the teachers, though from the southern hemisphere.

When I left the UK, OFSTED was a carbuncle on the arse of a noble calling. And it has got worse. So glad I teach where the unions saw off the inspectors years ago. I don't have to show my lesson plans to anyone. Don't even have to make them, though I do, but because they inform my teaching and the pupils' learning, not because some government arse tells me to.
There are rumbles that this may be about to change, but the day the state government gets off its arse before the next election is the day I'll eat my hat.

So, if your DC's school said there would only be cover for their particular class for half that day, would you bother sending them in at all?

Oh that old chestnut about teaching not being rocket science and anyone can do it.....well nothing is rocket science apart from...rocket science and i know a cuple of people who work in that and they get paid very very well for their input.
Teachers work very hard for your children, incredibly long hours and are always being asked to do more....i could not juggle tecahing with a family as your family miss out.
If striking changes things for the better all power to them....thank you to all the committed teachers who work so hard for young people throughout the UK.

I won't be striking as it isn't my union but I fully support those who do.

Performance related pay really scares me. I work in mainstream but specialise in SEN. Very few of my students achieve that magic C grade but achieve their own personal target, if not a grade higher. My current head values what those in my department do, but when we have a new head or I change schools will I still be measured on how the child performs against a personal target, or will it only be A*-C that counts?

If it becomes the latter, I worry for our less able students.

OFSTED are awful. I was slated when they visited for helping the students too much(!). They had asked for help during the lesson so I gave it. The inspector had clearly not looked at the data that showed that these children were undertaking a course aimed at their age group, but academically were 5 years behind.

So, if a teacher is going to fail PRP because their students don't achieve enough A* grades (but every student has achieved their own target), and then fail OFSTED because they're working their butt off trying to make the course accessible to students with special needs, who would volunteer to take on these classes?

Work to rule hasn't worked. Because of the clause about 'anything the head reasonably asks you to do' it will never really work.

I love being a teacher, but I worry for my future.

I fully support the right to strike even if I don't agree with the reasons.

Teachers however I do support in the strikes all anyone thinks of is long holidays and cushy hours. Get a grip people it's not the case at all.

I fear for my children being taught by people who are unable to just teach but are bogged down with more and more crap from people like Gove and for little reward (and constantly being slated by pants of pfbs)

I've watched a friend (senior school teacher) spend from 8-6 at school everyday then work at home until 11pm, the stress she is under is visible just from looking at her to the point that she had considered leaving teaching to work in an job she can do part time and leave at the door.

If you want them to not strike and continue to be demoralised and leave in droves/go to work with simmering resentment then fine but I think they deserve a lot more.

And school is not childcare, never rely on it being 100% there, if you have young children and need to take a day off there is very little your employers can do about it, or start doing an hour extra a week to build up flexible time off (a fraction of the extra the teachers do each day)

Not a teacher btw, I work in a shop.

parents of pfbs not pants. If pants are becoming sentient we're in trouble ;)

70 hours a week? 10 hours every day of the year? Sorry, but however much I sympathise with teachers, I just don't believe that. Or, your time management is bad.

Ok. Pupils from 9 - 3.30 = 6.5 hours
120 books (4 lesson day) 1 set takes around an hour to mark (to the level of detail expected. 30 books, minimum of 2 mins per book - not really that quick) some take longer. = 4 hours

So we are up to 10.5 hours before we take into account phoning parents, paperwork and classroom displays which are obviously done by the education fairies! Let's not add on work done at home over the weekend.

Not all weeks are like that but the majority are.

I love my job BUT not the fact that I see my own children for 2 hours a day during term time. I spent 2 hours after school yesterday sat on a toilet floor with a sobbing child who refused to go home. All the time thinking about the other stuff that HAD to be done by Monday and coming to the conclusion that it wouldn't matter if my own children missed swimming lessons as I wouldn't get there in time, once I had done everything that I needed to do before Monday.

I wouldn't have the cheek to criticise another person's job without having done it myself. I have worked in the real world by the way. Yes, my pay was less but I had a life and also hadn't lost half my hair (possibly through stress). I am always secretly amused by the parents who come on school trips and by the time they get off the bus at the end of the day are like wet rags. Me, I'm pleased that it has all gone ok (taking 30 children out for the day is stressful - they are someone's world!!!) and that I don't have any marking to do for once.

I'm not striking by the way. Wrong part of the country. Just needed to vent. If the deal is that great, train to be a teacher and replace one of the 50% who are looking to get out!

I did a children's party for reception kids last weekend. Just me, Dh, a parent of a child with SEN and 30 kids. It was just 2 hours but the best fun ever, even with the sobbing and injured kids.

Wish I was a teacher!!!