Just shut the bloody school!?!

[Chikeletta]

1 class open in the whole primary school, NOT Year 6. For the sixth time this year, my DC has to go to school while most of the school is off. I'd much rather have an extra day with my DC.

Is it fair on the other years that one class has 6 days extra attendance and education. Equally, is it fair that my DC class have missed out on upto 6 extra days with fanily, benefitting from off-peak price days out and some extra downtime?

AIBU to think school should just offer 30 spaces for families who really need it, rather than having one class in!?
I know lots of parents are struggling for childcare, give them by DC place!

We had no days out as only one of my children was off (they're both at the same school) but no work set either (this is fine, that's what striking is). As it happened DD got her science kit out and had a fairly educational morning. Yes I worry she's missing out, especially as she has ASD and this constant in and out doesn't help her routine when she's already reluctant to go to school. But do you know what else doesn't help? Not being able to leave the classroom when overwhelmed because there's no one to take her, no one being able to check she actually understands the work because the one adult in the classroom focuses on the kids who can't read at all or who are being disruptive and waiting weeks for even simple adjustments like ear defenders (or we provide them ourselves) because every penny has to be authorised and accounted for.

But it is not universal
it is your council

UCU sometimes pay out strike pay, but I've never before heard of employers agreeing to pay strike pay.

@TheOrigRights certainly no repercussions in my youngest primary school. It's unclear about my eldest with his High School. It indicates it is compulsory and my son seems to think you may get comments for not completing it, that said he said they haven't checked if they have completed it.

Strike days are unpaid for striking staff and no reimbursement unless you can prove severe hardship. Just being on strike is not considered enough to claim, so let’s get that straight please.

And any hardship fund is handled by the union, NOT by the employer.

Who's setting the strike-day work?

And marking it?

@TheOrigRights one of the teachers is setting it up online. I can only assume it is a non striking teacher but I don't know for sure.

@ilovesooty this is the bug bear although it indicates it is compulsory nobody has actually marked it.

Your child has low attendance so one might think that you would not wish them to be missing more school! Honestly have a think about what you are saying.

Tulipsemerging. There is a shortage of teachers and interestingly enough many primary schools struggle to find headteachers because it is a very pressured job for the pay on offer. In any case if teaching was such a brilliant, well paid job, why are graduates not coming into the profession?

I think you have misunderstood why many teachers are striking. They want fully funded increases - which means the funds intended for resources for your child aren’t swallowed up on pay increases, energy costs and supplier cost increases - none of which has been funded by the government.

I’m a governor, not a teacher. At my school the teachers are happy with their pay as is, but the school is far poorer and teachers have been lost to redundancy/leaving due to the lack of school funds.

If teaching is so well paid, how come no computer science grads are going into it? How come two of my colleagues left teaching and retrained to go into IT? It's because a computer science grad can get 1.5x the salary in industry compared to teaching, with less abuse and stress and better job satisfaction. Who would want to teach the same thing year on year to a bunch of kids or teens who are only there because they have to be, when you can work alongside adults who have chosen to be there and actually deliver a product or service?

Wheelz46
No teacher should be setting work for striking colleagues. That should include online work.

Well today they watched a filmed performance of a play during the drama lesson, supervised by a cover teacher. Seems a good compromise to me - vaguely relevant to the subject, no cover work set by either the striking teacher or her non-striking colleague, but the pupils were appropriately supervised. Not sure what else the senior team could do really.

Who was the cover teacher? Teachers who are not on strike should only teach, supervise or provide work for those students they normally teach. Covering or providing work or supervising is undermining the strike.

Another teacher from the school, the school always uses their own staff to cover classes, they never hire in supply. But genuinely, what else are the school supposed to do? At primary it is simple, each class is either in school or at home depending on whether their teacher is striking. But how do you work it at secondary? If only one teacher in the school is striking, how do you supervise the students they should be teaching? Can't just leave them unsupervised, can't send them home for one period, can't keep them home all day because one teacher is off, so what should they do? I support the strikes by the way, I just don't understand the logistics.

This is why the school should be closed. If a teacher strikes and the school covers their class with other staff, the strike action is undermined. If I was that teacher, I would be very annoyed.

Covering for a striking colleague is really inappropriate. I am really surprised that the local union rep has not been in touch with the head to make this clear.

Staff where I work have not done this. The head has also not asked anyone to do this.

Our striking teachers have been supervised by cover supervisors. No teaching staff have been asked to cover.
Non striking staff are teaching their own lessons to students in school and setting work online for those outside. That work will be marked.
No one is setting cover or marking for the striking staff.
We were closed to all but 11-13 and more staff were on strike today than the first time.

But if you close the whole school for one striking teacher, what about the teachers who aren't striking having the right to come to work as per the post earlier in the thread? To be honest, I don't know if the person covering is a qualified teacher or not, it could be someone who is only employed as a cover supervisor, I wouldn't have any way of knowing. But I really can't see what schools are supposed to do when it is such a small minority on strike.

If you close the school to pupils, teachers who are not striking are required to come to work as normal. They may work on other duties or I suppose they could provide remote teaching for their students who they normally teach.

@cansu I completely agree, it appears to be just the one teacher uploading work for all online lessons on each strike day. Defeats the object doesn't it!