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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Would you support a teaching strike?

264 replies

Strictly1 · 02/10/2022 18:00

Unions are currently talking to teachers regarding the proposed pay rise and government funding.
I do not want to strike but also know changes are needed for our children’s sake. With dwindling external support from agencies - schools are being expected to do more and more on limited resources that I predict will reduce due to squeezed budgets. The proposed pay rises are not funded. None of it is sustainable.

I honestly do not know what the realistic solution is.

YABU - you do not support teachers striking
YANBU - you do support teachers striking.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
5
Macaroni46 · 02/10/2022 18:58

Strictly1 · 02/10/2022 18:43

Support staff are fantastic, do a vital role in schools and should earn more. This should not mean that experienced teaching staff shouldn’t earn a decent wage after a degree and post grad qualification?
My support staff leave as the children do (quite rightly) but the teaching staff continue to work long after.
Let’s not make this a battle between support staff and teachers!

Exactly this.

tryingtogrowarosegarden · 02/10/2022 18:58

I'm a parent, but would support the strike, purely on the basis that if, (in theory) school strikes for better pay and conditions it will benefit my children at school now or if in future my children want to work in school it will benefit them also.

LateNightTalking · 02/10/2022 18:59

@LuluBlakey1
"After 6 years when teachers can get additional points on the Upper Pay Scale for skill and experience- and they are not hard to get:
a classroom teacher can earn up to £43,685 with no additional responsibilites"

I've been teaching 10+ years and am not UPS due to medical time off, a ruthless head and now it DOES come with additional responsibilities.

rongon · 02/10/2022 18:59

Yes!

Wakemeuuuup · 02/10/2022 19:02

I know staff need to be paid more but my kids are yr 11 and yr13 so I can't support a strike. They've missed so much school in the last few years so a strike could be devastating for their results

Workyticket · 02/10/2022 19:02

Yes. I support you

I teach in FE (I have QTS etc) and we're a few ££k and a few weeks holiday behind you guys too

I'm gearing up for days 4 and 5 of 10 strike days with UCU on Thursday and Friday. The turnout to our picket line had been massive - people have had enough

I'm 23 years in and still love bits of my job but I'm broken hearted seeing young, keen staff come in and leave within a ear or so as it's just too big a job to do without losing put on life.

Ilovemycatalot · 02/10/2022 19:03

But where is the money for all these payrises coming from? So many industries striking or about to strike and a country in a financial mess.

JulesCobb · 02/10/2022 19:03

Wakemeuuuup · 02/10/2022 19:02

I know staff need to be paid more but my kids are yr 11 and yr13 so I can't support a strike. They've missed so much school in the last few years so a strike could be devastating for their results

There are always someones children in year 11 and 13.

Ilovemycatalot · 02/10/2022 19:04

I understand it’s not just about pay but that’s obviously part of it.

CarpeVitam · 02/10/2022 19:04

*NOBLE GIRAFFE
*
We're not allowed to strike about the massive issue which is that the government isn't funding the pay rise that we have been offered. If we do get the (real terms pay cut) of 5%, that's got to come out of money schools had budgeted for other things - so cuts to education provision.

We're also not allowed to strike about how school funding has been cut to the absolute bone over the past 12 years and how we are now facing further funding cuts (what is there left to cut?) in order to fund tax cuts for the rich.

We're not allowed to strike about how the government has destroyed education provision, SEN provision, child mental health provision and the burden this has placed on schools.

We are not allowed to strike about them, but the anger this has created against the government by education professionals will certainly be in our minds when we fill out their ballot papers.

And a 5% pay rise is a pay cut. When energy costs, petrol costs, food cost, mortgage payments are increasing, teachers, along with other workers, will be worried about household finances. If there is money available to give the richest a pay rise so that they can increase their spending, then the govt can go fuck themselves telling everyone else that sadly there's no magic money tree, or that it 'might' fuel inflation. Had enough of it.
*
THIS!* 🖕

TheRubyRedshoes · 02/10/2022 19:06

@LuluBlakey1

What's the Sen allowance please

DotBall · 02/10/2022 19:06

Tadpoll · 02/10/2022 18:39

Sorry, but nearly £40k for a primary school teacher is pretty bloody good.

My DS took a role on £35k at 25 with 2.5 years experience (6 months in the role for which he is paid £35k), is not degree educated but is bright and picks things up very quickly and can see where and how to improve systems. Within another 2 years he is highly likely to be on a salary of 60k.

40k for an experienced primary teacher is seriously crap.

JelloFishy · 02/10/2022 19:06

It's not right that newly qualified teachers are opting out of their pensions because they cannot afford it.

JelloFishy · 02/10/2022 19:06

It's not right that newly qualified teachers are opting out of their pensions because they cannot afford it.

Workyticket · 02/10/2022 19:10

I teach in FE (have all the relevant qualifications and uni debt that goes with them)

Top whack at my college is £36k - I have 23 years teaching experience, never failed an observation, get top results every year etc.

I don't want to move into management and the classrooms can't afford to lose us old, experienced workhorses so I'm stuck on that until retirement.

ILoveAllRainbowsx · 02/10/2022 19:11

This reply has been deleted

This has been deleted by MNHQ for breaking our Talk Guidelines.

Wakemeuuuup · 02/10/2022 19:14

JulesCobb · 02/10/2022 19:03

There are always someones children in year 11 and 13.

Show quote history

I know that but the question was would I support a strike and the answer for, this year, is no.

My yr 13 child in particular has had so much disruption with gcses being teacher assessed etc that strikes during his a level year could have a huge impact on his grades and the university course he could get on

Simonjt · 02/10/2022 19:15

Yes, I do rugby tots, I can’t get 10 kids under control, the fact teachers can both manage their behaviour and teach them things is an actual miracle.

