Teachers to strike - 30 June

[meditrina]

breaking now on SKY

Overwhelming vote by 2 teachers' unions (92%)

I think, perhaps, I have experience of very bad schools which is likely given where I grew up.

Also, do you not think, as I said yesterday, that the more 'perks' you remove from the package the less likely you are to attract the best graduates?

I should have listened to my 6th form tutor and done law!

BooBearBoo - I'm not a teacher, just have enormous respect for the profession and have worked in local government in the past. Wish my union would call for strike action, believe it's time a message was sent to the govt that enough is enough, we, the masses should not be continually made to pay for the mistakes of a few!!

'I think, perhaps, I have experience of very bad schools which is likely given where I grew up.'

That's what I was thinking. There are some very challenging schools out their, in some dreadful areas. Unfortunately, whilst most places can take their pick of prospective NQTs, some others will take anything that stays long enough to pin a badge on.
Remember the spate of teachers on a gap year from Australia and NZ who put in a term or a year and then moved on?
Not implying that they were not good teachers, but some classes go years being taught by a succession of ever-changing young people.

'out their,'

Don't try and watch QI whilst typing, talking and eating a salad.

So Feenie why are there no strikes in the holidays then? If childrens education truly mattered to them, they have multiple opportunities per year to strike without adversely affecting their pupils?

You don't often hear of private sector employees striking do you- the last I remember was British Airways I think, (and before that I can't remember) yet it really does seem to me that public sector employees do go on strike much more often.

So yes, unfortunately it does seem to me there are frequent strikes by the teaching unions, of which for some reason there are more than one.

Because a strike would be ineffective in the holidays - as you have pointed out, it wouldn't really affect anyone, so no one would care. Obviously.

You have had the facts re number of recent teachers' strikes pointed out to you by more than one poster - I'm sorry if your memory plays tricks on you and tells you something entirely different.

lol @ striking during the holidays. No-one would notice which sort of defeats the point. There have been protests and marches at weekends which were widely reported in the media but they didn't help.

WHEN ARE THESE FREQUENT STRIKES???????

Sorry to shout but it has been pointed out over and over again how infrequently teachers strike.

You are quite right thinNigella the private sector employees don't often strike because, let's say, for example the banking profession - they don't need to strike because pay and conditions are usually very good, and even after causing a worldwide recession they receive bonuses etc while the govt try to destroy the public services and decimate their pensions. Funny they'd want to strike then, eh?

I am not paid to work in the holidays.

I guess the reason public sector strike more because they are the sole employer. If I worked for a bank and felt my conditions were unfair or that my employers were breaking my terms of employment I could move to another bank.

Why wouldnt it work during he holidays? Every teacher says they do stacks of work. Refuse to do it. Strike.

Gagarama, DH is a lawyer who works for a bank. His pay and benefits are ridiculously good. The rubbish pay and conditions of the private sector talked about on this thread are not the experience in our household.

But if I had refused to do any planning and prep during the hols it would just have made my life ten times more difficult during term time. It would still have to be done otherwise I wouldn't be able to do my job. So if I didn't do it then, it would just mean more evening and weekend work the first couple of weeks back.

I don't do stacks of work in the holidays. In a half term and end of term holiday I will go into school for one day between 9-3pm. I will then, depending on the time of year do two days at home of similar hours.

During the summer I will probably go into school between 9 and 3pm for about 2 days. I will then work for 2 weeks 9-3pm at home.

The point is that holiday time is not directed time and therefore if I refuse to work during the holidays I might be working to rule but I would not be striking. I actually think that a prolonged peiod of working to rule would be more harmful to children than a one day strike or even a short series of one day strikes.

I am a FOR strike action. Not because I disagree with every single proposal made, but because they are refusing to have any kind of discussion over these proposals.

I joined the ATL because generally I don't agree with striking, and they generally do not threaten strike action unless they truly believe it is the absolute last resort. Although the union has voted for strike action, unlike the NUT, we have a conscience clause which means that if I choose not to strike I am entitled to do so with no repercussions.

As it is, I don't work on Thursdays so can't support the action.

BooBearBoo - I think Jamie's dream school comprehensively showed that bein an expert in your field does not mean you will be a good teacher!

If I DO strike, I suspect I shall spend at least part of the day doing school paperwork. Not doing planning, assessment, monitoring & recording would only make my life more difficult - it wouldn't make the government consider its plans

Spotty Frock to answer your question, the strikes are at John Port School in Derbyshire (one of the the largest school in the county). Think they have been on strike 7 times this year. Caused a huge amount of distress for the children - the daughter of a friend of mine is in her GCSE year and this action was taken at the worst time possible and severely disrupted the run up to the exams.

it does seem to me there are frequent strikes by the teaching unions

As others have said, there's something wrong with your perception then.

Thanks for the info on pay. It seems to me that Teachers get a roughly similar deal to other professionals working in the public sector. Why aren't other public sectors workers striking though??? I think it may be because Health Professionals know that we actually get an okay deal and accept that cuts do have to happen and would prefer that we take the burnt rather than the sick and disabled. That is perhaps just my view. Incidentally, many of us work about 47 weeks per year, for 37 contracted hours, do CPD and other stuff in our spare time and often go so much over our flexi time limit that we lose it at the end of the month.

FFS Gaorama - if you don't want to teach then don't but realise that 68 will probably be the age that most people have to work to - if you are grumpy when you get older then you are in the wrong job and you need to have made some provision to retire earlier like private sector workers do if they want to take early retirement.

Get with the proigramme teachers - you are all bitching and whinging about bankers but expect us to bail you out in terms of contributions to your pensions and retiring earlier than the rest of the workforce.

Teachers at John Port School taking strike action to protest at plans to make the school an academy.

In doing so , they're defending their own working conditions - but also local democracy, the rights of parents and the education standards in the school.

Academies are run by external sponsors such as businesses, charities and religious organisations; typically sponsors of academies have no educational experience or expertise, but they control all aspects of the school including admissions, curriculum and length of school day.

And the majority of an academy?s governing body is appointed by the external sponsor; academies are only obliged to have one parent governor, in contrast to the situation in other schools where at least one third of governors must be parent governors - so as you see academies are not obliged to listen to the views or concerns of the school?s parents.

Academies are allowed to operate outside the School Teachers? Pay and Conditions Document and the conditions of service for school teachers in England and Wales, and so are not bound by nationally agreed teachers? pay and conditions of service arrangements. They're not obliged to recognise Trade Unions.

Well done those teachers at JPS for sacrificing several days' pay to oppose this appalling prospect

Yeah well done those teachers at John Port - try telling that to my friend's DD whose education was so disrupted that they didnt actually finish the curriculum for their GCSEs...

No, I may well still be teaching at 68. I will be the cantankerous old witch that fills parents with terror at the thought of their darlings falling into my bony and malevolent clutches.
There will be endless worksheets, and I will have a long pointy stick for prodding irritating brats out of the reach of my arthritic legs. I will replace my chair with a commode for break times. and do all PE through the use of the IWB.

They ran classes for all students studying for exams Eddieshead, and in one of the strikes, it was only the lower school that appears to have been affected, so not sure how that disrupted anyone's GCSEs.