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.

I work from home full time, but I'm a single parent and run meetings so I can't have kids over it's not an option. Wednesday is the worst day for me work wise.

Im trying to give the other view here, I am on a sole income looking after a child and have a demanding job. So personally the impact is hard. Especially when they strike is for two consecutive days shortly.

^This

The Tories are far too short sighted and have absolutely no sense of long term thinking. Idiots.

Then complain to your MP.

if they are a Tory then complain about the fact that they’re unable to run a country as so many of their staff are striking and are leaving in droves!

When your kids have no specialist staff to get them through their exams then you might realise why this strike is important

How can you be angry and fuming and yet supportive? That doesn't sound very supportive.

Strikes are supposed to be an inconvenience. That's the whole point.

I fully support any profession taking strike action.

The dates are released well in advance.

The disruption isn’t that bad tbh.

The dates were announced in advance. It’s a pain yes but things can be rearranged - much in the same way you would if your kid was unexpectedly ill.
I am more worried about the government gutting education then boasting about returning funding to levels seen in 2010.

Right, so returning funding to the levels last seen when my 13 year old was a newborn. Fucks sake.

How is the disruption not that bad? NHS operations and appointments are being cancelled due to staff having to be off to care for children, ambulance response times will be even worse, again due to lower number of staff on strike days. A lot of places will be understaffed and some of these places closing / cutting production / service will be at a detriment to peoples lives.

It's a pain. It inconveniences public. But that is the whole point of a strike. It's meant to cause disruption in order to pressure the government to get up and listen.

Dh is a teacher and honestly in the last decade the state of education and funding makes me super nervous about my kids (1 in primary currently that is in dire need of more TAs, not enough teachers for all classes due to people leaving, absolutely no funding available for SEN support for those that are in the EHCP application process etc.).

I find it genuinely shocking how much of the problems seem to be hidden or outside of the publics awareness and if striking informs people of how awful things have got then it's worth it. All our kids deserve a proper education and our staff at schools deserve proper conditions.

Hopefully the government will take note then. 😉

Oh for goodness sakes! Get over yourself,
they’re doing this FOR kids you absolute fool. If you genuinely cares about kids education you would know exactly why this needs to happen. Good grief.

It's "supportive when it only effects other people" really, isn't it.

Strikes are supposed to be disruptive.

Genuine question, and one I'd be really interested in hearing your answer - what would you support teachers in doing instead?

Absolutely!

Of course they are. I didn’t understand why a pp claimed they aren’t that disruptive.

You won’t get much support on here.

And of course it’s about more than pay. Of course it is. I’m sure there’s lots of gripes.

I had the same rubbish in the 80’s when the routine strikes and work to rules messed around with my education.

Funny how it’s not ok for a kid to be taken out for a few days to something important in their personal life, but it’s ok when it’s about terms and conditions.

It’s not that bad in the grand scheme of 13 years of cuts and lack of teachers all over the shop. Teachers are not childcare.

This is what you get when a government runs down services. Plus NHS staff are striking too. The ambulance point is tenuous at best. Ambulance wait times have been screwed for years! And I suspect the numbers of cancelled appointments etc is low. So yes it isn’t that bad IMO.

It could be solved if the government got its arse into gear and made an offer.

You go on about your job but what would you do if your kid was ill youde have to get on with it wouldn’t you? Stop thinking of yourself and start thinking about kids education.

If the schools were closing for days on end or teachers worked to rule then I’d be saying otherwise! But they aren’t.

I'm 100% on the teachers side. They deserve better pay and the ones they do care would go out to show the way this whole system is treated shall not continue. They are people who have passion for teaching and they care about the children.

I don't want underpaid substandard teachers to teach my children. The future of our country deserve better investment.
You are being VERY unreasonable.

Teachers don’t fine parents, the authority does, Ofsted push attendance targets. Don’t blame the teachers blame the system. You also aren’t paid for strike days.

As a nurse also striking, and the owner of 2 teen DC, 1 in GCSE year I fully support the teachers. Education provision in this country is dire. My GCSE teen is having non specialist teachers as they cannot recruit or keep teachers. Teaching is so undervalued by this hideous government, that teachers have no choice but to show this by striking.

We all need teachers they are invaluable, but just like health, the Tories are hellbent on destroying the education system. We need to support all striking workers. It is only going to get worse.

Both the primary & secondary that my dc attend are only partially open. Y7 & Y8 dc are in (along with y11's) at the secondary, but off for the one after (y9, 10 & 11 in that day). At the primary y3 dc's class is open in the primary but closed to y1 & y5 dc so I'll probably keep the y3 off too & suck up the unauthorised absence for him. DH is trying to arrange the day off work I'll still have to be in work due to the children that will be there.

It is a strange position fir me.
Yes it is about pay. A lay that is crap which means teachers are leaving and your child isn’t getting the education they should.
Surely you want teachers who can teach to teach your dcs?

We have had three school strike days since December in our region in Scotland, and other 2 planned at end of Feb.