Teachers strike... what will actually happen in end?!

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My school is striking again next week with others that have teachers from the particular union.

All that is happening is parents are getting massively angry. Kids are missing out. I've used so much holiday on strike days as I have multiple children. I know my anger should not be directed to school but exactly where can I direct it to? I'm pretty sure my MP wouldn't care. He's completely useless.

The government don't seem to care.

I personally think something needs to change in that profession and funding in my area is shocking! It's probably not attracting the best people to the profession and certainly is driving people away.

However, am I right in thinking rishi and co don't care?! Teachers could do 5, 10, 100 days and it seems they won't budge right?

Parents don't seem to care or get angry enough, short of tweeting about it or writing to MP. It isn't really enough to get this resolved.

How do you think this situation will end?

Why would the government care when all their kids attend private schools? Education is available to those who can afford it. Everyone else will be part of a poorly educated, low paid, labour force - someone has to collect the rubbish and clean the toilets after all. From the government's perspective where's the downside?

Who knows OP. I only hope a GE brings labour back, can’t believe I’m saying that as after the Iraq war I swore I’d never vote for them again!

I am not angry at the schools or the teachers, I have done my reading and I hope the teachers win the funding their schools need.

And I’m saving holidays! As I think next year will be difficult.

It'll carry on until the next election/hopefully a change of government. Hard to imagine anything being resolved before then.

Strikes will intensify in the autumn term when, hopefully, all teaching unions will be striking instead of just one.

PPs who say that their school don't strike are probably in for a shock - their school haven't been on strike yet because their teachers are in the NASUWT.

Gillian Keegan offered 5% and it was rejected. Her threat was that she would let the review body make the decision, which they did - 6.5%. Most teachers I know would be happy with that but with four weeks to go she hasn't published the report or returned to negotiations. Probably because she's waiting to make a shit announcement on the last day of term, or for inflation to come down.

In the meantime, she knows teachers don't have public support and parents are blaming us. She must also be heartened by the nurses giving up.

@electriclight shocked that nurses have given up. I work within a good team and we are lucky where we work but the nurses I spoke too said they felt guilty and they couldn't afford to strike. It's been so poor and I expected better they could easily pick up a shift on the bank and as for feeling guilty eurghhh!

You're right...I'm broken. The last three years (since Covid) have completely broken me. I've been a primary teacher for 29 years and I've never experienced anything like this past 3 years...it's been horrendous! I'm a very experienced teacher and I've had a fantastic career, but I will be handing in my notice when we go back after the summer holidays. I'll be finishing at Christmas, which is 3 years earlier than I had planned to retire. It's been a hard decision but I just cannot carry on...the very thought of doing another academic year makes me feel physically sick. I love the children but I can't do this job anymore 😢

I can't afford to actually 'retire' so I'll have to find another job and I've no idea what I'll do (Tesco? Bus Driver? 🤷‍♀️) I just know I need to go 😢

It’s incredibly selfish of teachers to go on strike as often they have been, they bang on about wages but most earn above average & what do they think they are doing to parents who have to take unpaid leave?! Most teaching is substandard in state schools from my experience. I resorted to private tutors for last year of DD school otherwise she’d never have got through her gcse’s as well as she did

DD came out of her secondary transition day yesterday so excited because they made pizza and used Bunsen burners, imagine recreating that at home online when she's doing her GCSEs 🙄

Yes! Me too!

Parents need to get angry at the government and not the teachers. That's how things will change.

Have you never wondered why there are (apparently) so few good teachers? Maybe if we paid them properly and didn't treat them like shit they wouldn't have left

Been reading the Daily Mail have you?

You do realise that teachers aren't allowed to strike about anything other than pay and conditions? And that they are so appalling at present that 44,000 teachers left last year (not including retirees)?

And that the real reason they are striking is because the education your kids get is, as you say, 'substandard' as we are trying to teach without proper funding, staff and resources?

It is substandard and you should be very angry with the Govt, not teachers who, believe it or not, WANT to teach your kids properly???

It's not all about pay. In fact, it's mostly not about pay at all...

@Makemyday99 many of those private tutors are teachers in the day, having to work extra hours to make ends meet for their families (this is exactly the case in my household). So teachers have to work extra, on top of the frankly appalling workload we already have, and parents (or rather the lucky parents that can afford to) have to pay for private tuition because kids aren't progressing enough in school. Does that not strike you as hugely inefficient?

The Tories aren't interested generally, like many other roles they want it out of what is considered professional, the strikes will put off more would be teachers who are looking at this situation and realising that teaching is not a valued role in the uk. The situation will worsen schools will be forced to reduce participation and hit less targets.

I don’t read any papers I’m basing my opinion on my own experiences from when my kids were at school. My youngest child has been out of state education for 5 years so not particularly recently & it was substandard back then in fact I had to employ private tutors for 2 of my 3 children due to poor teaching standards. I’d definitely go private if I had the option again

Not any of the tutors I employed back then, they tutored from home all day as f/t jobs

It will just carry on.

Teachers will leave. They will be replaced with cheap unqualified teachers as that is all a school budget can afford. Kids education will suffer.

Most teachers accept its not the greatest salary but what we do want is our salaries to be paid directly from the government so school are not penalised for having experienced staff.

"Working to rule is not possible. As a teacher, I can't just decode to stop marking books or writing reports.*"
*
I'd rather not have a written report than have my child miss more school. He's struggled with school attendance over the years and been really punished for it. He's been doing so well this year but these strike days are really messing him up. Then we get days like sports days and mass days where he already would struggle to go, and doesn't understand the hypocrisy of why I should force him to attend on days that make him miserable when school is closed on days during exam periods.

Doesn’t really matter what you’d rather. Teachers don’t care what parents would rather. It’s far beyond that. As the 40k who left (who were not due to retire) will tell you.

Teachers care about the children. However, a critically underfunded and state system is doing far, far more harm.

But striking isn't the answer because the government don't give a shit. Striking is just adding to the harm.

This is why majority have zero sympathy for teachers. Parents are expected to support & work with teaching staff but they don’t offer the same in return & honestly in all the years my 3 children were in state schools I never came across 1 teacher that could care less about the children

If we can’t fund a generic curriculum, how on earth do you think we could afford an individualised one?

"We're paying peanuts and getting monkeys, this is intolerable!"

As a result of the strikes next week the children at DD school have had their sports day cancelled (possibly) and the fete. I noticed this time the teachers aren't as bothered re the strikes. There is talk of the sports day being ok as the teachers are saying they won't strike that day but fete cancelled. I no idea what it achieves this time but certainly everyone (parents etc) been very supportive till this last lot

What is the answer? Quitting?

Because that's what many teachers are doing instead of striking.

How many kids is it harming when they don't have a teacher at all instead of just for a few days?