Striking teachers / Closed classes

[CuppaTeaNeeded]

AIBU to ask, if you have a school where around 50% of the teachers are striking (which I fully support), have they continued to close the classes of the teaching staff striking or mixed up which classes are closed and moved teachers that are available round?

My DC’s school is closed to all years except 6th form. Year 11 DS has remote learning again ☹️

At my school the TAs are in as normal, paid as normal. They are shared out between other classes or do other work - let's face it most school staff have plenty on our to do list which we never have time for anyway!

My school is mixing it up. The classes that closed last time will, if possible, be open next time. The open classes will receive no teaching though and staff are basically babysitting on strike days.

Schools differ

I was chatting to someone who said their school manages to stay fully open as the HT always tries to keep school open to all as a policy

We’re mixed as Yr 13 is in and other not at state

Surely all headteachers try to keep their schools open for all? But if the teachers are on strike…?

Secondary has closed to all bar yr 11.

Primary, haven't heard yet. Last time around it was selected classes closed.

Here, teachers are not allowed to use parental leave for strike days since they are pre-announced - this rule applies to all council workers, not just teachers.

I’d be surprised if that happens. The unions have instructed us not to cover for a striking teacher in any capacity (including supervision)

@KievsOutTheOven

It impacts all support staff though, so TAs, offices, premises, school dinner etc.

What do you mean?

Our council policy is that no employee can use parental leave for strike days since strike days are notified in advance. This applies to every single person who works in every service provided by the council, even those outside education (for example, librarians, plumbers, social work, refuse collectors) - none of them can take any leave on strike days unless they use their holiday entitlement.

Our school policy doesn't.

Plus we actually care about our staff so do what we can. Luckily only few staff on strike and can be legally covered.

Covered by who? Nobody should be covering for a striking teacher.

My daughter’s class was closed last time, as her teacher was striking, but it’s open this time. A lot of the classes that were shut due to the strike last time are in actually. Does that mean the school have arranged TAs to do it instead?

Our year 6 has 2 classes and 3 teachers. For example.

And it's been run past our HR and the LA.

Is it the same unions that are on strike? You only strike on the day that your union is striking.

If the TA is in a union then they shouldn’t cover work for a teacher who is on strike as generally unions will not undermine the work of another union.

But if one of those teachers is striking @declutteringmymind , the others shouldn’t be asked to cover for them…

They manage it though even with strikes

It’s actually even worse than that. Their unions will advise them not to. Which means they are not covered legally by the union of something was to happen during the time they are acting against union advice.

We were given very specific instructions of what to do if we were asked to cover work for a striking worker:
-get it put in writing
-contact the union

My dc school is closed except for year 11 and year 8 who have a school trip which has been planned for months.

It depends what unions are on strike. Or if the unions coordinate strikes.

In Scotland, EIS is by far the biggest union. They announced strikes and the schools closed on each day.

There are also several smaller unions which have been on strike too. Primary schools were largely unaffected (as the smaller unions tend to mainly joined by secondary teachers) but secondary schools closed to younger children and had the older ones supervised by the senior management team in a central location, with no work set for them to complete.

Now, the unions are coordinating their strikes so full school closure is needed.

Teachers at my school are using parental leave, however parental leave at my place is always unpaid so maybe that’s a factor?

It’s unpaid here too. It’s on our contracts and pre written into the policy that planned school closures don’t count, and strikes are pre planned. I could use it for a snow day though.

My partner and I both work for the same LA so we are pretty screwed on the days that primary and secondary schools don’t coordinate strikes!

Maybe it is surprising but the HT has told us that’s the plan. Obviously there’s no guarantee that the classes that closed last time will be able to open and we won’t know for certain until the day.

Non striking teachers and senior leadership did provide supervision last time, as did TA’s and lunchtime controllers so there’s no reason to think it won’t happen again. I support the strikes completely, but as support staff I’m going to do what my boss tells me to do instead of what a union I don’t belong to tells me to do.