To be really worried about proposed teacher strikes.

[katedan]

In England not Scotland for context. My twin daughters are year 11 and I am terrified about the impact of teacher strikes on their GCSEs. They have not yet covered the curriculum and every day counts to get them exam ready so strike days will be disastrous for year 11 and 13 pupils ( and lots of other children especially those who are vulnerable) these kids have had their education impacted by covid and now strikes. This will make the divide between state and private schools even bigger. Do you think they will go ahead or if a safety net will be put around exam years if it does.

Are we able to switch unions and strike now though? Since we weren't part of the ballot of the union we're joining?

All teachers can do is refuse to take on these supply roles not offering a pension/sick pay.

Except I imagine teachers need to put food on the table and if that’s all that’s on offer…

There is so much stuff on the net that they can access if they are proactive. One of mine didn't like a module their school was doing for an A level subject so decided to do the one they wanted. They did fine, school accommodated the module they wanted ot take on exam day. At year 11 and 13 they don't need to be spoonfed. They can use the time to get ahead with revision which they need to do anyway.

Then they can work in Asda for the same pay?

On days where there has been a strike and the school closed, non striking staff have come in as normal and done admin type stuff.

Yes. And you don't even have to switch. You can be in more than one union.

Nothing will keep me in teaching now, not even pay- its the crappy side of the job, the poor behaviour and stupid SLT decisions. I returned from mat leave 2 weeks ago, currently 25 weeks pregnant and seriously considering going off on WRS as I just cannot cope..

@DisneyChops Yea you can, and please do!

Solidarity fellow teacher strikers 👊

A few missed lessons? I would be more worried about the YEARS some children will face being taught by supply teachers or teachers not qualified in the subject that teach. On the news a while ago was the shocking statistic that one in 8 secondary maths lessons are delivered ( I can’t say taught) by people with no maths qualification. Many schools are unable to offer a wide science curriculum because of the shortage of science teachers, ditto modern foreign languages. A few days, equating to a few missed face to face lessons, pales into insignificance when you wake up to the likelihood that many children will spend much of their secondary education being taught by newly qualified, supply ,or teachers not qualified to teach the subject.

Yes. My friend is a union rep and another friend asked this in a group chat. You can join NEU today if you want and join the strike.

Show us the evidence that SS referrals go through the roof during strikes, seeing as the last school strike was in 2008.

Yes agreed. DD is sitting A'levels. She already missed so much teaching and didn't sit GCSE's because of covid. Hoping any strikes don't affect A'levels too much.

She should report for work as normal and will be paid as normal. She should not cover for striking staff though.

Thanks @MrsHamlet. I won't pass that on as I'd rather she heard it from her own head, was just thinking if her oay was cut because school closed, I'd take a meal round for her family.
When you say she shouldn't cover, is that out of solidarity? I get that the strike will have less of an impact if TAs can cover ( I think she's at a level where she is allowed to cover for short term absence? )

"If you look you’ll see I was responding to the idea that it’s easy for parents to arrange childcare given they have notice of strike days"

@Jellycatspyjamas I didn't say it was easy. I said it's doable for many people. The fact you're taking every day off with your kids suggests a situation where you don't have another parent to share the load, no family etc.

That's not the norm and this employer was saying they won't be able to keep all of their staff on due to 70% of them not being able to arrange something. If that was me I'd be working with my colleagues to find a solution rather than lose my job!

@katedan "However referrals will go through the roof when schools close due to strikes and the safeguarding of vulnerable children will be difficult as kids will be in homes where they are not safe or unsupervised as their parents on zero hour contacts have to work."
Are those children only vulnerable on strike days then? What about after 3.30pm each day? Weekends? Holidays?

Well good luck to the teachers I support the strikes. Long, long overdue.

I am terrified about the impact of teacher strikes on their GCSEs

This is disproportionate.

Then they can work in Asda for the same pay?

What a great reward for the years of training and education. “We won’t give you job security, continuity of service or any future pay increase or pension, but you can come a teach these kids, that would great. Or go and work in ASDA, we don’t care”.

Besides which, if all the teachers are working in ASDA, whose going to teach your kids?

I think the “evidence” is the Daily Mail headline about teacher strikes and vulnerable children.

It will be individual teachers, not schools.
One school could have teachers spread across more than one union.

So, for example, during the last strikes we had some classes open as normal and some classes closed, if their teacher was in the affected union.

Just a few notes:

1. teachers get no more paid holiday than any other worker.

2. there is a huge difference between a child missing a day of school with the rest of the class is being taught and the whole school being closed. When the school is closed they don’t miss a lesson.

3. NEU is open to all school staff, not just teachers. A number of support staff have said that although they support the strike they are unable to strike as they can’t afford to miss a day’s pay.

My son attends a special needs school. His is closed on weds and Thurs this week due to nhs nurses striking and there being no provision in the school on those days. When the teacher strikes come that will be more days lost. It plays havoc on his routine and we always have a bad 5-6 days after a disruption.

But, I'm behind them (both nurses and teachers) 100%. They deserve what they're requesting - and more.

I was joking, a person working in Asda won't be earning the same pay or getting the good pension/sick pay. They'll be most likely on minimum wage, a basic pension if they've opted in and most likely receive statutory sick pay that they can only receive after the first 3 (unpaid) days off sick.

I can only think social workers aren’t in strike due to having a crap union.

Tgey must be falling apart at the moment.

I do assume that the homework set after the lesson befor the strike will suddenly double and it due the next lesson after the strike.