Teacher pay rise/strike

[Nix32]

AIBU to want people to realise that the potential teacher strikes are NOT about the percentage payrise?

They are about the fact that this payrise would be unfunded, which means they would have to come out of already stretched budgets. This would mean redundancies and even fewer resources. This has a direct effect on the children.

Please remember this when you are slating teachers.

That's interesting @MiserableMrsMopp I had thought it was due to GCSE curriculum being so dry it was putting kids off further study. In my county secondary is all 11-16 so I've had little interaction with A-levels.

Are they looking to reform the A-Level curriculum at all in the curriculum reform - GCSEs are far too content heavy I feel and it would help job satisfaction to have them slimmed down and leave some time for a bit of depth of study rather than being forced to race though the curriculum at a pace.

You can't strike illegally... You would get sacked. There are strict rules ..

This is really not why attendance had become an issue. Factors include the post pandemic mental health crisis and spike in SEND, under funded schools with huge classes and not enough resources to support those struggling, cost of living crisis meaning parents are working more hours etc and not as available to support those struggling to get in, schools that are very rigid making them hard places for people struggling with SEND/mental health/wellbeing amongst a range of other things.

I think GCSE could be slimmed down. Build skills rather than rote learning the correct formula to pass the exam. I guess A Levels could go the same way. Also the NUMBER of GCSEs students take could be reduced. International students come in having only done 6 or 7 IGCSEs which are already easier. Compared to British students 12 or 13. Why do they need to do so many?

BUT if you compare A Levels to IB Diploma (the KS5 level), they do 5 subjects, plus Theory of Knowledge, write a mini thesis. I mean, the level of teaching is lower, but the amount is so much heavier. At the moment, A Levels are the academic gold standard. Don't we want to maintain that?

Maybe AS needs to return to being a stand alone qualification, rather than just half of A2?

Tbh the school Shouldn't be hiring qualified TA's to be 1:1 child support assistants there isn't any need.
Anyone can be a child support assistant it's not the same as a TA role and child support assistants can't cover classes.

The NEU is for support staff as well as teachers. They are balloted separately though.

I'm personally not bothered about a payrise, I'm.bothered the school will be forced to give us one and cut our budget further.
Our head just before the end of term told us that we will be looking at job cuts next year.. how does that help anyone?

I'm just cheesed off with teachers striking. It seems to have been going on for years. Literally seems like a couple months since industrial action stopped that had been going on for years and now we are back here again

A lot of us had to take our kids out of school because it's so bad. We totally understand and support the teachers in striking.

This bothers me. I have worked with some very highly skilled 1:1, it’s a really challenging role , working with the most vulnerable children. We need excellent people with clear understanding of a child’s needs and how to support their needs to work with them. Yes teachers can direct but high quality staff are invaluable ( and also completely underpaid)

Probably because every year they have to fight for a pay rise. They also don't want it to come out of school budgets. So it's seems like it in the media a lot.

I would love them to also not take support staff wages out of school budgets. But that didn't happen the last few years, so while we are getting pay rises schools are losing budgets to staff salaries, and therefore cutting support staff roles. In high school to the point it's becoming unsafe.

No, any one can’t be a 1:1 child support assistant. Very often it is supporting highly vulnerable children with incredibly complex needs. That requires a level of skill, knowledge, patience and compassion that is very difficult to find. It’s a really insulting suggestion.

A support assistant that is for personal care, rather than learning, actually is very different and likely wouldn't be used to cover classes. Doesn't mean they won't have the necessary skills for their role, but it's different from a typical TA.

YANBU

I was on strike a couple of years ago (Wales) and this was my exact reason for it. I have changed career and I actually feel that may pay is OK. What I cannot stand is the ever tighter budgets, and lack of job security as schools make cuts.

A 1:1 does far more than personal care. Depending on the needs on the child and what any EHCP may say, they will be supporting a child to access learning. It could involve scaffolding a task, understanding sensory issues / support they might need. They may well be implementing learning programmes and interventions such as speech and language or learning interventions. They will need to understand a child’s needs, will possibly need a good understanding of deescalation techniques. I’m sure I’ve missed out loads but it absolutely a skilled role, and I have seen some of the best TAs asked to do that role, particularly when a child has very complex needs.

No, you haven't missed anything. Teachers haven't even been balloted for strike action yet.

The government recommended to the independent pay review body that teachers get a 2.8% pay rise this year, which would not be fully funded so the money for this would need to come out of school funds. The independent pay review body hasn't yet been published so we don't know what it recommends, and it has, in the past, recommended a much higher pay award than the government recommendation. If that happens, the government will need to decide whether to accept the independent pay review body recommendation or not.

If it is 2.8% and unfunded, then the NEU (the largest teaching union) has done a poll that suggests that they would have the support move to a strike ballot.

That's one scenario. Mine was another.

It's the NASUWT annual conference this weekend, so I suspect this will be a topic of conversation.

I felt very strongly about striking for a fully funded pay rise and I went on strike. This pissed off a great number of people but I believed it was the right thing to do.

I lost however many days pay and pension contributions for the NEU to accept the partially funded pay rise. And now they want us to strike again? We should not have accepted the crap offer we were given.

Teachers are our own worst enemy. I will not be striking again, I don’t see the point to lose pay and pension contributions and to feel totally let down by the union that I so passionately supported. I know this will not be a popular opinion but I really don’t see the point.

I’m unsure what point you are trying to make. The point you responded to was responding to a poster saying 1:1 did not need to be qualified and anyone can be a 1:1. I and @Nix32 disagreed , and pointed out they are skilled as we should expect the best for our most vulnerable children. On another note I am struggling to think of any 1:1’s I have ever worked with that have only been responsible for the personal care of a child. I work in mainstream though.

Working 1:1 with a child is one of the toughest jobs. All the 1:1 TAs I have ever worked with have been highly skilled, incredibly patient, incredibly knowledgeable, experienced and quite honestly bloody brilliant. I know I could not do the job and to say anyone can do it show a distinct lack of understanding of children and their needs.
People who support children 1:1 are supporting some of the most vulnerable children in our education system and they make a massive difference to those children and their families.

"Shall we strike?"

"No we shall not."

Almost certainly, yes.

Although those at the conference are probably more likely to vote yes.

Have to say I'm not entirely sure why the NEU did a ballot rejecting the government pay recommendation when it's not the government pay recommendation that counts, but the independent pay review body recommendation, which hasn't yet been published.

It's very depressing,agree re chagos and the billions given to Ed.

It's going to cause utter chaos.