FFS - you have NOT had 2 days notice of strike action! Sorry, FB again.

[IHeartKingThistle]

School mums all over FB mouthing off about being given '2 days notice' about the strike on Thursday. We had a letter last week saying there may be action on that day and they would let us know. And IT'S A NATIONAL STRIKE! IT'S BEEN ON THE BLOODY NEWS!

If I hear one more person say 'let's fine the school, see how they like it' I may lose it. It's school, not childcare. It's a shitty time to be a teacher and no-one is listening.

Rant over. Feel free to ignore me.

As far as I'm concerned striking proves you have no point not A point. It's bully boy tactics. Nowadays it's about union heads discussing with business/hr. I get why striking was once popular, now it just looks antiquated and daft.

I end up with no more sympathy for teachers et al than I do trains/tubes. There's better ways, or should be in 2014.

BoomBoomsCousin how exactly do you suggest teachers should 'regain their standing in public'?

You suggest they should develop the practice of teaching in an evidence based fashion - how on earth do you think teachers are trained in the first place and under what guidance? Do you think teachers just pull their methodology out of their arses? Why do you think there are tens of thousands of books/articles/reports on the practice of teaching? Where do Universities get their course material from? How are degrees achieved? How has education as a service developed over the years?
Of course teaching is evidence based! That is why so many teachers are angry at Gove, because he is ignoring the research in favour of his own singular and idealistic view of schooling.

Even after teachers have graduated they are constantly reviewing and adapting their own practice on a yearly, termly, weekly and daily basis - that reflectiveness and professional development is what teachers are judged on and what their pay based on.

Honestly, you think you know what teachers do in their working lives but you are very clearly showing that you do not. You have your own idea based on what you've inferred as an outsider and I can tell you that it is wrong.

I've heard nothing from my DCs primary school (high school informed me last week they will be closed).

I would have supported the strike 100% but DS came home today and told me if he didn't go to school tomorrow ( it's move up to to your next class day in this area, but ds is going to high school in another area, and he's already done his move up day) we would be fined £90.
No chance if that as I need free child care! Which it will be... Don't tell me the teacher will have planned for tomorrow and ds will actually do any learning. £90- lol!
The comment pissed me off so much I'm now only 99% behind the strike.

At least I know DD's teacher won't strike. She never will. She totally believes her job is a vocation and the progress of the children she teaches is more important than her pay/pension/welfare.
DD is most about this.

Ausomer you are right the general public do need to become much more politically savvy. I work in the private sector (senior executive director in a global business). Although you can't tell based on my spelling and grammar. Currently on ML enjoying my time with our gorgeous PFB DD.

On the few occasions this subject is discussed the prevailing view is actually very much in line with what Vseth says. I can see people are flaming Vseth but thats actually what teachers and the public sector in general are facing out there. People effectively thinking "pull your socks up/suck it up" the private sector started going through this 5/10 years before it hit the public sector. We understood the choice we faced was take the pay freezes, changes to working practices/hours/job roles and pensions etc. or people would lose their jobs because industry could not afford to carry on as we were. That really is what I hear/have heard discussed and why people are extremely dismissive of the strikes and public sector.

Rather than attacking people like Vseth maybe it would be more productive to help them understand the public sectors fight. Help them/us understand exactly why its different for people working in the public sector to the people working in the private sector that went/are still going through this. Attacking people like Vseth only convinces people tht the public sector are just having a bit of a strop and they will eventally go away. I really believe until that conversation happens the majority of nonepublic sector support just won't be there and unfortunately the prevailing view will continue.

"Even if you are not directly told, common sense should tell you to have plans in place just as if your child is to ill to go to school or if there is an emergency which means the school would have to close"

Most people are allowed to leave work in an emergency. If school closed, a fellow parent could probably cover until I was home.

A whole day of cover that might or might not be needed probably needs to be prepaid or prebooked at work. Which might cause costs/problems if then not needed.

soverylucky, save your sarcasm. I know many teachers personally , and none of them care about the progress of children like DDs teacher. She's quite remarkable.

DS's teacher teaches like it's a competition. The children in her class will make decent progress and achieve the absolute best they can in the SATs. But the SATs are done now. I bet DS is taught nothing tomorrow. DD's teacher teaches like her life depends on it. She will be teaching DD something new 10 minutes after school ended on the last day of the summer term.

Not saying other teachers don't care about progress - just saying DD's teachers is quite remarkable. (Not particularly likable, but quite remarkable )

So I was the only one blissfully unaware of a possible strike until last Friday when I overheard the school office manager discussing it.

I love you TeamEdward

Our school never strike. Never shut yet for one

Boomboom, teachers aren't allowed to teach like that any more. Gove/OFSTED won't let them. They have to teach in the prescriptive way they are told to, with constant exams and assessments for the poor kids.

I work in a primary school and at least half of the time is taken up with assessments and admin.

Our school is shut due to the Unison members being out, not the teachers.
No site manager and his trusty assistant, no kitchen staff, no school.

Thats the primary, the academy is closed Thur and Fri so i have to arrange childcare for 2 days. 2 kids are in and one is off. Friday is yet another raising achievment day. Dd in academy has had so many days off ive lost count compared to the primary dc

She was off last Tuesday as well

Well, op, I received a letter today saying the school may be closed.

I won't find out for sure until 8.30 am on Thursday.

Awsomer yes that was my point. :)

A lot of local government jobs have similar portability issues. Not to the same degree mind you. And other public sector roles have significant issues in recruiting qualified staff at the salary levels on offer. People are happy to rant about the incompetence of public sector employees but fail to consider what happens when you offer low pay to people with marketable skills.

I have not had any notice about strike action though I know it may happen.

My DS has had both Friday and Monday off due to inset days and if I wasn't already on maternity leave I would be struggling. To have had so many strikes, are they actually achieving anything?

There haven't been that many strikes - I can only remember two days in the last few years teachers have striked.

If they aren't achieving anything there will be more strikes.

I said 5 years ago society will end up back where it was it the '70's if things go on the way they are.

Yawn.....

People are happy to rant about the incompetence of public sector employees but fail to consider what happens when you offer low pay to people with marketable skills

But those challenges aren't exclusive to the public sector. We face the very same challenges around pay and retaining marketable talent. In the same way you get biased information about the public sector, all people hear about the private sector in the news is the high reward packages for C-Suite executive but generally that is not reflected through the rest of the businesses.

So the question remains if the private sector can still function with the same challenges, make their businesses more lean, with the support of the wider employment base, why can't the public sector? I really am interested in that comparison.

You're making massive assumptions about my knowledge of the private sector and picking holes in things I say bit not acknowledging clarifications Little.

I have recruited in both sectors. It's embarrassing and depressing in the public sector.

But would you want to make education more lean SweetPea?

(Also, money is only half the reason for the strike.)