Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

possible teachers strike and zero tolerance on holidays

99 replies

plum100 · 01/10/2013 12:48

Hi Everyone,

I don't usually post on this board but this issue is starting to irk me quite a bit.

We have just been told the school will not authorise any term time holidays now and that we will be fined if we take our children out.

Now we have a letter warning us of a possible strike maybe on two occasions and its really annoyed me.

AIBU to be annoyed of the attitude that its not OK for me to take my child out of school and provide them with a restful learning experience ,but it's ok for them to close the school when they decide that they are being made to work till they are 68 and haven't had a pay rise for 2 years and they don't like it.

Its a bit 'one rule for one and another for others ' isn't it? If my childs education is so important that they have to fine me so I don't take them out - then how can they just shut!

Maybe I should fine them for forced unauthorised absence of my child! so bloody annoyed!!!!

OP posts:
Tiredemma · 01/10/2013 15:33

im bored shitless of teacher bashing on here and fb.

and im not even a teacher.

KinkyDorito · 01/10/2013 15:34

So I am losing a day's pay and I refused to send my son into his school - which was partially open - as I don't agree that they should be. He has now got an unauthorised absence and we face the £120 fine for it. That's how strongly I feel.

greensmoothiegoddess · 01/10/2013 15:34

Well said, kinky green wishes she was as eloquent

SirChenjin · 01/10/2013 15:37

Do you think that other workers feel much sympathy for teachers though? I'm not convinced...and I'm not sure that striking is the answer to getting the public on side.

greensmoothiegoddess · 01/10/2013 15:41

SirChen - getting the public onside is a bonus but at this point I think it's more about getting across the sheer stupidity of Gove's changes to the public. I think there is a measure of success which has been achieved there.

KinkyDorito · 01/10/2013 15:42

Read what I wrote, Sir. It's not just about teachers, it's about opposing what is happening in education. If your child goes to a state school, you should be incredibly worried. If the "other workers" are responsible for the well-being of children, they would be supporting us too.

It is really frustrating when people who don't understand what the strike is about, or even who is responsible for fining parents, wildly take a swing at what is happening.

Read about it, please, and support us! I am genuinely scared about the kind of education my DS will be facing by the time he is at secondary school. ALL PARENTS SHOULD BE.

KinkyDorito · 01/10/2013 15:42

Unless you pay fees. You'll probably be fine.

SirChenjin · 01/10/2013 15:48

I don't pay fees, but I don't believe that striking is the way forward (and I'm a public sector worker). Regardless of whether or not people support Gove and the Tories, they will be looking at their own circumstances - threat or actual redudancy, zero hours contracts, minimal holidays, no pay rises, paltry pensions, etc etc etc - and I suspect that sympathy might be thin on the ground.

I'm in Scotland, so it's not an issue for us per se - but we do have Curriculum for Excellence and the disaster that's been. It will be interesting to see what happens here as a result, but no sign of any striking yet, thank goodness.

lifeissweet · 01/10/2013 15:50

Well the alternative to striking is having a dialogue with the Government and reaching a compromise...er...hang on....

KinkyDorito · 01/10/2013 15:57

You're still not reading what I wrote - it is about the effect on the children by increasing the school year from 39 weeks to 45 plus, 8 hour days and working Saturday mornings. I don't think this is reasonable, this is why I'm on strike. I am concerned as a parent.

I completely understand what you are saying, and I agree to an extent, but this goes far beyond individual teacher pay and conditions, it will have a huge impact on the education of every child in a state school and not for the better.

I'm not going to write this again. There's only so many ways of putting the same thing that other people just are not reading. Put it this way, do I think the strike will stop Gove? No. Do I think these changes will happen? Yes. Do I think everyone will be in uproar when they finally realise the reality of what he is doing, if they are still blinkered to it now? I hope so.

DadOnIce · 01/10/2013 16:00

They are striking specifically this time over excessive workload and bureaucracy, pay and pensions, which is part of the policy of the Government's Department for Education, and more generally over this Government's total refusal to engage with or listen to teachers.

It will ultimately affect children's education, as it will drive inspiring teachers out of the profession and lead to even more exam-driven, results-driven, one-size-fits-all education.

So technically, littlemisswise is right. They're not striking over a particular, specific aspect of education like the reintroduction of O-Levels or something. But generally speaking, I'm not wrong to say they are striking over Government policy.

FactOfTheMatter · 01/10/2013 16:07

I can't believe it's so hard for some people to make the link between poorer conditions for teachers and poorer conditions for pupils.
Parents should educate themselves about what Gove is single-handedly doing to state education in this country. It's been a rude awakening for me to realise our government is allowed to make policy on a whim, ignoring all evidence, and yet that is exactly what Gove is doing.

Thank your lucky stars that teachers aren't just putting up and shutting up.

cuntingrimmer08 · 01/10/2013 16:35

You do of course realise that teachers don't get paid when on strike don't you ? So in effect they are being fined

Original poster
plum100 · 01/10/2013 16:42

Greensmoothiegoddess - yes thank you - There's no need to be arsey about it - I was just asking. I wasn't intending to bash teachers or start an argument. I wanted to know if my initial feeling were BU - thank you to everyone who has commented.

I have learnt a whole load of info on here this afternoon - much more than I would have done (IMO) than by reading articles. I have had opinions and explanations by real people who are directly involved and affected.

OP posts:
sparklekitty · 01/10/2013 16:49

Ooh ooh, bill Gove! And cc the Daily Mail into your letter/bill, possibly including a photo of you and kids with uber sad face.

I'd love that!

Original poster
plum100 · 01/10/2013 16:49

Mrsscoob - is the facebook letter comment to me? If so I don't have Facebook, so I am unaware of the letter. I just received a letter from our school today and then did a quick read of the sky news app.

OP posts:
Original poster
plum100 · 01/10/2013 16:51

LOL yes sparklekitty - I wonder how far I would get Grin !!!!

OP posts:
sashh · 01/10/2013 18:26

So you object to the government's interference with your family life and children's education, but not with the people who have to deal with it every day of their working lives pointing out to the government they are interfering.

Original poster
plum100 · 01/10/2013 20:05

Hi Sashh,

I object to being fined.

I asked in my original post if i WBU to which i have had lots of really good replies and i can see that Yes - IWBU . After all that i have read today i was even able to point a few facts out to the mums at the school. Thanks to everyone who answered. X

OP posts:
Original poster
plum100 · 01/10/2013 20:22

Hi Sashh,

I object to being fined.

I asked in my original post if i WBU to which i have had lots of really good replies and i can see that Yes - IWBU . After all that i have read today i was even able to point a few facts out to the mums at the school. Thanks to everyone who answered. X

OP posts:
IamSlave · 01/10/2013 21:04

Yes I agree.

I agree with teachers striking but at the same time, there needs to be give and take.

I think un authorised absence needs to be looked at too.

Can we fine the teachers for un authorised absence? Grin

JessePinkmansBitch · 01/10/2013 21:08

OP you do realise that it's not teachers who imposed the ban on term time holidays don't you? It's the government. So your anger is misplaced. Also teachers are striking against what other terms this nazi government has placed on them so they're in the same boat as you!

JessePinkmansBitch · 01/10/2013 21:09

Ah, thread has moved on, sorry. Blush

cardibach · 01/10/2013 21:25

IamSlave* - can they fine teachers for unauthorised absence? Yes. By not paying them. Striking teachers don't get paid. A teacher (for example) taking a child to a hospital appointment does not get paid. I know because I don't get paid when I take my DD to regular hospital appointments which are 2 hours away and which can not be arranged for out of school hours.

RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie · 01/10/2013 21:29

Can I be bothered to reply to the OP? No - lots of people have said it better than I could already.

But it scares me that so many people seem to think that it's all the fault of the teachers, and not the government.