To think teachers should give notice of strike closure!

[Geeds]

I know teachers need to strike, I know they don’t need to give advanced notices, I know the whole idea is to ‘cause disruption’ but surely they also understand that normal working families need notice if they can’t go to work on a certain date?

The school is emailing saying they will ‘let us know by 8am on Wednesday’ about if school will be open or closed on Wednesday. I get 5 weeks annual leave to cover 13 weeks of school holiday, I don’t want to book a day if they then end up open as this will then eventually cost me money when I have to pay childcare in the holidays as I’m out of annual leave. I also can’t really afford the unpaid leave that I’ll have to take it as, if I don’t book annual leave.

I’m not slating teachers for striking, I understand and support the reasons. But AIBU to think they should give us a bit of notice? The strikes will ‘disrupt’ either way, but not giving notice to families is only going to affect the 30 odd parents in your class who also have their own stresses and money worries.

It's bloody shameful for parents to be informed at 8am on the day, I agree. The rules should be that they need to inform the head before hand. Even a day or 2 would be better than nothing.
I 100% support the teachers striking but I don't support the fact that we don't bloody know. Why should we all have to lose a day's pay on the off chance that the teachers are striking? And it is on the off-chance since if the school is open and the kids don't go in then it goes down as unauthorised absence. Primary kids can't be left home alone though so parents have no choice. Teachers can decide whether to strike and lose pay or not, but parents have to lose a day's pay either way

I agree. My sons SEN school gave us a week & a half's notice which is fine, gives them and us parents time to prepare the kids about the distribution in their routine.

My NT kids school is "oh we should be open, but we won't be doing normal lessons but we also might close if we don't have enough staff we will let you know on the morning." Like Wtf.

It's just a joke. It's not that hard to organise surely?!

The school I work in gave parents notice last week of which classes would be in and which not. The school was able to do that because the head is supportive of both the strike and the staff.

It is meant to cause disruption. It is not a child care service.

The headteacher at DC's school sent a newsletter last week detailing the dates of strikes and letting us know what days they will be closed due to the strikes. It is a village primary though so maybe the larger schools are more difficult to workout whether they will have enough teacher's to open safely.

Why is it meant to be disruptive to parents though? Do the unions want parents to suffer? It’s not going to make a difference to the govt whether we get a weeks notice or 20 minutes, so why make working parents lives more difficult.
We don’t all have hoards of adults available and ready to watch our kids at the last minute.
And the ‘school isn’t childcare’ line is really ridiculous, our kids are expected to be there 30 hours a week, so of course we plan our childcare around that.

I know which dc are going in to school. I’m very appreciative of state sixth form making sure they can attend, plus private dc there’s no strike.

"It's just a joke. It's not that hard to organise surely?!"

It's simpler for you to presume they're closed. If the staff go on strike then who do you want to supervise your child?

Ds3's Junior school has informed us this morning that they will be open, so that's fine.

DS1 & 2's senior school has told us they will not be open. Also fine. DH can wfh that day as there are rail strikes too so he cannot go into work (DS2 has SEN & cannot be left in the house without an adult for any extended period of time). However, they are not able to tell us until the day whether work will be set, or whether there will be live lessons. DH cannot supervise work (which DS2 needs) so he pretty much won't do any work until I get home at just after 1pm. I'm hoping he won't get penalised.

This.

"We don’t all have hoards of adults available and ready to watch our kids at the last minute."

Ffs, no. So why leave it until the last minute to make a back up plan? You've known the strike dates for a while now.

Keep your hair on.

Our head gave notice but she is very supportive in general unlike my daughter’s school. No notice there at all.

Dear @LucySaddler

Why don’t you write your article about the current untenable conditions in schools and what the “government” have done (and not done) to mean that teachers are leaving in droves and that many schools are unsafely staffed?