Cocokitty · 02/10/2022 19:16

I forgot that part @JelloFishy. Can't afford to pay in to DPs pension either currently. Until we get on an even keel and have some actual savings (even just £500 for emergencies would be lovely!) then pension is just a wishful thought. We live month to month. I joined mine 3 years ago (NHS) as I couldn't afford it for the first 11 years post qualification. We can't both afford it. So I'll keep mine and he will hopefully join his in the next few years. I'm 37 and he is 36 BTW. Both our lives have been a financial struggle one way or another. Both of us have found it extremely difficult to "better ourselves". We don't have a high mortgage, or have holidays, or fancy cars (his is an 07 suzuki ignis, and is absolute junk) and we live in a "cheap" area of the North West. Fuck knows how any other public sector workers afford to live.

Podgedodge · 02/10/2022 19:17

In Scotland so not sure about different conditions, but we are not allowed to strike over anything except pay…

Blahdeebla · 02/10/2022 19:18

LuluBlakey1 · 02/10/2022 18:26

I don't think the pay if most teachers is low. It is low of new entrants to the profession but rises quite quickly now.
After 6 years when teachers can get additional points on the Upper Pay Scale for skill and experience- and they are not hard to get:
a classroom teacher can earn up to £43,685 with no additional responsibilites
a teacher who is, for example a Head of a core dept like English or Maths, can earn up to £58, 300
an additional SEN allowance is up to £4,700 on top of those numbers
Lead Practitioners- teachers who are excellent and help other teachers improve can earn up to £67.700
SLT earn between £44,300 in a tiny school up to £123,000 in a huge school as a Head.

You can add additional thousands to those for London and the Fringe.
13 weeks holidays.

I don't think many teachers are poorly paid. Those figure all go up to those points and not everyone reaches the top of every scale but they're not poorly paid.

DH is a Head in a secondary school and he is well-paid. I was well-paid as an Assistant and Deputy Head.

A newly qualified teacher starts on a minimum of 28,000 but within 4 years is on 32,000 and within 6 years of starting is on a minimum of £38,000 if they have not been promoted.

That's not true for Primary. To be post threshold (the amount you've put ) you have to keep a record for 2 years of how you are integral to the wider school. To do this you usually have to have been an unpaid curriculum lead for 2 years and maintain an impact on whole school progress. It's quite hard to prove unless you have unpaid additional responsibilities before applying.

Automatic progression through the pay scale was also changed years ago so noone is on a 'minimum' after a certain number of years.

Cuppasoupmonster · 02/10/2022 19:20

Good luck to anybody striking, they have my full support.

Shiboleth1 · 02/10/2022 19:21

Yes. I support all people who choose to strike.

LuluBlakey1 · 02/10/2022 19:22

Currently I am working 2-3 days as a consultant, employed by a local authority to support 2 Heads with safeguarding issues/ other leadership issues.
When DS2 starts school next September, I don't know what I will do. The plan was always to go back to teaching full-time but I don't want to.
Local authorities, academy chains (and schools) often struggle to find staff and expertise for school improvement/development work up here in the north-east and I have found myself inundated with requests to work on a consultancy basis.
It means I am self-employed and can do as much or as little as I like and agree my own hours/times/ rates of pay. The government puts money into funding that is available to draw down for these services when there are difficulties, because it supports their notion that local authorities are something that can be reduced if they can buy services in. I'm not their staff so employing me is short-term and they have no permanent contract to worry about. It suits me at the minute. I don't want to work full-time in a school or anywhere else at the minute- we have 3 DC aged 3-7 and I want to maintain some balance at home.

The local authority I am working for does not have the senior school improvement staff to support the two new secondary heads who have inherited schools with challenging problems, that could fail OFSTEDs if they do not get a grip of the issues. It is a small local authority that already has a secondary school in Special Measures and two more would be a disaster for it. They have appointed 5 senior school improvement staff in the last 3 years who are either off on long-term sick or have left quickly.

In addition, all support services for schools have been cut back, particularly in SEN, School Improvement/Development, support for issues that have been exacerbated by the pandemic- attendance, behaviour, CAMHS and other mental health, assessment services, work-related learning provision. The pandemic has left a big footprint on many vulnerable schools and schools in vulnerable areas.

My best friend has left her role as an SEN school improvement officer because all of her staff were off on long-term sick overwhelmed by the whole SEN processes and unable to deal with the barrage of cases with so few resources, or they have gained a promoted post elsewhere. She left in August and gets phone calls/emails every day asking her to do consultancy work because local authorities have no staff experienced enough and are struggling to appoint them.
I think schools are under enormous pressures- secondary and primary schools. Behaviour, attendance and mental-health issues are very big issues at the minute in a number of authorities locally and staff feel like they can not do any more which causes real stress. One school my friend works with has advertised their SENCO job 4 x since Christmas and not been able to appoint anyone to it.
It's tough at the minute in schools.

noblegiraffe · 02/10/2022 19:22

Wakemeuuuup · 02/10/2022 19:14

I know that but the question was would I support a strike and the answer for, this year, is no.

My yr 13 child in particular has had so much disruption with gcses being teacher assessed etc that strikes during his a level year could have a huge impact on his grades and the university course he could get on

Show quote history

Do you know what would be really disruptive for your kids in exam classes?

If their teachers quit and got a better paid job as suggested by the govt they should do if they are struggling to pay their bills.

If you value your children’s teachers, email your MP and ask for your concerns about imminent strike action, and the hope that pay rises to avert this will be forthcoming, to be forwarded to Kit Malthouse, Sec of State for Education, and the Chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng. You should get a response from the DfE and Treasury addressing your concerns.

You can easily write to your MP using www.writetothem.com