AIBU to think that the teachers at my grandchild's SEN school are being really cruel in striking for 11 days over their already mahoosive pension contributions?

[ILikeBigHutsAndICanNotLie]

It's a special school for kids with lots of SEN needs and the teachers already went on strike for lots of days last term and made their picket line where the children leave school every day so they had to see them shouting and waving signs and blowing whistles. Now they're going to strike for another 6 days this month and it seems so wrong to do that to kids who already struggle with their learning. AIBU to think the teachers should try and find another way and stop hurting the kids chances for the future and causing huge stress and anxiety plus lost earnings because the parents have to stay at home to look after the kids?

Maybe you should direct your energy at the people who are actually destroying SEN kids chances of a suitable education. The Tories

Yes this!

You are angry at the wrong people.

@ILikeBigHutsAndICanNotLie , you haven't answered where this strike is. I'm not aware of any strikes happening at the moment, at least in England. Never mind for 11 days.

Which union is it? I'm a union rep and not aware of any teaching unions currently striking?

I think the OP may be referring to the Unison strike days announced in Scotland - as u understand it it’s TAs and support staff in schools in some Scottish local authorities, not restricted to ASN school provision.

Is this the private school in Surrey with the initials MH?

Whereabouts are you op?

Not sure I’ve heard about strikes

It does feel a bit bait-like doesn’t it?

Tbf I didn’t question it (been that kind of year ) but in general support any workers right to withdraw their labour in protest of their conditions.

I hardly think they are doing it to be cruel. If anyone is been cruel it is the government.

Maybe the teachers are striking because of what the government are currently trying to do to our children.

They are currently trying to make sure it is even harder to get a EHCP and trying their absolute best to make sure those who have been awarded one are not getting the provision they need. It is currently on parents to make sure the EHCP their child needs is absolutely watertight and everything is explicit and has proper outcomes related to it, otherwise they find their long fought for EHCP is riddled with wooly language and not worth the paper it is written on.

Parents are having to take their local councils to court to try and enforce the EHCP. The local council are struggling due to funding shortfalls from the government. The government seems to have plenty of money to create contracts for their mates but absolutely no money for our children.

Be careful what you wish for OP, you may wake up to find that your daughter has no special school to go to one day as the government sees them as expensive and think all children regardless of need should fit in a neat mainstream box and thrive there because there is a "unit" that they can go to or a TA that they can share with 6 others (unit can only be used a couple of hours a week or else it is too difficult to meet needs and TA may only be used by one child at a time in their allotted one hour time slot so all needs or meltdowns should only be present during their allotted 1 hour of support).

Ah. Googled.

And yes the reason for the strike is that the school plans to withdraw from the Teachers Pension Scheme. No wonder the staff are striking.

If it's this school @ILikeBigHutsAndICanNotLie they're not striking for a bigger pension. They're striking to maintain their present one, and not have it withdrawn.

If the school goes ahead with this plan, its staff will leave. Almost guaranteed. There's no shortage of jobs in special schools at the moment, which pay into TPS.
Then your GC will be without teachers, and possibly a school.

Anyone complaining about ‘mahoosive’ pensions…I have the perfect idea…try doing the job yourself and see if the pension is still ‘mahoosive’ for the work involved over many years!
Daily Mail readers love to complain about public sector ‘gold plated pensions’
if they got off their arses and read the details of these pensions there’s no way they’d think they’re ‘gold plated’

Teacher's lives and the lives of their own children are just as important as the kids they teach.

They aren't just striking for a pay increase, either. They're striking because the entire education system is on it's knees and they want change!

It's so sad that all most people are bothered about is stopping bloody boats when education and the NHS are being squeezed into oblivion. Proof positive that the media control the opinions of the masses. They're literally telling us all what to look at while the things that really matter are being decimated.

If you use a service and want it to thrive, maybe try supporting it?

I'm guessing that this particular strike is because the school management want to pull out of the teachers' pension scheme? If they do, then they may well lose staff to other schools which are still in the scheme - there's a teacher shortage at the moment, so staff who want to stay in the TPS can probably find another job. There are implications for pupils as well as staff.

No, of course it isn't cruel. I think you might mean that it's inconvenient to you, but that is hardly the same thing.

The ability to strike protects workers rights, and the system needs to change.

A good way to think about it is that the teacher’s working conditions are the child’s learning conditions. If the teacher’s working conditions are poor that has a direct impact on the children’s learning sometimes in subtle ways. I would much rather have teachers who were paid well, well staffed schools and talented teachers who didn’t leave the profession. Those are the conditions in which my child would learn best.

You’d be better off spending your energy being irate and doing something about this

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/sep/10/revealed-covert-deal-to-cut-help-for-pupils-in-england-with-special-needs

If this is an independent school where teachers may lose the teachers pension scheme they are absolute right to strike. If that goes through then the school will lose teachers and they will find it v hard to recruit. I would never work for a school who pull out if TPS.

I would never work for a school who pull out if TPS.

That. I'm retired now, but if I was still working, no way would I work in a school that wasn't part of TPS. And if my DD and son in law's schools pulled out I'd advise them to move. Though they'd decide that without my advice, I'm sure.

Parents and Grandparents of the children there should be backing the teachers if they want the school to survive and their children to continue to be taught by the present outstanding* teachers.

*According to OFSTED.

@saraclara if you have a child at this school it's rarely even a possibility to move them. It's a pretty unique school. Life is complicated with SEN education.

Staying isn't supporting the school stance.

It's not like little Johny is at Eton and throwing some cash about gets him into a new school. No indi or state wants to touch Johny with a barge pole. Johny has a ehcp. Who Surrey fund fully.

Doesn't mean I wouldnt in theroy support the logic of the teachers here. But as aside I feel like like Johny is very likely being fucked over. Doesn't mean the teachers aren't too. I wouldn't like my child be fucked over

So, what do you suggest?

Would you put someone else’s child ahead of your family security?

My 6 year old goes to a SEN school and I fully back them striking, they specialist provisions in the UK are dreadful and now wanting to cut EHCPs by 20% is shocking, I fully support them striking and wanting better for our lovely children.

OP your anger is misplaced.

Are you also angry at doctors striking, nurses, Tube, train, lawyers etc? If yes, how come everybody’s else is wrong and you are right? The common denominator here is the shit work-life-salary balance. I suggest you direct the anger at the shit Tory government we’ve had for 13 years. Also Liz Trussterfuck as we’re still paying.

Incidentally, Trussterfuck is my phones predictive spelling, even though I’ve never used this term before. How apt, though.

This!

My son is in a SEN school. His teachers are amazing and deserve so much more than they get. I thoroughly support them with their strikes. Yes, it's inconvenient and my son hates the disruption to his routine, but disruption is the nature of the beast.

Besides, if the government wasn't such a useless pile of shit, there wouldn't need to be strikes in the first place.

W the future of education as a while in this country is bleak. Something needs to shift. And we are people in our own right, with families and our own futures we wish to protect. Your child does not come first. You’re naive if you think they do.

and teachers lose pay every day they strike. Do you think we can afford that? We are demonstrating we care by taking that hit.m