My child's school is striking next Wednesday

[Cherryblossom200]

Hi all,

Just found out my daughters school is striking next week. The email from the head tried explaining its not just about pay, but about cuts to education as a whole. I understand there are a huge amount of problems, however striking is the wrong way to go about it especially when it concerns children. They have lost so much time in school over covid this seems ridiculous. I'm a working parent, we all have our issues right now but I can't walk out and strike. To say I'm angry is an understatement.

I'm sure this will be an contentious issue and some might disagree, which is fair enough. But I'm fuming at the moment and needed to vent!

Some of my friends schools are staying open, it looks so far like only two schools in the area are striking.

Get over yourself. It's one day. Would you rather schools keep losing teachers at a rate of knots to avoid you taking one day off?

It's only for one day 💁

As I’d not heard anything I assumed my child’s school would be staying open, Email comes through at 4.30pm today to say they will be closed completely. I’m having to rearrange meetings and take unpaid parental leave due to the short notice and lack of previous communication.

My DC are in 2 different schools and neither of them are striking for business as usual for us.
My granny has had an operation (NHS) cancelled next Wednesday due to staff having to be off as they have no childcare and not enough remaining staff to cover the surgery lists so I think the knock on effects of this will be huge.

The thing is, what could they do instead?! The government is not listening. I think direct your anger at the government instead.

Most regions have 4 strike days.

It’s not though, the letter from my child’s school lists 5 days when they will be closed due to strike action.

Having been a Chair of Governors for an eon I think striking is the only option left so I fully support. Everything else has been tried. It's very galling when you meet with your MP and the only answer they give you is there isn't a problem.

We have 4 days of strikes in our area over the next month

I’d love to hear the other ways to get a government to listen. Yes one day you may need to take emergency leave, poor you.

Op you'll just have to suck it up.
I'm in Scotland, our schools strikes the 10th and 19th of January with a further 2 planned 28th feb and 1st March.

It's truly inconvenient as it just costs me more money each time, but I believe it's necessary, I just wish the powers that he would take the necessary action to stop this.

Our school is closing anf they've given us a weeks notice. Tbh i started planning for the schools to be shut on each of the strike days.

Support the teachers, and would rather the schools close than try and stay open with skeleton staff, that would be more disruptive to children

I suggest you contact your MP and complain. Or would you like to remove the rights of certain workers to strike?

It’s at least 4 days.

It isn't the school that is striking, but the teachers. The school doesn't necessarily know who will be striking until the day, such is life.

Our primary (single form entry) is closing 3 years, secondary is open but we are not sure to what extent/in what form yet in part because the head doesn't know how many staff there will be yet.

Tbh I'm not sure why you're surprised, these dates haven't crept up on us.

I implore you to channel that anger and frustration and email your local MP. You can ask them why they’ve not negotiated with teachers and why they have taken the 5% pay rise they’re showing off about out of YOUR child’s allocated funds. It wasn’t funded so has been taken off children. Ask them how they plan to plug the gap of 6000 infilled teachers jobs if they’re not going to improve pay or even better conditions.

Or remember this when you’re next at the Ballot Box. This government underfund and cut all public services. They do not care about children, particularly children with SEN.

Yawn

I think the majority of parents will remain tight lipped about it. I suspect the majority will feel the same but not want to voice their opinion.

I'd love to see if this actually achieves anything, I truly hope it does.

My DC has GCSE this year so could really do without missing lessons at this critical stage. However, given the current situation in education, the years of austerity and cuts, the lack of resources, the dire state of the school buildings which means students have to wear coats in lessons and and put up with leaking roofs, inadequate toilets and facilities I fully support the teachers strike.

You should be fuming at the crap education kids are getting due to staff shortages. Teachers are leaving and the profession isn’t attracting many new takers. If you want your kids to receive a good education, engage your brain and support the strikes.

Striking workers, by long established law, do not have to give notice of their intention to strike, and cannot be forced by their employers to say whether they will strike or not.

Short notice is not your school’s fault, and schools that appear as if they may be open nay turn out to be closed on the day.

I'm a working parent, we all have our issues right now but I can't walk out and strike

Yes you can if you join a union.

The whole point is to be inconvenient to as many people as possible, but you should be directing your anger at the government and the decisions they’ve made which have led us to this point.

You could join a union too 🤷‍♀️

From just personal circs; it’s going to cause a hell of a lot of disruption to peoples health & ultimately lives. As for a positive outcome; we will have to wait and see.

I understand there are a huge amount of problems, however striking is the wrong way to go about it especially when it concerns children.

How do you think that schools and teachers should go about it? Don't you think that they have tried all other options and this is a last resort.