Why don’t you write about how one day of childcare is nothing compared to the situation we’re sleepwalking in to, where masses of children will have no qualified teacher for many of their GCSE subjects, and the ones they do have will be so utterly demoralised and overwhelmed that they can’t do the job they would love to do?

Why don’t you write about the massive and terrifying epidemic of emotional and mental health problems that schools are facing in their young people, with virtually no external support and certainly no funding?

All of these stories are more vital than “shit negligent teachers shitting on kids on Wednesday, the leftie bastards” which is, I’m sure, going to be an easier narrative.

I’ve only read the first page so this might have been asked. I’m prepared to be told I’m wrong but I thought unions had to give a weeks notice of any official industrial action.

@itsnote my backup plan is a day off work unpaid emergency dependent leave. Which I may or may not actually need but if I don't find out till the morning it's too late for me to cancel and I lose my pay for the day anyway (which by the way is a lot less than the teachers get) they get a choice whether to go in and get paid or strike and lose pay. Why shouldnt parents have the same?

Strikes are meant to be disruptive to the country in general. Parents are the "customers" of schools just as commuters are the "customers" of trains. Parents (and thereby workers) suffering is exactly the point.

Train companies have some idea from past strikes as to what proportion of staff are in unions/will strike, and also, I believe, do some reassigning of staff who do come in.

As others have said, heads can ask but there is no obligation for teachers to answer - some will and some won't. Those schools that have already said what they are doing will have had a sufficient proportion of definite answers to make plans.

What about the teachers who are parents, who struggle to support their family on their massively eroded wages while also trying to manage an enormous and stressful workload?

Striking is an incredibly difficult decision for most teachers who feel a deep sense of duty and obligation towards their students. But striking is ultimately for the benefit of future generations of teachers and, believe it or not, students. Informing HTs and parents ahead of time negates the whole point of that difficult and distressing decision.

The strike is happening, and notice has been given.

No one is obliged to tell their employer if they personally are in a union, though.

That's a meeting between the Education minister and the unions this afternoon, to try to avoid Wednesday's strike. So no-one knows for certain whether it will happen. Which means parents can't be given sa definite answer. Any heads who've said they're closing are just playing it safe.

That's out of order ... and I say that as someone who works in the profession! In my neck of the woods, strike dates are publicised well in advance. Last minute isn't exactly going to curry favour, as it's a massive inconvenience to working families in particular
YANBU.

Well, when they feel like it they do. They don't give a rats arse about the children's education on Wednesday.

@LucySaddler added to that list, is the terrifying notion that children needing speech and language therapy in early years has risen dramatically because they've spent their whole lives seeing people wearing masks. SLT and dyslexia are inextricably linked, but schools receive no funding to address the interventions required to identify and support dyslexia. These children will be unable to cope with the curriculum if changes aren't made and funding isn't increased.

The teachers aren't just striking because of pay. But because the government has decimated education to the point where schools literally cannot afford to provide printed homework. They can't afford books. They can't afford pencils. They can't even afford to heat the bloody buildings. This government has annihilated education.

Unions do, and notice has indeed been given (we've all known the strike dates for some time)

That isn't sufficient for the difficulties this is causing

What isn't known is how far each individual school will be affected. Teachers do not have to disclose their personal intentions to strike. So schools may not know until the very morning of the strike whether they have enough staff in to operate safely.

I think the strikers are missing a trick here. If they want to keep maximum parental support, they will voluntarily disclose intentions, then schools have the information on which to base decisions on partial or total closure, and parents who need to can plan. It won't make the strike less effective, and it's the course which is least damaging to the school community

Strike dates are known.

It is not known (unless the info is volunteered) which teachers are in which unions, if any. Two of the four are not striking.

Unions give notice of strike but members of the union don’t need to let anyone know if they are participating.

I think the issue is with your employer. They need to understand this is out of your control and be flexible as to whether you need to take leave last minute on the day and not lose it if it is not required and you can then still go in. I understand it is difficult for employers too, but this shouldn't all be dumped at your door.