To think the only way forward now for school staff is to strike in Jan

[OverTheRainbow88]

Sadly, I believe, the only way forward now for school staff in to strike in Jan.

Schools are unsafe, understaffed and not ‘covid secure’. This will get much worse in Jan when people are allowed to meet inside in a 3 household bubble and travel freely around ( in England at least).

I have teacher friends and I want them to be safe at work. I think though, when we hear about teachers talking about striking, many people do roll their eyes. Possibly because, at least throughout my years in education and beyond, there have been so many strikes (or threats to strike). It's created an impression, for some, that this is what teachers do.

I do agree the teaching unions have historically got it horribly wrong in terms of engaging and pulling in public support. Teachers are paying the price for this.

I hope this doesn’t come across as snarky - they are genuine questions.

How did you end up in a situation where you are swabbing kids? When my kids have needed tests I order one or go to the testing centre and do it myself. Our school and teachers have never been involved. Is it an LA thing?

What was the situation when you did it on your way home which made you late for nursery? Is it presented as part of your job to do this? Or you did it out of the kindness of your heart? (You do sound very generous, having the kids come and work in your garden etc).

I suppose what I am wondering is has the testing become officially part of your job (and other teachers) or is someone taking advantage of your good nature?

@unmarkedbythat

Thank God nurses and doctors get to wear PPE. That they ask patients to sanitise their hands on arrival and wear a mask. That the often have a window to open. That those working frontline now get 2 tests a week.

Our patients are MH patients. They often can't wear masks due to risk to self or others, or can't wear them as they are too ill to comply. Our wards do not have opening windows. None of us get tests. I do wish people complaining about the misrepresentation of the reality for teachers would think before they type about the reality for other working groups.

This. Your posts sums of up nicely.

There people in other areas of work that are going to be at a higher risk. Never heard any other group wings and moan so much as I have of teachers on here.

You’re not the only group that have to work. If it doesn’t suit you, leave!

Getting whiplash from all this DfE / Gavin Williamson nonsense

One minute they are threatening to sue schools for closing early and now we are being told to do staggered starts

Useful flurry of last minute announcements as some school have already finished, some finish today and some tomorrow. It just shows that they have absolutely no idea of how schools operate.

Complete and utter tossers

I hope those that do strike get told to take leave (unpaid) if they are that concerned

@TableFlowerss

But let’s have a full 5 day family Christmas as big as you like, invite all your extended family and party party party, mix mix mix... e right, we’ll just close the schools and the rest of the surviving business, may as well finish them off!!

But get your priorities right and have the best massive family Christmas 😤😤

You're the only person who's said this. We've been explicity told to do the opposite.

@TableFlowerss

I hope those that do strike get told to take leave (unpaid) if they are that concerned

Teachers don’t get paid on strike days and it also impacts on their pension

Volunteers, including parents, can be asked to carry out the testing due to start in secondary schools January. Problem solved!

OverTheRainbow88 do you know of some way schools could be made safe and still function? I mean suppose you were in charge. What is it you would actually do?

There may be some minor changes that would help, but it seems to me that the only real way is to close all the schools. To abandon education and of course send home every worker who has children.

🙄

@Livelovebehappy

Come on.... strikes have never worked and all they do is cause disruption for everyone, including the children. The government will not give in to blackmail. Why aren’t schools taking responsibility for putting their own processes in place? You don’t have to be sat there wringing your hands - the heads should be formulating their own processes to make the school environment safer.

This.

The government guidance was just the minimum that schools were required to do. Schools can add extra measures, and many schools have done that. My DC's school have staggered drop offs/pick ups, parents asked to wear masks even though they're outside, teachers wear visors, majority of lessons in the same classroom, staggered lunch breaks and the playground is sectioned off into year group areas.

There has only been one covid case all term, and we were tier 2, and are now tier 3.

@LastTrainEast

Firstly, we need more funding, extra cleaners in schools would be a Godsend. Students, who can, wearing masks, Staff being encourage to wear masks, I would impose fines on those sending kids in whilst awaiting test results. We need better/some ventilation in classrooms, We need mass testing, but not mass testing to replace self isolation. We need no mixing at Christmas. The Government should be paying for hand sanitiser etc.
Those are a few off the top of my head!

