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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be annoyed about teacher strikes days

132 replies

Strikedays · 03/04/2023 12:06

Dates of strikes:
2nd March - Thursday
15th March - Wednesday
16th March - Thursday

Proposed dates:
27th April - Thursday
2nd May - Tuesday

Am I BU to be annoyed that 3/5 of the strike days land on a Thursday?

Why couldn’t they be on different days each time?

I fully support teacher strikes.
The amount of work they do out of teaching hours is massive and if you added up all of the hours they do they’re on a very crap wage.
They also have to deal with crap from students, parents, Ofstead and often other staff members.
It is very stressful, lonely and one of the few jobs where you have to stress about having done work before you get to work.

But it is really annoying me that most of the strike days have landed on a Thursday.

This must make it very difficult to find childcare if Thursday is the one day you don’t have anyone to look after them.

My own DD is in year 10 and I don’t need childcare but she has a lesson once a week on a Thursday which she needs for her GCSEs.
Missing 3 lessons is equivalent to missing half a terms amount of lessons.
This is massively impacting her but it must also be stressful for the teacher too.

YABU - it doesn’t matter that they keep landing on a Thursday.
YANBU - it does matter and they should make sure it lands on different days.

OP posts:
Original poster
Strikedays · 03/04/2023 14:32

CallmeAngelina · 03/04/2023 14:30

Have your read the OP on that thread?
It's worth a few minutes of your time.
It's worth a few minutes of everyone's time, actually.

Show quote history

No I haven’t read it but I definitely will, thank you.

OP posts:
Dogsandchocolaterule · 03/04/2023 14:34

It really is irrelevant what day it is, are the government actually going to properly fund schools??

Parents don't know the half of what goes on in schools. So many of your children are being taught by non specialists, think a health and social teacher trying to teach chemistry. A PE trying to teach French. An English teacher winging it in A level art. Yes they are taking your child's GCSE and A level classes, as we have nobody else.

It's a mockery. We don't have enough teachers to run, we put out adverts and they just sit there with no applicants, teaching is performing and dealing with behaviour all day then emails and reports and marking and parental complaints in the evening. It's a hard job and no one wants to do it anymore.

If the government don't make it a job with good salary and work life balance it's going to get worse and worse for students.

My own son's brilliant teacher has just left to become an estate agent as he gets the same money and less stress. He and we are gutted, but I totally understand why.

Original poster
Strikedays · 03/04/2023 14:35

Forever42 · 03/04/2023 14:30

I don't really understand your complaint here. You are saying the strikes should be on different days but they have been on different days! I have taken strike action on:

Wednesday 1st February
Wednesday 1st March
Wednesday 15th March
Thursday 16th March
and now action is planned for
Thursday 27th April
Tuesday 2nd May

So three Wednesdays, two Thursdays and a Tuesday.

Our strike days are on different days.

But even in your case it would still help the students if just 1 of those Wednesdays were changed to a Tuesday.

So the students who have certain lessons on a Wednesday will be much further behind than students who have the same lessons but on a Thursday.

There’s being disruptive and then there’s just being unfair.

OP posts:
DumbPrinceAndHisStupidWife · 03/04/2023 14:38

Random thought but I wonder if the government will change it at some point and make it so that teachers, doctors, nurses etc can't strike.

Police can't strike, neither can the army. Wouldn't surprise me if they changed it so that no public sector workers can strike.

BlackFriday · 03/04/2023 15:00

There's already been talk of it, @DumbPrinceAndHisStupidWife

Original poster
Strikedays · 03/04/2023 15:02

DumbPrinceAndHisStupidWife · 03/04/2023 14:38

Random thought but I wonder if the government will change it at some point and make it so that teachers, doctors, nurses etc can't strike.

Police can't strike, neither can the army. Wouldn't surprise me if they changed it so that no public sector workers can strike.

Yes I think it will and I’m surprised that it hasn’t been changed already tbh.

OP posts:
CallmeAngelina · 03/04/2023 15:03

"So the students who have certain lessons on a Wednesday will be much further behind than students who have the same lessons but on a Thursday."

"There’s being disruptive and then there’s just being unfair."

There are students who have qualified teachers in the subject they're studying. Others are being babysat by any passing adult with a pulse.

That's not fair either.

MrsMurphyIWish · 03/04/2023 15:11

I’m more annoyed that this year I’m teaching psychology A-level despite me only having an A-level in it myself and Performing Arts that I have never even studied - not even a GCSE. I’m sure me missing those lessons will really affect the students …

MarshaBradyo · 03/04/2023 15:13

I can’t say the day makes much difference here

Plumbear2 · 03/04/2023 15:16

How can they only do 1 lesson a week for a GCSE subject. My ds does 3-4 lessons per week for each subject which amounts to 3or 4 hours a week. How can they possibly pass only doing it once a week?

areyousittingontheremote · 03/04/2023 15:16

parrotonmyshoulder · 03/04/2023 12:08

It’s not really meant to please anyone.

This is true, but I'm curious how it works.

If it only inconveniences parents who have no clout in the rate of pay how does that help?

Makes sense to vary the days to help parents. Not that I've thought about it much to be honest.

noblegiraffe · 03/04/2023 15:23

Mondays are when the government closes schools. This year for the Queen’s funeral and the King’s Coronation.

ScrubName19 · 03/04/2023 15:29

Newname221 · 03/04/2023 13:59

I mean, it worked in Scotland, so I don’t see why it won’t eventually work in England.

