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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Term time holidays/Striking teachers.

193 replies

vexedfoxy · 22/03/2014 20:52

Am I being unreasonable when I become exercised when I hear parents are fined for taking their children out of school in term time for holidays (when perchance they cannot take time off work in school holidays) and then I hear teachers planning to go on strike...how does one beat the square of 'every day at school is vital no matter how young the child is' in to a circle when suddenly a teachers salary and conditions over ride this and parents have to take time off work to arrange child care cover. Discuss.

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chicaguapa · 22/03/2014 21:45

Snow days cause the same problems as unauthorised holidays, when some students are off and some make it in. So it's hard for those who missed days to catch up and for teachers to plan around this.

There's also a problem with logistics at secondary school with buses and getting students home if the school, having opened, closes early. Surprisingly parents get more pissed off with having to try and pick their DC up from school in heavy snow than not having sent them in in the first place.

People who think it's all about teachers not being arsed to get up and go to work are extremely uninformed.

MrTumblesCrackWhore · 22/03/2014 21:46

Headteachers will not usually belong to a striking union - they have their own (ASCL). In my place, the HT teaches but will be working as they are not in a striking union.

My old head was an fervent Communist and ex-union rep - she never went on strike either.

Hulababy · 22/03/2014 21:46

mummymeister

I simply use bold to highlight the keywords I was putting across. Bold text is not used to affront you, just for clarification for what I choosing to write. You do not need to take offence at my use of bold - none was meant. However, I will try not to do so in this post now.

Yes - I am aware a headteacher is technically a teacher. However, the strike we are talking of - and tbh, whenever most people use the term teacher - they are generally thinking of the class teacher, rather than the one heading the school. Infact in many schools now the one leading is referred to using a different name without teacher appearing - principal for example. Headteachers are usually in different unions to classroom teachers, ones specifically for headteachers.

I shall rephrase my previous post.

Class teachers do not have any say in whether a child's absence is authorised or not.

Headteachers follow Government guidelines to determine whether a proposed absence should be authorised or not. The legislation advises that usually family holidays should not be authorised. The Government, not headteachers and certainly not class teachers, decided on legislation.

The LEA are most usually the body who will send out fines and letters regarding unauthorised absence.

MrTumblesCrackWhore · 22/03/2014 21:47

Ta pipbin Smile

vexedfoxy · 22/03/2014 21:47

Quite possibly Gove has refused to speak to the Unions because they are so militant it is hardly worth the bother. Maybe teaching staff should sort their unions out, no one forces teachers to strike, they follow their unions like sheep....Anyway off to bed. I will be at work at 6am (unpaid) to brief my Sunday staff on the duties for the day (and no I am not a vicar) the joys of the private sector eh!

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Hulababy · 22/03/2014 21:47

I am not really sure, mummymeister, why you find the distinction between headteacher and class teacher so confusing tbh.

NurseyWursey · 22/03/2014 21:48

YABU

Big difference between taking a kid out of school for a holiday and them being off for a day so a person can get fair conditions.

Pipbin · 22/03/2014 21:49

Good on you vexed. Like most other teachers I shall spend my Sunday planning and marking. Like we do most evenings, weekends and holidays.

vexedfoxy · 22/03/2014 21:49

.....and thank you to those who have made some thought provoking points and enlightened me on some areas..........

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vexedfoxy · 22/03/2014 21:51

Of course Pipbin there will be many people from all sectors working tomorrow unpaid.

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Pipbin · 22/03/2014 21:51

Oh, and many teachers I know are not striking even though their union is, mainly because they can't afford to lose a days pay.
FYI I didn't strike last time because I didn't think it was fair on the children or the parents in my class.

NurseyWursey · 22/03/2014 21:52

I thought if there was a strike you didn't get paid anyway? I must be misinformed.

Pipbin · 22/03/2014 21:52

Just wanted to make sure that you don't think we roll in at 8.55 and knock off at 3.30. Some people still do.

BoneyBackJefferson · 22/03/2014 21:53

vexedfoxy

"Quite possibly Gove has refused to speak to the Unions because they are so militant it is hardly worth the bother"

Just laughed out loud at that, your prejudice is showing. previous to this set of strikes, teachers haven't had any industrial action since the 80s.

"I will be at work at 6am (unpaid)...the joys of the private sector eh!"

Been doing that for the last couple of months with my yr11 classes. the joys of the public sector eh!

BIWI · 22/03/2014 21:53

vexed - you are either very naive or stupid

chicaguapa · 22/03/2014 21:54

Quite possibly Gove has refused to speak to the Unions because they are so militant it is hardly worth the bother.

That's the problem thought, isn't it? It should be worth the bother because it's about the current state of education and that's what he's in charge of. Hmm

I'm mystified why that's ok but it's not for teachers to strike?

Pipbin · 22/03/2014 21:54

Nursey If you strike you don't get paid. If your school closes but you don't strike then you still have to go to work but you can't do something that benefits you in anyway, like planning, marking or writing reports.
So lots of tidying and emptying of cupboards happens.

MrTumblesCrackWhore · 22/03/2014 21:54

no one forces teachers to strike no indeed, but when you sign up to a union (run by teachers and people from the education sector btw - not some separate insidious cult leader) you agree to follow their action, whether you personally agree with it or not. Therein lies the power of a UNION.

I love the fact you are speculating about Gove not speaking to the unions because it is hardly worth the bother. If you truly think that, then surely you should be more worried about the credibility of the education secretary than pissing and moaning about striking teachers. We've already arrive at that conclusion - which is why we are striking.

NurseyWursey · 22/03/2014 21:55

Teachers work incredibly hard, don't get paid for the extra hours they HAVE to put in and they're educating the future people of our society. I support their strike. If it's so hard for a parent to deal with this then they need a reality check. Have a bit of respect for the people educating your children.

Pipbin · 22/03/2014 21:55

I will be at work at 6am (unpaid) to brief my Sunday staff on the duties for the day (and no I am not a vicar) the joys of the private sector eh!

If you are doing that then you want to have a word with your union.

NurseyWursey · 22/03/2014 21:56

Ah thankyou pipbin for clearing that up for me!

BoffinMum · 22/03/2014 21:56

Gove will only talk to the non strike organisation Edapt.

Edapt is a business set up by venture capitalists in order to poach teachers from unions, charging them a membership fee to cover legal insurance etc. The business model is based on the fact that if enough teachers move across, unions (member owned organisations) will collapse and then they will effectively have to go to Edapt for legal representation if they have an employment problem. Only presumably then Edapt will rack up its membership fees as it will be able to fleece teachers to make a handsome profit on this. It will not be reinvested in improving the profession and its conditions, as profits will be drawn as a dividend.

Very concerning situation. Reminds me of the Tesco model of business, where they close down local shops, take over, then lose their free transfer buses and put up their prices.

RufusTheReindeer · 22/03/2014 21:59

You can agree or disagree with the teachers striking
You can agree or disagree with the fining of parents for taking term time holidays

But the two are not linked in any way

And I get pissed off with people telling me what I should discuss...didn't even get a please

And what's wrong with calling someone a numpty?

vexedfoxy · 22/03/2014 22:00

Pipbin I don't have a union and would not join if I had.

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BoffinMum · 22/03/2014 22:01

I think if people don't join unions, they shouldn't be allowed to benefit from any improvement in pay and conditions negotiated by unions. In other words, only strikers should get the pay rises they strikes for. Otherwise it's just freeloading.

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