To ask if schools will close on 1st Feb?

[cosied]

National teachers strike on 1st Feb so does that mean the schools are not open that day?

Has anyone received any communication from their schools relating to what impact the strikes may have?

Ours is open. There's enough staff to cover the minority that are striking.

I'm going to fall back on an oft used trope: it's not a race to the bottom.
I've never had to perform an emergency stop of my lesson because a person has stepped in front of it in order to kill themself.
They're not the same. They both have serious pressure.

I'd really like a teacher to comment on my post from earlier. I DO support teachers. I know it's a tough job and I know that schools are underfunded and there's a massive recruitment problem that will probably only be resolved by increasing pay and I want kids to get the best education possible
BUT
I really think teachers should have to tell the head or the head should just go ahead and decide to shut the school in advance so that we can all plan our lives.
I can't go to work if school is shut. Which means I won't get paid. I could just about accept that being the case because I do support teachers (although I get paid a LOT less and really can't afford to lose the days pay) but if I don't know then I'm going to have to lose a day's pay on the off chance. Which is shit frankly. And I'm sure I'm not alone. surely teachers care about parents in this situation enough to just tell the head numbers?
Also recruitment is a problem everywhere at the moment. Brexit maybe? We've been understaffed at the charity I work for for ages. We advertise a position and either no interest or at least nobody suitable. We're all overworked and I think there's not enough workers in the country as a whole at the moment so I'm really not sure that striking is going to fix the issue, even if you're successful and get the funding. I don't think the government will back down though I'm afraid. There's just too many strikes at once across so many industries.

So depressing to see the teachers strike framed in terms of pitting different groups of workers against each other, or a race to the bottom.

I'm a parent, with a child in school. I'm not and have never been a teacher, it's not my skill set. I want good graduates who do have the right skill set to continue coming into teaching and making their careers there, and experienced teachers to stay in teaching , and for schools to be able to recruit excellent TAs and the TAs be able to afford to stay.

For that to happen, we need teaching to be a respected, fairly remunerated profession, with pay and working conditions for both teachers and TAs that attract and retain high calibre people. Our children's education depends on it. Ten years of pay erosion and increased pressures and corrosive commentary about the teaching profession have led to unsustainable levels of churn and vacant posts, and no doubt to large numbers of good graduates who might have looked at teaching some years ago, not even considering it.

Weigh that in the balance against a few days' lost school time and inconvenience.

On a different note...I've seen mention of picketing. Please someone reassure me that schools that are open won't be picketed? I support the striking teachers as does DS, and I don't want to think the first lesson of the day on 1st Feb could be how to cross a physical picket line he doesn't want to cross.

@Cockerdileteeth it's not just "inconvenience" though is it? My kids are primary age so if they're not at school then I can't go to work so don't get paid. Maybe that's not a problem for you but it IS for me. Like I said I do support teachers, I know they work hard. I'd like to see them get paid fairly BUT they earn a lot more than I do and I don't see how it's fair that I lose up to 4 days pay on the off chance that the school MIGHT be shut. I can't just not go into work on the day. They need to.orgabise cover if I'm not there so if I don't know then I have to assume that I'm not going in. Teachers should have to let the heads know so that they can let families know WTF is actually happening

That wasn't a reply to @Pleasepleasepleaseno btw, and I know I'm lucky to be able to WFH or swap a NWD to strike days, and juggle. Even so, ability to plan would help but I guess we have to plan for the worst until told otherwise.

I'd like to hope parents will support each other by offering to have each other's kids for the day to play and study together, swapping childcare etc. Can you offer to bale a friend out on one strike day if they'll have your child so you can work on the next?

Aaargh, keep cross posting!

The last teacher's strike, (seven years ago?) and am sure teachers can correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't remember an actual picket line at the school (primary).

There was a march by the trade union through the city centre which was very well attended and loads of support.

I don't know what you want me to say! I am despairing at the idea after receiving a healthy pay rise, having the best holiday conditions on the planet bar none and plenty of job security the grasping and greedy still demand more. 5-9% in 2022 I believe.

It is utterly shocking, and ethically and morally incoherent.

I am so tired of whinging teachers complaining about their small offices and poor coffee! We heard relentless whinging throughout the pandemic - that was a whole new level of moaning by teachers because shock, horror they had to work at least a little bit.

In our building - also a government building we haven't had heating for nearly two years. We don't have coffee at all, we have to buy it. We wear thermals on cold days. I am just incredulous reading some of these posts. You have had it far too good for too long.

And those asking about my niece, well it certainly is not over egged! She has been saving for twelve solid years, my SIL contributed a little and her dh to be is also pouring his savings into their new house as well. They have always travelled in the school holidays as her dh can work anywhere.
So it is a wonderful life for them, they have so much freedom. That is what is striking to the rest of us, the sheer freedom they have and leisure time, which these days really is a priceless luxury that you never ever seem to factor in.

I will never agree or support this strike.
You are very, very far from the top of the list of priorities, and I imagine most of you are just doing it to put your left wing boot into this government and country again pushed by the unions. Same as trying to get you back into schools when you refused post pandemic. Yes I know of you some of you helped out with the essential workers, but many didn't/

Not nice. Not nice at all.

I am yet again so unimpressed by your commitment to both your work and the children you are supposed to care for.

@Swissmountains would you say the education system is working, actually not just working, but excelling? Do you feel it is the best education system we can provide? Do you believe that staff levels are not just adequate but conducive to highly effective learning? Do you believe that school buildings and equipment is of the highest standard? Are all teachers the very highest qualified in their field? Do all children have sufficient access to support?

I am yet again so unimpressed by your commitment to both your work and the children you are supposed to care for.

You don’t value education, you say it is nowhere near the top of the list of your priorities.

If you don’t value it, why do you give a shit about anyone’s commitment to it?

Ofsted are going on strike. I don’t value Ofsted in the slightest, so I’m not on a forum banging on about their lack of commitment to school inspections.

Either you’re angry because you actually think it’s important while pretending that you don’t, or you just like being angry at teachers and are using it as an excuse to have a pop.

If you do think the work teachers do is important, then you should be worried that we are unable to recruit and retain teachers, regardless of how cushy you think the job is.

This is not a strike to ask for better buildings or anything like that!!!
It is a strike to grasp and demand more and more money, pure and bloody simple.

Any teacher with a single shred of decency would understand their conditions are not so bad, their pay rise not so awful when compared to the nurses and paramedics and support them! Instead of grasping and putting their hands in the till at the first opportunity. There is no sense amongst teachers just how ill advised this strike is now.

You are stripping away a family's ability to feed themselves in a massive cost of living crisis. You are preventing very disadvantaged children from a day's food and education. The millions of children with mental health issues will again have to face another mini lockdown as their school closes repeatedly over and over again.

Don't you dare try and dress this up as anything other than greed and 'doing something for the greater good' and picketing for new books and equipment! It is so disingenuous and dishonest.

You want more money, again.

At least own it!

Don’t be daft, look to the government if families can’t feed themselves.

Ok.

The strikes are not just about pay. The pay rise has not been funded. We are faced with the prospect of finding something else to cut (heating? staff? paper?) to pay for the amount offered. What do you suggest?

"A teaching union leader has urged the government to put more money on the table for teachers’ pay this year, ahead of talks with the education secretary today.

But Dr Mary Bousted, the joint general secretary of the NEU, said teachers need a salary increase that is “incorporated into pay in a proper way” rather than a one-off payment.

Union leaders are set to meet with education secretary Gillian Keegan today in the first of a series of talks called by the government to avert potential strikes by school staff unions over pay"

Mary is not fighting for books and equipments. Mary is not fighting for pretty offices and better coffee.
Mary is fighting for more money money money for well paid teachers enjoying half the year in the garden!!!

Come on! You can not seriously expect anyone to support this here or elsewhere. Even your own unions warned there might not be the stomach for this with the public, but you just press ahead anyway.

Children are actually starving and cold, already behind with their education. Already struggling with poor mental health and your answer to all of this misery is to strike???

Jesus. Christ.

Some people have zero awareness of the actual suffering and the sheer scale in this country, particularly in families trying to survive the Co:L crisis. And yet you think you deserve even more money...

[bangs head] I am going to the foodbank to drop off our supplies, if you can bothered go along and see what it is like there at the moment. Ours is having to ration now.
Poor kids deserve better than you lot.

This thread has shocked me to the core.
The lack of respect that some posters are showing to those in the profession is reminiscent of the old adage 'those that can, do. Those who can't, teach'.
My DDs went to an amazing school that had minimal turnover of staff which meant there were well seasoned and experienced teachers who, as someone mentioned up thread, passed on their knowledge to the next generation of teachers.
In fact when DD1 started (she's 22 now and I'm too lazy to do the maths!) thee were a few teachers remaining that had taught me.
Since then I'm seeing weekly the school advertising for staff, some of which stay for such a short time.
You have to wonder why.
I'm just bloody glad that DD2 is in yr13 now because I would be truly fearful if we were starting now.
I know teachers who supply their own resources from their own pockets to keep the standards they want to maintain.
It's a true shit show not a race to the bottom.
If teachers have to strike to ensure a better education then I think as parents we need to support them.
Schools are not childcare.
This issue arose during the pandemic when parents were angry they couldn't send their kids to school as they had to go to work.
That's a 'you' problem not the teachers

www.tes.com/magazine/news/general/teacher-strike-pay-talks-ministers-urged-find-more-money

I am hiding this thread now, because the whole topic of teacher strikes makes me feel incandescent. I am utterly sick of the greed in this country.

Children are actually starving and cold, already behind with their education. Already struggling with poor mental health and your answer to all of this misery is to strike???

Indeed, because the government is doing fuck all to solve those issues.

Please email your MP asking them why children in this country are starving, behind with their education and suffering from poor mental health.

Ask why the threshold for free school meals is set at 2018 levels despite inflation. Ask why CAMHs has collapsed. Ask why they refused to fund the £15 billion covid catch up package for children they were advised by their own advisor to set up.

Channel that anger at the right people, the ones who can do something about it.

That might be ok in primary school altho I've never done it, I certainly wouldn't do it in high school when my son is applying to 6th forms next year he is proud of his clean school record.

Thankyou.

Swiss mountain my other half is a teacher until recently no pay rise in years buys his own stationery, works until midnight every night plus half a day at weekends . I also work but we have 2 children we can’t afford a new car or a bigger house teachers don’t spend half the year sitting in the garden it’s tough

@drivinmecrazy
Comments like.this show a real lack of understanding of ordinary people's lives

"Schools are not childcare.
This issue arose during the pandemic when parents were angry they couldn't send their kids to school as they had to go to work.
That's a 'you' problem not the teachers"

Of course schools are childcare. They're very much more as well but they ARE childcare. It's easy to say this sort of crap when your kids are old enough that you won't have to lose pay though isn't it? Or maybe money isn't a concern for you anyway? Meanwhile here in the real world ordinary parents are going to lose pay that we can't afford. And on this thread at least there seems to be no concern about that at all.
I DO support teachers like I've said in all my previous posts (that every teacher on this thread have ignored in favour of getting into arguments with posters who have much more extreme views) but I feel teachers could support the families of their students too by at the very least confirming whether they will be striking or not so that we can make plans.
I like most people don't want (and can't afford) to lose pay for nothing on the off-chance the school is closed.

@Pleasepleasepleaseno schools are not childcare. They are there to educate. Childcare is for parents to deal with.

I wonder if it would be the same advice as given to supply teachers. Union would ask them not to cover for striking teachers.