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!

🤦‍♀️ you're not listening are you. Kids don't have teachers and that's part of the reason why teachers are striking.

Kids in primary are being taught by TAs. Kids in secondary are having endless cover lessons, teachers who don't know the subject at GCSE, and no teacher at A-level so they have to teach themselves.

That's the current situation, and it's getting worse.

It's been asked a few times on here, and I am genuinely interested - for those who believe the teachers should not be striking, how should the current crisis in school funding and staff recruitment and retention be addressed? Not enough people want to be teachers. Schools don't have the resources that they need to do the job they know needs doing. How else could that be fixed?

There is no problem!!!!

I understand your frustration OP as well as that of teachers & others working in education.
100% fault lies with government underfunding but it doesn't mean that you shouldn't moan about the disruption & I agree that it would be much more equitable if instead of the 4 classes out of 16 missing 6 days each class missed 1 or 2 days. It's just pot luck on the teacher.

Interestingly, I saw someone on twitter moaning about attendance on Friday being so low as people took a 6 day break...

It really doesn't help with public support for your strikes when you arrange them so that with the bank holiday you get a 5 day weekend and loads of you go on nice holidays in those days. I think if you are striking, you should be on the picket line for the hours you should have been working.

Exactly this 👏🏻

I justdon'tcare.
Most of my colleagues on strike cannot afford to take extra holidays. In any case they have not been paid and are therefore free to do whatever they like on the days they are on strike. There is no requirement to have a picket line whatsoever. I love that people think they can control teachers' time even when they are not paid and are therefore not on duty.

How on earth have you come to that conclusion??

Are you ignoring friday? Or just lying?

I'm not sure if you realised this or not, but teaching staff don't set the dates of the strikes 🙄

In regards to picketing, there are also legalities as to how many people can be on an official picket line at an entrance or exit to a workplace, whisky also ensuring that public highways are not blocked.

Let’s just say when the school tries to fine me for taking my kids on holiday, I will be telling them to fuck right off

Parents will have noticed that their children had to be in school on Friday as normal and therefore they didn't get a "5 day weekend" and that you're talking bobbins.

Also, you don't own teachers, they can do what they like when they're not being paid. That, for some reason, really seems to bug people.

Friday wasn’t a strike day?

This.
In all the eleventy million threads the OP has started on this topic the ranting emotive language is always the same.
’Don't you care about children's education?'
Yes but we live in a real world of limited resources where s 4.5% payrise would be gratefully received by most people /most of whom 4.5% of their salary is considerably less than a teacher's salary.
The 'unfunded' is a red herring. If headteachers don't have the budget then it is they who should be lobbying the government for increase in budget (not striking /but actually doing their job of justifying budgets.)

The 'unfunded' is a red herring. If headteachers don't have the budget then it is they who should be lobbying the government for increase in budget (not striking /but actually doing their job of justifying budgets.)

Headteachers are now balloting for strike action too. Because the government told them it was affordable and when headteachers told them it wasn't, they ran a webinar to again tell headteachers it was affordable.

The 'unfunded' is a red herring. If headteachers don't have the budget then it is they who should be lobbying the government for increase in budget (not striking /but actually doing their job of justifying budgets.)

And when they’ve done that, repeatedly, and got nowhere, should they strike then, in order to be listened to?

@GreenwichOrTwicks

The salary increases are underfunded.

Let me explain.

Last March schools were told what their funding was for this academic year.

We allocated the money, and through exceptional cautions planning were in reasonable shape.

In June AFTER that planning was complete, after staff and parents and children and governors were all told this years plan, the government announced the Teacher pay rises which we had estimated at 2% (given the poor fuckers got 0% the year before).

They've also just announced a composite 4.5% for support staff,

The combined effect of this on our budget this year is just under £60k.

SIXTY GRAND!!!!!!!!!

We are in a cycle of low birth rate so headcount is down (although to be fair some additional funding will be made for this which is a lifesaver), but in September there will be another Teacher pay rise and we haven't a clue what to budget that at.

Schools aren't like a business. We can't send out the Sales team and we can't increase production to boost sales in new markets.

We are a institution that is allocated finite funds to manage frugally enough and having done so it's fucking unethical to move the goal posts.

A business could take non payers to court. We don't have that recourse, so strikes it must be.

The teachers are the problem!!!

Of course we are. Thanks for your insight.

Vitriolinsanity
The salary increases are underfunded

You should mention this;
17 November 2022
Schools were handed a surprise multi-billion pound cash boost in today’s Autumn statement...
Schools will get an extra £2.3 billion in each of the next two years – a yearly rise of 4 per cent.
The sector was one of the few to benefit in a bleak statement that came amid official forecasts of the biggest drop in living standards since records began.
https://schoolsweek.co.uk/autumn-statement-2-3-billion-extra-for-schools/

26 April 2023
State schools to receive extra cash in May following additional £2 billion investment (the £300 million difference is already-committed extra cash that no longer needs to cover the health and social care levy - reversed in November);
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/schools-in-england-to-benefit-from-major-funding-boost

Incidentally, an extra £2 billion per year from the government is more than Keir Starmer's boast of an extra £1.7 billion per year for schools (VAT on private schools). If £2 billion extra is not enough, then I don't see how Starmer's £1.7 billion will be enough for a 'learning revolution' and 'thousands of new teachers'.

Schools will get an extra £2.3 billion in each of the next two years – a yearly rise of 4 per cent.

The cost of exercise books has just gone up by 70% so I’m sure that 4% will make a big difference.

@Vitriolinsanity nope you have the teat of the tax payer

noblegiraffe

Don't vote for Labour then - they are promising less than 4% for a 'learning revolution' !!!