AIBU that some children are missing 7 school days due to strikes and others none

[jazzyfazzy766]

So today my childrens school was closed for strikes for the 7th day, not even partially open. My children have missed 7 full days of school since February. My nieces go to a school 2 miles up the road and they haven't missed one day as they have only closed classes of striking teachers and none of the teachers have striked for the full 7 days as they say it isn't fair on the children.

The local secondary has been closed as well apart to year 11's but the secondary in the next town has been open.

It just seems unfair that some children have missed over a weeks education whilst others haven't.

I understand why teachers are striking and if all schools closed and all children were treated fairly I would find it easier to accept but this just seems so unfair on some children having to miss out. Our school has cancelled 2 school trips as well which probably can't be rescheduled!!!

I found out today as well that in my kids school only a handful of teachers were striking but as teachers don't have to give much notice the Head decided it was better to close to all classes so parents could arrange childcare rather than give very little notice to parents on which classes were closing when the teachers had given their intentions.

If the next three back to back strike days go ahead that means my children will have missed 10 days of school and twice a week at the moment they need to be at school for 745am for catch up lessons because of covid!!

Makes me so cross that SOME children are suffering. It needs to be consistent across the board. This isn't our childrens fault and SOME are being penalised!

This.
And next year is already looking worse.

ahhh you’re someone who uses “lefty agenda” unironically. say no more.

Wow, the only part of that that isn't drivel is the last sentence.

@noblegiraffe

https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2023/03/28/teacher-strikes-latest-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-teacher-pay-offer/

shows the 4.5% automatic rise in salary

https://inews.co.uk/news/education/how-much-do-teachers-get-paid-why-striking-demands-neu-2120846

what they want..,

HTH

My 15yo hasn't been in school at all for the last 18 months because she has autism and school refusal. Her teachers set no work for her so all she can do is things she finds herself. Student support is understaffed. Boo hoo that your child is missing 7 days.

My younger daughter has not missed any days because of strikes but I'd trade those 6 days for enough staff to give a shit what my eldest daughter is doing during the school day.

It's not automatic to be moved up the pay scale. And if it's not funded, schools will find all the ways not to allow pay progression.

It's a little disruptive, but that's the point isn't it? If we don't start paying people who work in a public service roles proper money, no one will want to do it. They should strike as much as they need to until they are listened to.

I recently went to Tesco on a Saturday to find a teacher from the local secondary school on the till...it has literally got so bad they are taking on second jobs!

Also, whilst ostensibly this is about pay - in reality it is about funding for education and other public services. Teachers can only strike for defined reasons and unfortunately having to buy their own resources, feed children breakfast from their own pockets, and working 65 hour weeks aren't within the defined reasons.

This with bells on.

You are entitled to your opinion. I think there's a lot of drivel on this thread, too, so I share your feelings.

Your first link doesn't show an automatic 4.5% pay rise. The government offered 4.5% but only 0.5% to be funded with new money, and the rest to come from school budgets. This was overwhelmingly rejected by all four teaching unions who didn't want their pay rise to be to the detriment of school funding.

That offer is now revoked so there isn't an automatic 4.5% pay rise, there is currently no offer. The government recommended 3% to the pay review body.

12% is an above inflation pay rise, which would be instead of the 4.5% (which was rejected so now doesn't exist) not on top of. It's also a negotiation starting point, not a final demand.

HTH.

And people wonder why there's a gap between children who attend state schools and independent schools.

Teachers in independent schools also have staff in the NEU who can go on strike. Some independent schools have had their own strikes over pension issues.

Scottish and Welsh governments can come up with deals. A Scottish teacher equivalent to me earns approx £8000 more per year. They have (eventually) seen that it's worth investing in our children's education and taking on board what those of us on the ground are saying about recruitment and retention. Yet England decided to offer a pathetic amount and then pitted us against nurses by saying "accept this or we'll give it to the NHS and you'll get nothing." Why are teachers and children in England deemed less worthy of investment than those in devolved countries? Why is Gillian Keegan refusing to listen to concerns and insisting on playing hardball instead, attempting to break resolve rather than to reduce disruption to the education of our children? That's where the anger should be directed, from all those parents who are losing days at work and from all their employers getting pissed off with parents who need to cover childcare. Parents and businesses need to make it clear that they hold the government responsible for this, not blame teachers who are losing not just a day's pay but also causing knock on impact on the pension they will receive, all in an attempt to improve conditions for both staff AND children.

How should they do this even if they have the skills, which many, most don’t. Are you saying parents should give up work to teach their kids? That sounds like a new generation of Artful Dodgers in the making.

Yes I agree op, but the teachers on Mumsnet and Mumsnet is full of them will have something to say.

Funnily enough for years parents have been penalised for kids to miss school for going on holidays with their family and now it’s ok for them to miss school for several days

No, I don't think that it's the teachers' fault. They were hardly responsible for lockdown, however much they embraced it. However, I don't think that going on strike is helping. While their pupils are bumming around town and Tesco (I saw no shortage of them today), their private school contemporaries are being educated as normal.

Not if they go to the £36k a year Farlington school whose teachers are on strike both today and tomorrow over sick pay.

So tomorrow, those private school pupils will be bumming around town while their state school contemporaries are being educated as normal.

https://www.nasuwt.org.uk/article-listing/teachers-strike-over-variation-of-contracts.html

The government implemented fines for school absences, not teachers.

Eh? So you’d be taxing teachers and nhs staff more to pay for their pay rise. Great idea.

Ugh, this is such a lazy argument. Teachers have ZERO say over fining.

How unpleasant and snide - complete with passive aggressive strike through.

@ilovesooty

I still remember teachers during lockdown refusing to go into school to teach because they were scared of covid,meanwhile everyone worker was okay to go in I.e nhs staff, shop workers etc

Fair enough but at the end of the day it’s ok for my son to miss a school day cuz his teachers are striking but it’s not fair for a parent to take their child out to go somewhere and spend family time and learn maybe from a different culture … because their education gets disrupted. The thing is their education gets disrupted one way or another not only when the child goes on holidays

Nice bit of generalisation there. Your memory is a bit selective isn't it?

it’s not fair for a parent to take their child out to go somewhere and spend family time

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