Show quote history

@Newname221 Scotland have devolved parliament and therefore are able to make decisions that are just for Scotland. England doesn't and has no other parliament to get these decisions through except the tory dominated Westminster one which is for all of UK ....

I really hope you are right and the strikes do work but so far I am not seeing it affecting those in Westminster.

Original poster
Strikedays · 03/04/2023 15:31

Plumbear2 · 03/04/2023 15:16

How can they only do 1 lesson a week for a GCSE subject. My ds does 3-4 lessons per week for each subject which amounts to 3or 4 hours a week. How can they possibly pass only doing it once a week?

How many lessons does he do a day?

My DD only has 3 lessons a day but my school has 5 lessons a day.

My nephew only has 2 lessons a day but has a break in between because they’re so long.

OP posts:
Grimchmas · 03/04/2023 15:31

Can the schools not move the lessons affected so that no one group gets worst hit? Or is that against strike rules?

Grimchmas · 03/04/2023 15:33

Police can't strike, neither can the army. Wouldn't surprise me if they changed it so that no public sector workers can strike.

thatwould be this government's wet dream., but I don't think any of us should be in support of it.

IVFbeenverylucky · 03/04/2023 15:35

They deliberately try and avoid Mondays and Fridays so it doesn't look like they are just trying to get a long weekend.....

Original poster
Strikedays · 03/04/2023 15:36

I really hope you are right and the strikes do work but so far I am not seeing it affecting those in Westminster.

I don’t think the strikes are working because the only ones they’re affecting are the students, some of their parents and the teachers themselves.

I don’t think they’re disruptive enough for the government to care.

I think there needs to be more disruption but I don’t know what.

As a PP said what happens if these strikes don’t work, do we just back down or continue striking?
As as another PP said the more strikes that happen the less support from parents and the public they’ll get.

OP posts:
MrsMurphyIWish · 03/04/2023 15:37

Strikedays · 03/04/2023 15:36

I really hope you are right and the strikes do work but so far I am not seeing it affecting those in Westminster.

I don’t think the strikes are working because the only ones they’re affecting are the students, some of their parents and the teachers themselves.

I don’t think they’re disruptive enough for the government to care.

I think there needs to be more disruption but I don’t know what.

As a PP said what happens if these strikes don’t work, do we just back down or continue striking?
As as another PP said the more strikes that happen the less support from parents and the public they’ll get.

We won’t know unless we try.

Teapleasemilknosugar · 03/04/2023 15:41

I would love the strikes to be spread across all 5 days so that those teaching part time (like myself) can join in.

Original poster
Strikedays · 03/04/2023 15:44

Grimchmas · 03/04/2023 15:31

Can the schools not move the lessons affected so that no one group gets worst hit? Or is that against strike rules?

I don’t work in mainstream anymore as I work in a SEND ARB and this is what we do.

We don’t do official GCSEs but do the next level under for our higher ability students which all have different deadlines so it makes it easier to prioritise a certain subject and then do the exam and then prioritise the next subject and do that exam etc.

We are set up a bit like a primary school and so it’s much easier to switch it around amongst ourselves and we’re all really supportive of each other to do this.

I wouldn’t know where to begin if this was to happen in mainstream.

One class might do Biology first lesson on a Monday but the students in that class will all do different subjects and in different lessons and different days.
So unless they were pulled out of different lessons to join a different class but that would mean disruption for the teacher that was meant to be teaching them as and the new one that has more pupils in the class (if there’s even enough seats) and they’ll be at a different level to the new class too.

OP posts:
GiantPandaAttacks · 03/04/2023 15:52

My core department is one affected by teacher recruitment. We have had a non qualified, non specialist teaching classes this year. Although fantastic with children, the data shows that this is having a negative impact on their learning, despite best intentions. The 1.5 vacancy we have for next academic year we cannot fill. The best case scenario right now is that we end up with one member of staff potentially having a time table full of GCSE classes which is worrying for both burn out and in case of illness. This can’t go on. My local MP is big in the cabinet. He doesn’t care because his children go to the local private school.

ilovesooty · 03/04/2023 15:53

DumbPrinceAndHisStupidWife · 03/04/2023 14:38

Random thought but I wonder if the government will change it at some point and make it so that teachers, doctors, nurses etc can't strike.

Police can't strike, neither can the army. Wouldn't surprise me if they changed it so that no public sector workers can strike.

I'm sure that will be their next move. Watch recruitment fall even further.

RoyGBivisacolorfulman · 03/04/2023 17:04

GiantPandaAttacks · 03/04/2023 15:52

My core department is one affected by teacher recruitment. We have had a non qualified, non specialist teaching classes this year. Although fantastic with children, the data shows that this is having a negative impact on their learning, despite best intentions. The 1.5 vacancy we have for next academic year we cannot fill. The best case scenario right now is that we end up with one member of staff potentially having a time table full of GCSE classes which is worrying for both burn out and in case of illness. This can’t go on. My local MP is big in the cabinet. He doesn’t care because his children go to the local private school.

We have about four of us that do this.

It is exhausting.

Original poster
Strikedays · 03/04/2023 17:09

My local MP is big in the cabinet. He doesn’t care because his children go to the local private school.

This is the biggest issue because all of the people who have influence have children in private schools.

I don’t know what the conditions are like in private schools for teachers but I can imagine they’re much better than state schools even if the pay is still too low.

OP posts: