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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Teachers strike

62 replies

PaTCh64355 · 27/01/2023 15:04

I appreciate this has probably been covered a lot in here but I can’t find a good summary. please could some teachers explain why they are striking.

my natural instinct is not to support the strikes. Children have been put through so much over the last few years, not to mention the impact on working parents. I’ve never worked in the public sector so have no understanding of unions.

this is honestly not meant as a goady post - I really want to understand the teachers position so I can be informed.

OP posts:
Nellodee · 31/01/2023 22:10

Everyone gets to see the inside of hospitals. We can see they’re run down, under funded, under staffed. The public don’t get to see the inside of schools in the same way. People don’t die, they’re not queued up outside classrooms on trolleys, but all the same kind of problems exist. Not enough staff, not enough investment. All our services are run down into the ground. It’s not just nursing, it’s not just teaching. It’s councils and social workers and probation, libraries, roads, social care. The entire fabric of society is fraying due to the massive neglect and self interest of this corrupt government. The whole bloody lot needs sorting out, it’s more than just each area separately.

Postapocalypticcowgirl · 31/01/2023 22:20

Unions aren't just for those in the public sector... If you have a job, you honestly ought to educate yourself about unions.

In terms of teaching:

Right now in the county where I live, I know of schools who can't recruit teachers for science, maths, compsci, languages and geography. I know of schools who can't recruit, full stop.

This is a county where even in 2019, the teacher shortage wasn't really been felt in the same way as some other parts of the country.

The impact of this is:

  1. Rising class sizes

  2. Students not being taught by subject specialists or qualified teachers.

  3. Students being taught for long periods by short or long term supply.

  4. Schools that are stretched to breaking point with cover etc on a "normal" day, so when anything goes wrong, you end up with large groups of kids being "taught" communally in the hall etc.

You say we shouldn't strike because "children have been put through so much in the last years". The current situation in schools is not helping them catch up academically or supporting them emotionally. If anyone deserves a decent education by properly qualified teachers, then it's surely kids who have been impacted by covid. But they aren't getting it, and recruitment figures to teacher training this year suggests things will only get worse.

In terms of "the impact on working parents"- the only way this strike will be won is if the impact on the wider economy is big enough that the Tories have to negotiate properly. Being blunt, I care more about the kids I teach who don't have proper, permanent teachers in other subjects, or the kids who won't have them in the future.

Postapocalypticcowgirl · 31/01/2023 22:23

Fairislefandango · 27/01/2023 17:35

I doubt I know a single teacher who would choose a payrise above a reduction in workload. Instead of worrying about the lost learning caused by a few days of (some teachers) striking, parents should be worrying about the huge amounts of lost learning caused by massive staff absences and failure to recruit or retain teachers, resulting in kids across the country constantly being stuck with ad hoc supply teachers and non-subject-specialists. Sometimes for months. This happens week-in week-out across the country. A few days' strike is a drop in the ocean by comparison.

In any case, it makes no difference whether your instinct is to support the strikes or not!

You may doubt it, but there are schools in many parts of the country that can't recruit teachers in part because the rent in the local area isn't affordable for a single, young teacher.

I know ECTs who have opted out of the pension because it's the only way they can pay their bills.

In terms of recruitment, we need to offer a salary that is competitive with grad jobs in science and maths especially, which currently, the salary isn't, especially early career.

A reduction in workload would be nice, if you're comfortable, but I think economic factors play a big part in people leaving the profession early on, and choosing where to teach.

SeanMean · 31/01/2023 22:25

@Mrsmarula One of the most stupid posts I have ever read on here!😂

Fairislefandango · 31/01/2023 22:52

@Mrsmarula One of the most stupid posts I have ever read on here!

Agreed. Some people clearly don't follow their thoughts through as far as considering the actual consequences, do they?

RaraRachael · 31/01/2023 22:56

Agree too re @Mrsmarula's post.
Would teachers be included in your plan so that they can have a nice cheap term time break too? 🙄

timetorefresh · 01/02/2023 08:26

Some info attached

Teachers strike
Teachers strike
Teachers strike
Welshmonster · 01/02/2023 19:58

I’m leaving teaching at Easter and I’m taking a £10k pay drop because I would rather make significant sacrifices and be happy rather than feeling like I want to crash into a tree every day. Behaviour is awful. I teach in primary and the disruption is ridiculous.
I don’t have any support from a TA. The special needs kids are ignored due to poor behaviour of some who have no excuse other than they think it’s funny.

I can’t wait to leave and I’m going to be working from home alone with peace and quiet.

Welshmonster · 01/02/2023 20:02

More so in secondary schools that subjects like maths and science are being taught by unqualified staff. So not even qualified teachers of a different subject. My kids secondary has an 18 year old cover supervisor teaching maths on minimum wage and that will be a term time only contract. This will mean high turnover of staff.
this is what teachers want to strike about but are limited to pay and a couple of other reasons.

the switch to academies means that education will become the Wild West once all academies as the school will be able to say we can’t meet their needs and move SEND kids on elsewhere because they want to free up space for high achieving pupils to make league tables look good

nodtik · 01/02/2023 20:09

Teachers are striking as the non funded pay rise for teaching and non teaching staff cost my school close to £500k.

Money that should be spent on the students. The pay rise was announced after the budget was set and heads were expected to just 'find' the money!

The only way to do it, was to use money designed to improve the school buildings, buy resources and buy in extra support services for the most needy.

This is why it's a problem!

spanieleyes · 01/02/2023 20:17

We are the same. Just had an email to say we have now run out of money and so nothing more until April, no resources, no supply staff, no school trips, nothing except pure essentials. This because we have had to find the extra pay rise from existing budgets that were already at stretching point.

Postapocalypticcowgirl · 02/02/2023 07:11

spanieleyes · 01/02/2023 20:17

We are the same. Just had an email to say we have now run out of money and so nothing more until April, no resources, no supply staff, no school trips, nothing except pure essentials. This because we have had to find the extra pay rise from existing budgets that were already at stretching point.

It's insane we are in this situation, and you know some teachers will end up funding resources out of their own pockets. And of course then the classes where teachers don't have spare cash are effectively missing out.

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