to think that the NUT strike WILL cause quite a lot of disruption actually!

[owlbegoing]

The NUT leader said that next month's strike date had been chosen to "cause minimum disruption to examinations" - and that "we deeply regret the disruption it causes parents and pupils".
What about other end of term events like Summer fairs and year 6 performances? They don't matter do they because they don't count towards government statistics!!

Fancyacupofrea a it's mainly the support staff who will be out. Only one of the teachers unions are out that day so far but 3 of the unions used by support staff

I agree with shockingly actually.

My workplace doesn't recognise unions. I am a union member as I have every right to be. I work alongside the probation service and as my union and theirs have been called out I am not prepared to cross their picket line. I am requesting a day's unpaid leave that day and I have no time whatsoever for union members deciding that they are going to exercise their personal choice and ignore the strike action.

It's not the NUT strike which is causing disruption. What causes disruption is the sheer bloody stupidity of Gove and and the government in obstinately refusing to concede that they just possibly might be in the wrong here.

Shockingly is absolutely right. If you sign up to a union, you can't expect to take all the benefits but stand back drawing your salary whilst other people strike to support your rights.

I fully support the teachers in their industrial action - but on a personal level it's the day my son is supposed to be going on his end of term trip which I have already paid for....I do hope they re arrange it or there will be a lot of disappointed children.

Shockingly doesn't sound deranged she sounds angry. Which I suspect she is entitled to be.

Iggi, I like the idea of compensation. It means I could strike, but still get some money from my son's school. you are mad!

Strikes aren't very effective if you have half a dozen unions that can't agree.
I'm all for working to rule, and for teachers' contracts to be much more specific about what is and isn't expected. More militant about infringements on those designated hours and less woolly about what HTs are allowed to decree as expected.
Being a supply teacher, I really get to see how so many schools have become their own little fiefdoms. How expectations such as planning, OOS activities and the rest vary hugely.

Sorry, I am mad?? Wtf? I would expect schools to repay trip money, even if they don't get it back. I have known this to happen, though not in the case of a strike as we so rarely have them. So perhaps I am knowledgeable, rather than mad.

Oh for trip money, maybe. I would imagine there is insurance to cover that, but not for the inconvenience of having your child off school.
What would happen if the coach drivers are in, say Unison, and are striking?

Is that what counts as an apology in your neck of the woods, Countess?

Nope.

I'm not sure insurance would pay out for strike action.

I'm an NUT union rep.
For reasons why we are striking, watch the video of Christine Blower, the NUT General Secretary, here: www.nut.org.uk/

The NUT has always had a conscience clause which says that individual members can decide whether or not to strike: NASUWT would chuck you out of the union if you refused. I will be encouraging all my members to strike and I am confident they will.

As far as school trips are concerned, schools have known about this strike date for months - the strike would have been called off as the projected June strike was if Gove had come to discussion meetings (which he didn't). They could make arrangements accordingly. Members are not expected to strike during residential trips as this is just stupid.

This is not about Y6 enrichment or a cancelled day at a theme park. It is about our children's education. It is about having well qualified, well prepared, motivated teachers in the classroom and keeping them there. Don't we all want that?

Can I ask then chilly Philly - if this date has been known about for months as a possible strike day then why on earth plan end of year trips/sports days/residential trips!??
As I say, I support the teachers fully, but that just seems like bad planning.

This will be a huge inconvenience to me, but I wholeheartedly support the teachers.

A bit dim here, but how can supporters of the strike make their feelings known?

Badvoc often trips and sports days are planned months in advance. It is the responsibility of the Head and SLT to rearrange whole-school events like that (especially in primary school) but that would require them to be on top of what the union say which unfortunately they often aren't.

Pimpf marches will most likely happen around the country. Previously these have been very peaceful and teachers and parents have marched with their children.

A union can no longer discipline its members for not following strike action. Personally I agreed with the NASUWT stance but they can't enforce it any more.

Gove is a democratically-elected politician who is part of a democratically-elected government. He has been appointed as Education Secretary and it his therefor his right & duty to reform & set strategy for education in England.

The NUT has not been elected by the people. They represent the "producer interest" and, whilst they have every right & a duty to lobby the government and make suggestions & recommendations, it's not their job to decide on education policy: that's the job of their democratically-elected political masters & state employers.

If the NUT don't like government policy then they also have every right to seek to influence the electorate to vote for political parties & politicians whose policies are more to their liking.

The NUT has to be very careful that taking strike action and disrupting schools & parents' lives will not undermine their cause. Maggie Thatcher won 3 successive election victories on a policy of standing up to striking unions.

On the last strike day I posted a thread explaining my reasons for striking. No idea how to link to it, sorry. I have now left teaching. Many, many more teachers - good teachers who love your children and are working themselves into the ground to try to give them the best possible education - are leaving every day. The education system in this country is in crisis. We really do feel sorry for parents and don't actually want to cause you problems. But we are screaming as loud as we can for the government to do something about Gove before it is genuinely too late and his damage is irrepairable. What else can we do but keep striking?

I support the strikes 100%.

Teachers are not supported, underpaid and highly overworked. They deserve so much more support not just from the government but from parents in other aspects of their job too. It's a tough job and one that I couldn't do without ending up in serious trouble.

UrbaneLandlord: No, Gove is not part of a democratically elected Government. Nobody at all voted for a ConDem coalition, did they? Not to mention the fact that their plans to completely wreck the education system were not mentioned in the (Tory or Lib) manifestos.

You are right about being careful about strike action undermining the cause though, and the NUT is working very hard on this by trying to communicate with as many parents as possible. I have run an NUT Stand Up For Education stall in my local market and the reaction has been positive. Parents are not responsive to discussing pay or pensions in my experience as they don't know how teachers' pensions work and are not interested in finding out, but as soon as I mention unqualified teachers teaching their children they are absolutely staggered. Nobody wants just anybody teaching their kids.

Watch the video on www.nut.org.uk. Find out about the real issues involved. We are trying to make things better for YOUR (and our own) kids.

If you fight, you might lose. If you don't fight, you'll definitely lose.

I imagine teachers will come in for most of the criticism even though several other unions will be out on the day.