Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask if schools will close on 1st Feb?

354 replies

cosied · 17/01/2023 14:36

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?

OP posts:
NeedAHoliday2021 · 17/01/2023 21:21

You can ask but they don’t have to tell the truth/can change their mind. I’m in a hospital. General feeling is, strike is against government not the hospital/school the individual works in. Most people will be honest because they care about the patients/pupils.

Swissmountains · 17/01/2023 21:21

I have just emailed our head and offered to run a Greek mythology day, I have enhanced dbs etc and can help out.

Support staff can easily set story writing or poetry. It can be done.

I can’t believe this is planned so soon after the pandemic.Some children are already so behind, many with significant mental health problems.
Time to step up and fill the void if you can. Our poor children deserve so much more.

MrsHamlet · 17/01/2023 21:24

It's the job of the government to fill the void

saltedpretzel2 · 17/01/2023 21:24

Those in Scotland have you had partial closures? And if so is it just the class of striking teacher that shuts (assuming primary)?

Guidance talks about prioritising key worker kids which is a logistical nightmare if you don't know for definite how many staff you have and every man and his dog now considers themselves a key worker

Oxterguff · 17/01/2023 21:26

Swissmountains · 17/01/2023 21:21

I have just emailed our head and offered to run a Greek mythology day, I have enhanced dbs etc and can help out.

Support staff can easily set story writing or poetry. It can be done.

I can’t believe this is planned so soon after the pandemic.Some children are already so behind, many with significant mental health problems.
Time to step up and fill the void if you can. Our poor children deserve so much more.

🙄

JaniceBingALing · 17/01/2023 21:26

Our school policy is that teachers plan 2 weeks in advance. Do I need to plan the lessons that should be taught on strike I would as usual even though I will be striking? For example, for the strikes on the 1st, I should submit my planning for that day tomorrow, where do I stand?

noblegiraffe · 17/01/2023 21:27

I can’t believe this is planned so soon after the pandemic.Some children are already so behind, many with significant mental health problems.

Kids have been back in school almost 2 years. Imagine if the government had actually ran with the £15 billion covid catch-up package their advisor came up with. Kids might not be so far behind and with fewer mental health issues.

If only the government weren't so shit.

noblegiraffe · 17/01/2023 21:27

Do I need to plan the lessons that should be taught on strike I would as usual even though I will be striking?

No, do not plan work for a strike day.

Flameshame · 17/01/2023 21:28

I’d rather any additional government money went into the actual schools which are having such bad funding problems. Teachers got a nearly 9% payrise a few months ago. More than the 0% I got.

A teacher on the main pay scale can earn anything from £28,000 to £44,756.
On the upper scale, a teacher will earn anything from £40,625 to £53,482.

User16458769 · 17/01/2023 21:28

I don't know, we were planning on going out for the day if the weather was fine

YerAWizardHarry · 17/01/2023 21:28

saltedpretzel2 · 17/01/2023 21:24

Those in Scotland have you had partial closures? And if so is it just the class of striking teacher that shuts (assuming primary)?

Guidance talks about prioritising key worker kids which is a logistical nightmare if you don't know for definite how many staff you have and every man and his dog now considers themselves a key worker

Blanket closures in my own local authority and the one my son attends school in.

Camdenish · 17/01/2023 21:28

I’m a parent. I don’t think the school should be telling me anything, apart from maybe pointing out that there are strikes coming up and these are the days.

My children will go to school and if the school is closed I’ll have to bring them back home and arrange care or get emergency leave at work. That’s the point of a strike. It inconveniences people. It inconvenience my work. Lots of us are mothers so the schools being shut will leave us with childcare to arrange and our work may shut. our child free and non-unionised boss may well be annoyed but…

No one is going to die if I don’t go to work but if they were I’d arrange and pay for childcare for the strike days in advance.

MrsHamlet · 17/01/2023 21:29

JaniceBingALing · 17/01/2023 21:26

Our school policy is that teachers plan 2 weeks in advance. Do I need to plan the lessons that should be taught on strike I would as usual even though I will be striking? For example, for the strikes on the 1st, I should submit my planning for that day tomorrow, where do I stand?

Why do you do that anyway? Who looks at it? How can you possibly know where you're going to be?

