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.

Ill! How very dare they?!

Strikes are challenging. I’m in Scotland and apparently there will be another 4 strike days before Easter. On top of tomorrow’s and the two previous ones.

Im in Scotland too, my kids have missed two days so far with another one planned for this week and another 4 in the pipeline.

I support the right to strike, but also think the contradictory narrative around school attendance is disingenuous to say the least. On one hand children can’t possibly miss a day of school (for their mental health, to nip off on holiday early etc etc) because it will impact their learning, on the other hand a few strike days will be fine, no impact on their learning.

Strikes do have an impact on kids and parents, otherwise there would be no point in striking - strikes cause inconvenience by their very nature. If they didn’t have an impact there would be no point.

What was the rate of inflation then?

Teachers' pay has gone down in real terms.

I am going to strike. It's not even really about my pay (primary - and I earn barely more now than I did when I had my first DC in 2010). It's about the fact that my secondary-aged DC do not have enough qualified teachers teaching them to achieve the exam results they are capable of. They cannot get teachers because the job simply is not attractive enough. It's hard enough to even get sufficient teachers for the once popular subjects now. As for maths, science, economics, business, DT or other industries where you can earn twice as much for a probably less stressful job, it is nigh-on impossible to recruit.

Yes there will be a few days disruption to current Year 11 and Year 13, but hopefully with the result that all students will benefit from attracting well-qualified teachers into schools.

also think the contradictory narrative around school attendance is disingenuous to say the least.

Teachers do not have anything to do with setting attendance targets.

Strikes are meant to be inconvenient. This is why they don’t take place in the UNPAID holidays

We semi regularly have to close classes because of lack of staff. Better pay and conditions would stop that rigamarole of fuckery. We're certainly not the only school in this position.

Government set attendance targets.

Headteachers and LEAs and MATs just have to follow their guidelines. Take up your issued with them. Most teachers think the rules are bonkers.

Yeah I won't strike on a day I'm not paid. Sorry.

Absolutely. Well done NEU. I have been NASUWT for years but will be switching over this.

I am switching too.
NASUWT were useless.

Could be worse my year 11 daughter has no drama, chemistry or Spanish teacher as they have left or on long term sick. All have subs who can't teach them and they just get told to 'go over' stuff'!

Teachers do not have anything to do with setting attendance targets.

Teachers spend a fair amount of time on here banging on about attendance every time there’s a “should I keep my child off school” type post. They may not set attendance requirements but a good few on here seem to support full attendance come what may - which is very different to teachers I know in real life.

Personally I think if a child’s whole education is going to be ruined by a couple of days off over the year, there’s a problem, and I support anyone striking in the current climate. But if you’d argue a child’s education is impacted by minor absence over the year, you can’t be surprised when parents express concern about the impact of striking on their children’s education.

Since spending just over 4 years in a business management role in a secondary, I back the teachers wholeheartedly. This government need to stop and consider what they are doing to education in this country and what they have managed to do over the last 12 years. This chronic lack of funding is beyond challenging. The ability to attract and retain teachers is becoming near on impossible.

Nearly everyone of my colleagues is looking for other jobs and that's just the support staff !

My children did learn through strikes. They weren't in exam years at the time but during those and through COVID exam years are naturally the school priority .

If someone leaves it's extremely hard to replace them.

It's now even hard to find supply teachers from agencies as every school is in the exact same position.

Teaching is a terrible job now. I'd feel pity even for my worst enemies if they said they were going into teaching.

If you're worried about private schools not striking and pulling ahead in the exams, the NASUWT didn't meet the threshold for strike action in state schools but did meet the threshold for strike action in 172 private schools in England and 12 in Wales, so private school NASUWT teachers will be going on strike in those schools.

Sensible people would be more concerned about the impact on grade boundaries of private schools being way better funded and resourced than state schools rather than the fact that they might get a couple of extra maths lessons.

Why can't teacher's 'strike' during the school holidays for which they are paid?

Erm, because they aren’t paid for the holidays and it would defeat the whole point of a strike.

HTH

It is different because if school is closed, then the lesson doesn't take place and so nothing is 'missed'. Yes, planning will need to be adjusted to make sure all the important stuff is covered, but that is much easier to accommodate than lots of different children missing lots of different lessons and so all having different gaps in their knowledge.

YANBU I'm fed up with all this striking. Lots of public sector workers have got well below inflation pay rises and aren't striking. It's basic economics that if everyone gets huge pay rises inflation just keeps on spiralling up. Yes teachers work long days and do extra hours, they also get long paid holidays! Double anyone else. After covid disruption to our children's education now this, I think it's disgusting. As for earning the same in Adsa...really?? I have several friends who are teachers, did useless degrees that couldn't do anything else with and went into teaching as their only option. I'm not saying they don't work hard and are under staffed, but the same is true for a lot of us.

Lol at teachers striking during the holidays.

In all seriousness though, this is my concern with the strikes. A couple of days will make no difference to the education of most kids. It feels like we don’t have as much lever if you like as NHS staff or even the trains.

Just thinking out loud: don’t kill me …

It's basic economics that if everyone gets huge pay rises inflation just keeps on spiralling up.

No, inflation is dropping and will continue to fall because it was caused by factors other than people's pay.

@BotterMon You appear to not understand how strikes work. And, as others have said, teachers are not paid for the holidays ("during," yes, but not "for").

"Teachers not turning up?" How on earth?!

Re: absence. There is a big difference between one child missing a day or two of school when the rest of their class are in, participating in a planned lesson. They will not properly be able to catch up with what's been missed. However, if the whole class are off, then the lessons don't take place at all for anyone, and will be covered when everyone is back in.

It feels like we don’t have as much lever if you like as NHS staff or even the trains.

Closed schools stop people going to work.

My school won't be affected at all at all teachers are in the NASWUT