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!

I am sympathetic to the teachers and understand why they are striking.

What I don't agree with, however, is striking in the middle of the exam period. This is totally outrageous and they are making our teens suffer for their cause.

"Just close the school".

Great - so that'd be 29 sets of parents who would have to miss work. It has a knock-on effect. Our room at nursery has had to close twice because the nursery staff are parents of school-age children. I've had a dental appointment cancelled. I'm covering work colleagues at short notice. This is of course the point of strike action, and I fully support it, but any parent who can carry out business as usual today is a bonus.

Don't you work?

You really are something else OP. School isn’t something that should be just viewed as free childcare.

DD is starts her A levels this month and her school still hasn’t finished the content in her three subjects yet!?! This is absolutely shocking and DD is massively stressed. She is in school today but not all her teachers are in and available due to strike action and between covid, lockdowns, strike days, the extra bank holiday and due to ill and or incompetent teachers DD’s education and her MH has really suffered and you are bothered about your child missing out on a cheaper off peak away day!?!

Well, in a fairly short space of time, if things don’t change, you’ll be educating your children yourself, because there won’t be any staff to work in schools, or it will all be virtual, or they’ll be in large groups in a large space with someone doing crowd control.

It won’t be school and it won’t be teaching and unless you can afford to buy the education for your children, that’s what you’ll have.

Wow. I'm sitting here worrying about my DD missing her education. .. wish I was in your position OP. Your child is incredibly lucky to be getting an education today. How sad you don't value it.

Brilliant 😂

Don’t be ridiculous.
Your child already has low attendance from sickness, and now you want them to miss even more?
As for extra family time - they’re only in school Mon-Fri and have 13 weeks holiday plus a few bank holidays. If you’re not getting family time with them, you’re a shit parent 🤷🏻‍♀️

I’m confused whether you’re cross at the teachers for not providing education, teachers for providing education (albeit on a smaller scale), parents for capitalising on having a family day trip out, or that you feel you have to attend school.

My year 11 son said only one of his subject teachers was in last Thurs....

They took it down within 63 minutes, so credit to MN head office.

You are SO lucky that your DC is able to go to school and isn’t missing more of their education.

Children suffered so much missing huge amounts of school and it is disgusting they are being put through missing more now.

You have no valid complaint.

And so you should be. YOU are not affected by the strike.

I teach and most of ours haven't sent siblings in if they've got others home. Keep them home 🙃

Weird priorities…. YABU

Absolutely agree with you OP. I sympathise with the teachers for extra pay but I’m so over it. Both my kids are home today and one should be in. She’s had enough of going to school while her brother gets to stay home yet again! Especially today making it a nice long weekend!!

I’ve only read the first page of comments but the person who said you don’t get penalised is wrong, it gets marked down as an unauthorised absence.

and to the person who said the teachers are striking for a better education for our children, please explain?! How is the teachers earning a better wage improving our children’s education?!

I think the last thing your child needs is extra downtime and days off if their attendance is already low.

wow!
We haven’t been directly affected by the teacher strikes this time (have been in previous years, so I know about the inconvenience it causes), but are really affected by the issues they are striking for. We live in a relatively middle class town, with a ‘good’ with elements of outstanding high school. They can not recruit staff. It seems no one wants to teach science or humanities. My son is being taught GCSEs by non specialists in several subjects.

teacher friends are complaining about slashed school budgets and having to provide equipment that should be provided. Head teacher friend is permanently stressed about recruitment, staff off on sick leave, budgets not balancing, children not getting the care from external services that they need. she bought home a basket of washing for a family this weekend as they haven’t got a washing machine and the parent isn’t coping, practically or financially and external services just aren’t there.

Education is in a dreadful mess and you are annoyed you aren’t getting a day out with your children!

Bullseye 🎯 😃

How is the teachers earning a better wage improving our children’s education?!

Two reasons:

1. there is a critical shortage of teachers, particularly in secondary but also affecting primary. If you want your child to actually have a teacher, then something needs to happen to improve working conditions. Pay is one aspect of this.

2. The pay rise for last year and projected for next year (mostly) came out of school budgets rather than new money from the government. Schools absolutely cannot afford this and money that would have been spent on teaching assistants, librarians, IT equipment, fixing the school building, exercise books and glue sticks will instead be spent on the pay rise. That is why teachers are striking for a fully funded pay rise, and a big reason why all four teaching unions rejected the last pay offer.

I'd have some sympathy if you'd said that you had two children in different primary years and one class was off and one was not. In that case, I would treat siblings the same and keep them both off for a family day.

But for one primary child, I'd send them in. Especially as you say your DC has lost a lot of school time already. If siblings are absent and the class is smaller as a result, that might give the teacher more time to focus on your DC and the remaining pupils.

I would have kept the other child off too. The ironic thing is that YOU'LL probably be fined for letting him have the day off 😡🤦‍♀️🙄

My sons class has been one of the only two classes in the whole school for the last few strike days. I’m so grateful that his teachers are carrying on and keeping his class open. Whilst I am supportive of the strikes, children have missed so much school over the last few years so I’m really pleased that his class is one of the few that are open.

YABU. Do you not value your child's education? Home educate if you don't want your child at school.