Ariautec · 17/01/2023 21:29

Swissmountains · 17/01/2023 21:21

I have just emailed our head and offered to run a Greek mythology day, I have enhanced dbs etc and can help out.

Support staff can easily set story writing or poetry. It can be done.

I can’t believe this is planned so soon after the pandemic.Some children are already so behind, many with significant mental health problems.
Time to step up and fill the void if you can. Our poor children deserve so much more.

Do you have a background in supporting children who are already so behind, many with significant mental health problems?

noblegiraffe · 17/01/2023 21:30

Teachers got a nearly 9% payrise a few months ago.

I bloody well didn't. Neither did most teachers.

5hj56 · 17/01/2023 21:31

Swissmountains · 17/01/2023 21:21

I have just emailed our head and offered to run a Greek mythology day, I have enhanced dbs etc and can help out.

Support staff can easily set story writing or poetry. It can be done.

I can’t believe this is planned so soon after the pandemic.Some children are already so behind, many with significant mental health problems.
Time to step up and fill the void if you can. Our poor children deserve so much more.

Yeah, anyone can supervise and occupy a few kids for a few hours. Not everyone can teach effectively. And this comes on the back of the pandemic because conditions in schools are now more of a nightmare.

Parents who felt they were 'doing our jobs for us' during partial school closures obviously didn't do a great job.

Children are miles behind where they need to be socially and academically and schools can't retain suitably qualified staff to fix this.

Cookiecrisps · 17/01/2023 21:32

noblegiraffe · 17/01/2023 21:27

I can’t believe this is planned so soon after the pandemic.Some children are already so behind, many with significant mental health problems.

Kids have been back in school almost 2 years. Imagine if the government had actually ran with the £15 billion covid catch-up package their advisor came up with. Kids might not be so far behind and with fewer mental health issues.

If only the government weren't so shit.

Well said.

FunctionalSkills · 17/01/2023 21:32

I'd really like to know what dates.
Completely support teachers, more a practical issue.

Metabigot · 17/01/2023 21:32

Coffeellama · 17/01/2023 19:53

I don’t really understand why they wouldn’t just say when asked by the head though.

Show quote history

Because a strike is supposed to cause maximum disruption?

MrsHamlet · 17/01/2023 21:33

Good job the "guidance" admits that schools are just childcare because, whilst I'm sure my y11 and 13 classes will love a Greek mythology day, I'm not sure it'll much help them with their exam prep.

MrsHamlet · 17/01/2023 21:34

FunctionalSkills · 17/01/2023 21:32

I'd really like to know what dates.
Completely support teachers, more a practical issue.

They've been published

Shinyandnew1 · 17/01/2023 21:35

Teachers got a nearly 9% payrise a few months ago.

Did they really? Do you have a link to that please?

It would be fascinating reading for all those teachers who didn't receive it.

itsgettingweird · 17/01/2023 21:35

Swissmountains · 17/01/2023 21:21

I have just emailed our head and offered to run a Greek mythology day, I have enhanced dbs etc and can help out.

Support staff can easily set story writing or poetry. It can be done.

I can’t believe this is planned so soon after the pandemic.Some children are already so behind, many with significant mental health problems.
Time to step up and fill the void if you can. Our poor children deserve so much more.

You're right.

They do deserve more.

They deserve more than a poorly funded education system year on year which means teachers have been covering the shortfall of supplies from their own pockets. More than an education system that has required schools to ask for voluntary payments from parents to cover simple things like stationary.

They deserve more than a system that provides so little in a country where now the CoL crisis means teachers and parents can't afford that shortfall anymore and those who are expected to provide a world class education have had a pay cut of about 15% in real terms.

Our children do not deserve the overworked and underpaid teachers presented to them daily. They shouldn't be thankful for an education system that doesn't look after everyone in it.

Our current doesn't give a shite about teachers or the pupils.

They ALL deserve better.

BrutusMcDogface · 17/01/2023 21:36

I don’t know what to do. I’ve always been NASUWT but my membership has lapsed 😳

Do I join NEU and strike?

I don’t know what’s happening re: other teachers in my school.

pleasehelpwi3 · 17/01/2023 21:37

Patience, patience.....