Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to keep DC off on strike day

42 replies

grumpusmum · 06/10/2014 21:46

NC as some people know my MN username. I found out tonight that because of the UNISON strike next week my DC school is closing at lunchtime, so the HT expects the children to be picked up, taken home for lunch and then returned for afternoon lessons. The afterschool and breakfast clubs (which I use) are also cancelled. This is too short notice for me to get the day off work and whilst my Mum would have DC over at her house, I feel it's unreasonable for me to ask her to do four trips to school in one day. I get the staff have a right to strike but this arrangement seems unworkable. Would it be unreasonable for me to tell the school that I can't accommodate these arrangements and so am keeping the DC off that day or to say that they won't be returning to school after lunch that day?

OP posts:
LuisSuarezTeeth · 06/10/2014 21:48

YANBU. Perfectly fine.

LuisSuarezTeeth · 06/10/2014 21:49

I would do the same in your position.

Hoppinggreen · 06/10/2014 21:54

I would too and I expect other parents will do the same.
Our school is open but all children have to take a packed lunch in

FelixTitling · 06/10/2014 21:57

Yes, I would do that. If your mum can pick them up at lunchtime, they won't miss too much.

Muchtoomuchtodo · 06/10/2014 21:59

YANBU at all, though I would expect that your dc will get marked as having had an unauthorised absence.

5madthings · 06/10/2014 22:00

I would keep mine off as well in this situation, for sstarters we have a two mile walk to school so not enough time to walk home have lunch and then get back for afternoon lessons!

Sallygoroundthemoon · 06/10/2014 22:05

YANBU. It is unreasonable to expect you to accommodate this. Hope they don't mark it against DC.

clam · 06/10/2014 22:20

Of course it's unreasonable. That's kind of the point of strikes, isn't it?

waithorse · 06/10/2014 22:24

YANBU, what a ridiculous proposal from the headteacher. Are many schools striking ? My dc school have said they will let us know nearer the time. It's next week ? Hmm

BlackeyedSusan · 06/10/2014 22:24

I would just not pick them up. let the head teacher supervise them. that way they do not get an unauthorised absence.

after all, letters get lost in book bags/meet nasty accidents in puddles or from leaking lunch boxes.. etc.

cricketballs · 06/10/2014 22:40

the planned unison strike is on the 15th. What I can imagine the op's HT is trying to do is stay open for the day.

Whilst a lot of people moaned about the teachers unions striking; without the support staff most schools can not open as they will have no site staff, no canteen staff, no TA etc which basically means that the school can not function safely

clam · 06/10/2014 22:47

I suppose there's the possibility that, if the HT believes there is a likelihood of parents not collecting their children at lunchtime, then the school might be closed for the whole day.

waithorse · 06/10/2014 23:39

My dc school have said the 14th. Must be different in different areas. Confused

wobblyweebles · 07/10/2014 01:37

The school should either be open as normal or close completely IMO.

FrancesNiadova · 07/10/2014 05:12

Waithorse, I know with other school strikes, we got a letter from the head asking us to listen to the local radio station because staff didn't have to let him know if they were striking until the day of the strike. I don't know if it's the same situation this time.

cricketballs · 07/10/2014 06:12

Apologies, meant 14th October Blush

WinifredBanks · 07/10/2014 06:35

You want to hope that this is a one-off; the long-running teachers' strikes of the 1980s meant that we spent large chunks of time over several years having to go home each day at lunch and with no extra-curricular activities....

Original poster
grumpusmum · 07/10/2014 19:49

Thanks for all the replies, I thought I might get flamed but you've been really helpful. One of my DC has got an invite from a very kind mum to give her lunch and to have her over for a play after school on strike day but I'm going to send a letter into school at the end of this week saying that my other DC will not be able to come back to school in the afternoon. I'm prepared for this to go down as unauthorised absence but I'm hoping the head will appreciate how difficult a situation this is and not make an issue of it.

OP posts:
wobblyweebles · 08/10/2014 02:56

You want to hope that this is a one-off; the long-running teachers' strikes of the 1980s meant that we spent large chunks of time over several years having to go home each day at lunch and with no extra-curricular activities

Yes I remember that. I lived nearly 3 miles from school, so I just wandered round town every lunchtime, and sat in McDonalds a lot. Absolutely no after-school sports or anything else.

threepiecesuite · 08/10/2014 18:47

As usual, the high school where I work probably won't get their act together enough to tell us until the day before.

LittleBearPad · 08/10/2014 18:49

Packed lunches surely would be the solution.

LittleBearPad · 08/10/2014 18:50

Sorry OP not to your situation where yanbu. But to the whole issue

Hulababy · 08/10/2014 18:55

14th October is NOT a teacher's union strike. It is UNISON and it will be the support staff who are on strike - TAs, admin, care takers, mid day supervisors, etc.

The teachers cannot be directed to cover for the striking staff - so they can't be asked to supervise packed lunches, etc. or break duties of a striking member of staff.

In the age where many children go to school outside of walking distance and with more dual working families, going home for lunch will often be unworkable. How the school deal with that I am not sure.

Hulababy · 08/10/2014 18:56

LittleBearPad - who would supervise the children over the lunch break?

maninawomansworld · 08/10/2014 18:56

Keep them home, sod that, far too much aggro for 1 flipping day!