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.

Haunted I wasnt picking holes in what you were saying or attacking you or whatyou say personally. What you said triggered a thought and raised a question I have. It wasn't personally attacking your point. More a general thought.

I do agree the media have given the impression that it's teacher's shutting schools, but it's far more likely that if schools are shut it will be due to support workers striking. A lot of unions (unison, unite etc.) are striking on 10th July, and a lot of school support staff will also be striking. This may seem trivial, but if people like lunch time supervisors and dinner ladies strike, then the school may have to close, as you can't ask teachers to do these jobs!

Obviously if only individual classes are off, it's likely to be due to teachers striking (but I guess it could be due to TAs striking in some circumstances?). However, whole school closures are probably much more likely to be due to general public sector strikes.

TBH, I think a lot of people might be in for a shock if they are trying to access any other public sector services on Thursday.

Also, a lot of secondary schools have work experience/enrichment week this week, so I'm guessing the strike won't disrupt them very much?

Awsomer I have to be honest I have no idea what the strikes are actually about. I wont even pretend I do. This is alot to do with why I am so indifferent. But I do think the public sector (generally and like other organisations) should be set stretching budgets and targets. Its then down to them to justify why they should get an increase in the budget or reduce/remove targets for example. This is a bit in the air because I don't understand how the management process works with the educational system.

I guess I just want someone to convince me and give me some tangible reasons (without the screaming, shouting and pointing fingers) as to why I should support the fight.

Sorry I'm not well and I'm tetchy.
Our budgets have been slashed. Costs that we have little or no control over keep rising by 10% while our budget decreases at the same rate. I can't reward staff who are comically over worked and stressed. We perform miracles daily. There's no slack. It went about 5 years ago but still we cut. I got promoted. I got no rise. My staff got a cut. There's more to come. Now we rely on more expensive temps who have no long term interest in doing a good job.

I can demonstrate savings. Big savings. But I can't pay someone 1k more pa to motivate them.

Have a look at the link TeamEdward posted. www.teachers.org.uk/files/parent-leaflet-a5-4pp-england-9554_0.pdf

Haunted please accept my apologies. I wasn't intending on sounding like I was attacking you.. It's not my style to attack other people well unless the person in question is a bully, racist, bigot or any of those types of categories then they are are fair game on or off line.

You are in a very challenging position. I very similar challenges. I have an area director that has gone from managing the whole of the team in Lankashire to managing all the teams in Lankashire, Yorkshire and the north east. Went from three area directors to one. I would have loved to give the person in question a better package but I didn't have the budget. The person in question took the role for experience. It makes me sad. I have people that have not had any pay rises in 2 years, others that have been on one/two pc pay rises over a number of years. In addition I have had to make people redundant. It's been a difficult time and if the employees that accepted the pay freezes, reduction in teams and reduced benefits hadn't done that we would have had to let even more people go. It's been hard. I have had untold sleepless nights wondering how do I protect my team. This is the tip of the iceberg.

So I hope people can understand why I need convincing.

'You knew what you were signing up for when you took the job - anyone who strikes should be sacked on the spot'

This is silly, how can a person in the job for even just a few years sign up for all the possible changes that new governments might make in the future?

I do understand the position in the private sector isn't a bed of roses I really do. And if it were just market forces then I think people would get it.

The anger comes in when we do all that we(and like you it is the tip of the iceberg) but still changes and cuts are made for ideological reasons. MPs with their 11% payrise and subsidised restaurants tell us to do better. An education secretary who thrived on academic rigour knows better than people with years of training and experience. Teachers can leave govt employ but go where. I can and almost certainly will leave but for now I need to stay. For my team there are quicksands of government edicts that make planning a nightmare and we are at the mercy of a changing local administration.

Sorry if this is unreadable! Am on phone.

I hadn't heard of the strike until I read it on here last week but a) I'm in Scotland and b) we're on holidays now. Heartily agree with the op though. Schools/teachers can't win no matter what they do. And teachers don't set policy/rules/fines or whatever. In my school everyone from the janny to the HT is a working parent - wish people would also remember that .

ILkeWarmHugs please be assured I am not attacking you. What you say below also happens in the private sector. It only takes a change in strategy, new owners, a JV etc. and everything changes. Ultimately regardless of what people signed up for when they accepted the role, they are expected to change and adapt.

I really struggle to see the difference.

This is silly, how can a person in the job for even just a few years sign up for all the possible changes that new governments might make in the future?

I am sorry all. Maybe I should leave the thread because I knw I will just annoy people.

Haunted I think that's another reason the public sector are struggling to the majority of the none public sector supporting them. For every story/experience happening in the public sector, something similar is happening in the private sector. Hence people then respond the way Vseth responded. It's almost a no win situation

I have no idea if DS' teachers are striking, we will find out Thursday morning, so I have arranged with some of DS' friend's mums that if they do a packed lunch I will look after the boys, lots of mums at DS' school are doing the same. its not like the media have kept it quiet!

I received letter today about Thursday's strike.

DDs school not striking (did last time) . I very much support the right to strike and but DH and I are both frontline NHS staff - we can't just work from home or take days leave at minutes notice (can you imagine the uproar if we did leaving patients uncared for) or take DD into work.

DS works and DD1 works...........................in the NHS (frontline as well). Only relatives are elderly. Thankfully when staff did strike they gave enough notice and on one day DD1 was day off so looked after her sister and the other time the out-of-hours school clun (on site but independent) was open.

So by all means strike but remember parents do need notice to change arrangements.