Winchester - why are they striking?

[Thewickerwomen]

Hello. I saw in The Times that Winchester might strike. Does anyone know the reasons why? (… and can one school decide to strike on their own?)

Why wouldn’t they strike ?

That’s a pretty high percentage both for turnout and agreement for strike action. I’d definitely be worried about what’s going on there for the staff to be so unhappy.

Depending on ages I’d assume the boys would either be left to their own devices, or cared for by matrons like on other off days

Well noble - that exactly! I assumed they were all taken care of at Winchester and part of the establishment there. Working at a boarding school is so different (from what I hear) as it becomes your community. Hence my interest in this thread on so many levels.

I assumed boarding staff/all their extra staff would "do something" with the children is all I meant. It's not quote the same as state where the kids are kept off. I really am interested to know what does happen tbh.

And also longer term the atmosphere in the school if so many teachers are demonstratively unhappy. Is Winchester the only private school striking?

(Tbf I am mainly concerned about state school conditions for kids and teachers and all the awful changes since I started teaching. But I am kind of fascinated by this now!)

Is Winchester the only private school striking?

NASUWT ballots met the threshold for strike action in 172 private schools in England and 12 in Wales (despite not meeting the threshold in state schools).

More teachers.
Maintaining ancient buildings and large grounds.
Better facilities for science, drama, music, arts, sport, languages
Possibly bursaries though these might come from endowments

But yes, I was quite surprised to see this thread.

Note, if they paid well over the odds, people would no doubt be up in arms about private schools stealing all the best teachers with their astronomic salaries...

Just went to look at their website for vacancies and they don't specify pay just a 'generous salary package'.

As an aside, their website is bloody awful.

A few hundred years ago the pupils formed a rebellion at Winchester. It’s obviously championing free speech.

I’m not sure that is fair.

Independent schools are very different from the state sector where you wouldn’t have issues like fee remission or your accommodation being mixed up in how you get paid.

People can be frightened to strike or even of joining a union; they might be complacent about their job security or they might be politically averse to striking.

Independent school heads can be remarkably naive about employment law and have little experience of union activity. They might ask things of their staff that they shouldn’t, and go unchallenged.

We don’t have the STPCD - and never have had anything like it, and we don’t have people chirruping up in the staff room that ‘They can’t ask you to do that!’, so rights are not defended or widely talked about.

No. It is not because people are thick. And you don’t tend to Google what you don’t know, so that isn’t the answer, either.

Try refusing to cover for your colleague in a boarding school (when your children’s education is paid for by the school and so is your home), and see where that gets you.

Oooh do you work in a boarding school. About 5 years ago I applied for a job in a part boarding school (not so prestigious - mainly day pupils) and remember thinking through if I'd move my kids if I got the job... and long term how that would tie me in!

Independent school heads can be remarkably naive about employment law and have little experience of union activity.

So you're saying that they'd be completely helpless in the face of something as common as union activity?

What do you think state heads have been doing all this week?

Maybe Winchester's head could have a chat to any of the heads of the private schools who have been on strike recently if they really don't know where to start.

I think Winchester are being incredibly brave, and that it must have taken an extraordinary level of organisation to get to a point where the ‘majority’ are in the NEU (if that is true) and therefore in a position to strike.

Something must have happened to really galvanise the staff room.

wilful ignorance of employment law is no defence. What other laws are they unaware of? They are a business. No other business is allowed to be 'naive' about laws.

So you’re expected to just put up and shut up ?

Where independent school teachers are earning significantly less than their colleagues in the state sector, I am afraid that this is how they have got there.

No wonder they’re striking then

This is interesting. I've worked in independent sector and contrary to popular opinion pay is often the same as or worse than state and lots of schools have had their pensions taken away. Classes aren't that small usually 25ish per class, and teachers work longer hours with more contact time in term than in state (which evens out with longer holidays).
But - I've had friends work at Winchester and it is one of the few independent schools that does pay above the state sector.
I suspect it's mainly over pensions. That plus a pay freeze (again lots of independents havent had any rises at all for years) might have done it.

I do think many staff in schools are expected to put up and shut up. It's the culture in schools. Even worse in independent schools - almost the "it's a privilege to work here" line equivalent to the kids "it's a privilege to be here."

(I don't teach in schools anymore but still feel like it's where I belong 😥)

I think you are right - a restructuring of the school day (meaning more work for less pay), smaller subjects being thinned out, pay rises below that of the state sector and the big one: how you exit the TPS.

I wonder about changes in leadership, too. The last ten years have seen a generation of very long serving heads retire. They have then been followed by short stints by relatively inexperienced successors - it can’t any of it be good for morale.

DC is at a once great school which is now flailing under a new(ish) Head. Staff morale is at an all-time low, they’ve taken them out of the TPS, good teachers are leaving, the day to day administration is appalling and an entire department is under threat. I would understand if the teachers wanted to strike and it would be interesting to see what the consequences would be as the Head does not have the full support of the parents, irrespective of what they think.

My independent school became heavily unionised PDQ when the governors tried to take us out of the TPS. Threatening fire and rehire from the very first meeting went down very badly indeed. We now have a Trade Union Recognition Agreement and joint negotiating rights.

The GDST schools struck over pensions last year, as did Pocklington School. ACAS had to go in to sort out the dispute at Pock.

I am the union rep at my school. If management asked teachers to cover for striking colleagues, I would advise my members of their legal right to decline to do so.

Did you all join the same union @ElegantPuma (… and which one?).

Is the TPS issue across the board in the independents? I / we / the parents assumed it was our school only.

@Benusdemilo yes, withdrawal from the TPS is an issue at many, many independent schools. Being threatened with (sadly, entirely legal) 'fire and rehire' tactics has prompted a number of strikes. Unsurprisingly, teachers do not want to lose approximately 1/3 of the value of their pension by the school forcibly transferring them onto private 'defined contribution' schemes. We have, like pretty much all of the public sector, already lost the final salary scheme and been moved by the government onto a career average one.

@Thewickerwomen the teaching staff are spread between the two main unions, who worked together to combat withdrawal from the TPS. Both of the unions have recognised representatives on the management / union negotiating committee in school.

Thanks @ElegantPuma . That is really helpful.