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!

Goady post if ever there was one.

You are simultaneously complaining your children have ‘missed out’ on reduced price fun days off, whilst also highlighting their attendance is low and being monitored - in which case surely it’s good they are in school.

YABVU.

We have the OP and a few other people on this thread who do not understand how trade unions and employers are legally allowed to behave during industrial action.

Only workers who are in the striking union are legally protected against being fired or disciplined for going on strike. If the one teacher who is in isn't in the striking union, she/he has to go in.

The employer cannot legally ask workers who do come in to cover the work of striking workers. This means that the one teacher in must not be asked to teach children that she/he would not normally teach.

Source: I work at a university. If you think that teachers strike a lot, you should see UCU...

Well for those of us who work we are finding the inconvenience of the strikes added to the extra bank holiday along with the usual school holidays and non teaching days a bit tedious now.

I think with the massive amount of lost education due to covid children are really at a disadvantage now.

Teacher IMO are not poorly paid and have long holidays (no they don't work through them all, have a good pension, sick scheme etc and good career opportunities for those that want it). The head at a very small local primary earns £65,000. It is a easy school to run with admin, supportive parents and no teaching, such a paperwork/management role really. That head manages to go abroad each holiday so obviously not as overworked as some teachers might suggest.

Re "just shut the school". Doing so would be an illegal lockout. Lockouts are illegal because they break the terms of employment of non-striking workers.

The striking teachers do not get paid. The non-striking teacher must be allowed to turn up to school and get paid, it's a breach of employment contract by the employer not to let her come to work. Closing the school would prevent the non-striking teacher and others (e.g. kitchen staff) from turning up and getting paid. It would also stop strikebreakers (unionised staff who refuse to strike for whatever reason) from coming in, which they have a legal right to do even though it's frowned upon. "Oh well they can just pay the non-striking staff to stay at home" doesn't work because you have no way of knowing who was at home striking and who would have come to work.

From Handling strike action in schools
Headteachers may ask other teachers to cover the classes of those taking industrial action. Where teachers are employed under the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document, however, they cannot be compelled to provide cover for other teachers during 6 industrial action

Tulipsemerging

I think with the massive amount of lost education due to covid children are really at a disadvantage now.

This has started to annoy me about these types of responses.

I wonder how many parents actually got their children to do the work? Because from what I have seen it was very few.

So what should happen when the majority of the teachers aren't striking but one or two are? My daughter's drama teacher has been striking but she's about the only one. Should the children just be left unsupervised for that period? Or stay home and miss all their other lessons just because they happen to have drama that day?

If teaching - and headships - are as well-paid and as cushy as you suggest (you haven’t got a clue, btw), then why is recruitment and retention in such crisis? Why are there so many schools who can’t recruit heads at all?

It’s a real headscratcher, isn’t it?

Teacher IMO are not poorly paid and have long holidays (no they don't work through them all, have a good pension, sick scheme etc and good career opportunities for those that want it).

Are you happy for your child's school budget to be reduced in order to pay any pay rise? The Government's last offer was unfunded. Your child's school will have less money for books and resources as a result. I assume you have no issue with this.

If teacher pay and conditions are so good - why is there a teacher recruitment and retention crisis happening right now?

You could retrain and teach if you would like the same pay and conditions.

Probably best they go to school then isn't it 🙄

I cant believe you are actually complaining about them having to go to school on a school day

I’m glad you’ve had the good grace to love se the phrase “in my opinion” in this post because it clearly isn’t based on fact or on the opinions and experiences of those within the sector.

*to use the phrase.
(stupid phone) 🤣

Clearly your opinion isn't what the unions believe. Don't you think that the fact it's got the this stage that maybe the teachers have reason to strike?

I think it's easy to let the impact of the strike cloud your judgement - I've been there. I'm a lone parent working full time. I do WFH so that makes things a little easier, but for many years (my son is older now) every single day off school (holiday, inset, snow, covid) meant me having to find childcare. Stick 6 days of strike action on and yeah....you can get a bit FFS about everything.

Then some heads don't read the room:

"with the 1/2 term being different across county borders, some of our teachers are having to juggle childcare"
This belongs in a letter to staff, not parents.

"we want to introduce a 2 week autumn 1/2 term, you'll be able to take advantage of cheaper holidays"
Don't patronise me by telling me how an extra week of holiday will be better for me. That parents might be able to take a holiday in off peak time (only until the companies catch on) was not a factor (or at least I bloody hope not) in the school wanting to introduce this. It's an academy, any parent consultation seems to just be lip service anyway.

"no, we cannot authorise this absence, attendance is essential for your child's education"
I understand the issue of strike and attendance are completely unrelated, but maybe spare me the reminder of how important my child's education is.
n.b. I have a thread about this in case anyone finds it and says "you have a thread about this".

It is annoying. It’s supposed to inconvenience everyone in the hopes that will illicit change. Super awkward with siblings.

Apparently it’s crossing the picket line to teach/ supervise the children of striking staff members.

I think you will find the unions negotiate payment once the pay deal is finalised. They do not miss out on wages.

Who doesn’t?

council websites under "education"

Benefit from off peak days out? 😆 My children's school have provided work to complete at home during the strike day and yes they have completed it and it has literally been a full school day at home! Not exactly downtime when they have been educating from home!

Eh? Striking teachers are not being paid.

Up to the HT and senior management to sort out, but teachers shouldn't be covering for striking colleagues or be put under pressure to do so.

You mean the school has undermined striking staff by setting work to do at home?

@ilovesooty well yes, I may not agree with them setting the work as you rightly say they are undermining the staff and in my opinion defeats the object of them striking.

I gave the choice to my children on whether they completed the work and they chose to do it!

All the unions really need to sort themselves out (easier said than done) and get all unionised teachers to strike. We need all schools closed. This piecemeal approach is sadly lacking the necessary potency. The strikes are barely making the news, it’s the kids who are the only ones losing out and I am quite sure not one teacher wants them to.

I am amused at the OPs ridiculous assertion about cut price days out. We don’t have work set but we are making out children do educational tasks/reading/exercise, this is not some excuse for gaming etc. and yes this is whilst also being a full time working person!

if your children had declined would there have been repercussions from the school?

We don’t have work set but we are making out children do educational tasks/reading/exercise, this is not some excuse for gaming etc. and yes this is whilst also being a full time working person!

Mine's gamed for large parts of the day. There's plenty he can educationally, but he doesn't feel inclined and I'm not going to make him. He's been to the park, come to Tesco with me, is just about to cook his dinner before playing football.
TBH, I'm not putting either him or me through home learning again unless I have to.
Schools still have to make up the curriculum so I guess that will be done at the expense of some of the more fun/less academic things they do during the school day.