2 emails within an hour of each other re strikes and holidays

[OhIdoLike2bBesideTheSeaside]

So my kids school have sent 2 emails out this morning, 1 regarding closure dates for strikes

Fair enough I get it

Then in the next email less than an hour later - the importance of not taking your kids out during term time for holidays and them getting behind!!!

I mean the mums wattsapp is going wild

I think they have a cheek to say that!!

YANBU. If I was responsible for communications I would refuse to send out those two emails in such quick succession. They are totally different issues that everyone has an (sometimes strong) opinion on - sending them close together so parents read at the same time isn’t great.

So you think that because it’s important for childrens education that they attend school instead of going on cheap holidays, teachers shouldn’t have the right to strike and fight for fair pay and conditions that would ultimately benefit children.

Thats some really stupid logic.

Families don’t need term time holidays, but children do need to be educated by people that are given the resources to do their jobs properly.

OP, have a watch: vm.tiktok.com/ZMYJ9QTK4/

I think I’ll post this video from Mr P every time a teacher bashing post pops up.

Yes, please watch this.

Most of this messaging comes from higher up than the teachers.
Someone i know is a primary school teacher - I can't remember what it was exactly now but there was a while ago I think schools were closed and kids had been asked to send some work in even though it was near end of school year and a letter had been sent saying it was very important the kids do this work. Teacher I know said she hoped the kids didn't do it as it was completely unnecessary but of course that isn't the schools official position!

To be fair teachers aren't made out to be heroes or whatever, they're always criticised in the press and largely from the public. At least in healthcare when we are getting fucked over the public on the whole support us which makes a bit of difference to morale. Some of the most important jobs are seriously undervalued as well as underfunded.

Unfortunately the shitty pressure from government doesn't stop just because of the strikes. The school will still be getting hounded by their LA, MAT, Ofsted inspector, School Improvement Partner etc about attendance so unfortunately they have to send out these reminders to show they're trying their best with it. Creating their paper chain. The teachers being off to strike is completely different to a child being off to have a holiday.

And why do you think that is?

👏👏👏

Ahhhh ... a good old teacher bash.

You might care to enlighten your Mum's WhatsApp group about a critical component of the strikes. Teachers' pay rises are not fully-funded. That means that the money comes from the school budgets, budgets that are already woefully inadequate. The money is literally taken from the children. Perhaps that might be a more useful topic for them to get in a froth about?

I've only got one left in school but this is still bloody annoying.

My son is constantly having lessons cancelled for ridiculous reasons, he misses one assembly and gets detention.

What we need to remember is that upon inspection it's the headteacher and senior staff who have to answer to Ofsted in regards to absences which they really don't have any control over.
The attendance rules are set by councils and heads have to enforce them.
The fines are also issued by local councils, teachers are not in control of these either.
The class teacher may be handing out the letter but she has no control over its content!

How are his lessons cancelled?

l taught secondary for 26 years. I’ve never come across a ‘cancelled’ lesson.

you Do know that would have been NOTHING to do with "teachers"? attendance and its consequences are set at DoE level Mrs Smith teaching phonics has no say in what time kids have off school

YABU - you are conflating two separate issues.

teachers have no respect for parents and some of them aren’t very bright.

Well, that’s nice.

Do people really think that teachers make the rules about attendance and fines? Do people think that teachers have sent out that email?

The government implement attendance thresholds and, via Ofsted, crucify schools about their levels if they are below are arbitrary number. Note: private schools don’t have this issue at all-they have no attendance fines and parents can take their children out for term-time holidays at will. They often don’t need to though, because their holidays are longer in the first place.

Children are being short-changed by years of Tory cuts. Teachers are striking due to years of Tory cuts-that’s the story here. Look at the bigger picture and think what is actually causing all this.

You are conflating two completely different things. The accusation upthread that they have been sent by “not very bright teachers” who are “taking the piss” is offensive.

That's strange, OP things it's such an easy well paid job I wonder why attendance could possibly be low ?

The majority of Britons don't see that supporting the strikes for better wages and employee rights can help them to get better wages and keep or improve their employee rights.

This. I was in a Dad's WhatsApp group and it was awful - just bashing the teachers, the school, other parents etc.

Soon left that one!

I'm going through an absolutely horrendous time with a teenager with ASD and school refusal. I'm spending hours every day doing what I can to get her in school for at least part of the day.

If I have to tell her the teachers have now decided not to go to school I think it's going to cause massive issues with her ongoing attendance - as if things aren't difficult enough. I can hear her response in my head now "well if they don't need to go into school why should I?"

I'm very much hoping that as a massive academy school they'll manage to stay open and she won't be too aware of some teachers not being in. Fingers crossed anyway.

it's presumably the government who sets the attendance targets and penalises schools for not meeting them. We need to be asking the government to change this, not criticising the individual schools!

That's absolute nonsense.

I take it you and all the other the WhatsApp mummies have swallowed the Daily Mail and Express rhetoric then?

Teachers are striking for a number of reasons, all of them connected to the fact that they cannot provide your little darlings the education they deserve due to the pressures this government and a succession of clueless education secretaries have put them under.

They earn an OK wage..not a huge amount if you are an NQT and the non teaching work and hours they put in is well known. Like most workers, they have seen their wages decrease in real terms when compared to the rate of inflation and the cost of living increases.

The WhatsApp group needs to 1. Calm down - why would you take your kid on holiday if they are going to be behind with the strikes it's now extra important. 2. Consider encouraging more participation of parents/carers who aren't mums so they can share the load.