@drivingmisspotty

I explained the circumstances and then realised it was maybe included too much personal detail so deleted it. I basically did it out of goodwill to get the kids back into school and know who close contacts were over different year groups bubbles.

The point is - they are allowed, it won’t be illegal.

They’re allowed to meet in a group of 8, across 3 household. That’s hardly massive family gatherings and the guidance is tighter outside of England. It’s certainly not the usual - both sides of my family usually have a number of gatherings with 20+ people present. This year I’m seeing one sibling and they’re partner. I’m happy with that because I’m mindful of risk.

It wouldn’t be legal to have massive family gatherings and while I don’t doubt some folk will push the rules, I suspect they’d do that regardless of guidance or legality.

Oh just go for it! Make the day of Boris and crew, and then the whole country will blame teachers instead of the government as the country grinds to a total halt, and any sign of digging our way out of the mother of all recessions is totally lost.

If you really feel NOW is a good moment, when the county is on its knees already then just do it, put the boot in - you will then deserve the nuclear backlash that comes your way. You should not be teaching anyone at all if you do not have the IQ to work out what the consequences will be.

You are not untouchable. Everyone has a limit, and if you really want to go there, then go for it - strike and see what happens.

People have really had enough. They really have.

You have been warned.

we need more funding, extra cleaners in schools would be a Godsend. Students, who can, wearing masks, Staff being encourage to wear masks, I would impose fines on those sending kids in whilst awaiting test results. We need better/some ventilation in classrooms, We need mass testing, but not mass testing to replace self isolation. We need no mixing at Christmas. The Government should be paying for hand sanitiser etc.

All of this sounds eminently reasonable.

What are you going to do?

You all seem to forget that a lot of teachers are parents too.

Students, who can, wearing masks, Staff being encourage to wear masks,

Students in our local schools have been told to wear masks, all teachers unless clinically exempt are also instructed to wear masks, parents wear masks for drop off and pick up. Surely those measures are already available to schools? I know in our school there’s a budget surplus because they can’t buy in the usual external supports and services - the head has used that money on additional cleaning, sanitiser etc. Some of this is within the control of individual schools.

There will be school staff who will have problems at the start of next term anyway with all of this staggered start stuff being announced

And what do the teachers hope to achieve by striking? What do they want? Another 6 months off on full pay while the rest of us struggle on?

@sedona123

Thats great. Mine is doing all of these things. Haven't got so lucky. 5 staff cases this week including my own. Had previous staff and child cases too. It really is a lot more about luck...

The current issue is that schools are now being directed to become less safe. in particular, by being directed to conduct inaccurate testing of close contacts rather than isolating them. This is something not happening in any other sector or any other country - because it is not safe.

Further, schools are having their autonomy taken away by the DfE - see what happened to a small number of schools and councils who tried to move to online learning for the last week before christmas due to high numbers of cases. Schools know their own unique contexts, but aren't being permitted to act on this knowledge. It really is a disgrace.

I wouldn't strike but would certainly support action short of strike, which would include refusal to carry out unsafe testing...

Our kids and teachers wear masks. And the uniform has been amended so that the kids can wear gloves and fleeces in classes as the windows are all open all day. Times are staggered. The kids wash their hands 4-5 times a day. bubbles are maintained. Entire years have been sent home to isolate because of a positive covid test for a parent of one kid.
Kids are asked to bring hand san in and no kids with any kind of cold symptom is allowed in school.
OP is your request that teachers get to wear the kind off PPE you see on a Covid ward??

It is entirely possible we will see parent counter protests, that could make life very difficult.

It is entirely possible the government will snap and include teachers in the essential list of professions that can not strike, and quite frankly I would support this whole heartedly. The striking action will be grossly abused in this case.

It is always teachers isn't it. Pathetic.

they I think one teacher upthread, generously offered just to Easter on full pay might be acceptable, which if they had their way would mean your child starts school again at the end of April.....

@houseinthesnow

What on earth do you even think you mean?

Schools are the only places where the government is proposing a new and dangerous alternative to isolation of close contacts. That's why teachers are venting.

For clarity: There is no union proposal for strike action and hasn't been at any point this year.

'Teachers don’t get paid on strike days and it also impacts on their pension'

Good, perhaps a dose of financial reality will help put things in perspective. Strike by all means, it's a democracy after all.