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Primary education

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Original poster

Teachers on strike - do they usually name names?

413 replies

hester · 20/06/2011 17:35

Just had a letter from dc's school, warning us of strike action at the end of the month and listing by name those teachers who will be on strike, and those who won't. They will close the classes of the striking teachers, and keep open the others.

Is this normal practice? I would have thought it would expose individual teachers to some irate parents? I also expected that they would treat it as a whole school issue, provide what cover they can, maybe suspend lessons and hav a games day in the hall. And if they couldn't do that, close the whole school?

OP posts:
sun1234 · 23/06/2011 11:54

so for working parents its a case of take the day off, just in case?

ivykaty44 · 23/06/2011 11:57

sun1234 - you don't have to take the day of work, you can make alternative arrangements for your child just as you would do if the snow fell and the school shut

sun1234 · 23/06/2011 12:01

for many parents that is a day off work! What do people do who don't have friends and family who can step in?

ivykaty44 · 23/06/2011 12:03

you find friends quickly that you can all share the care- even if there is 6 of you and you do an hour each so not a whole days work is lost

bitsyandbetty · 23/06/2011 14:28

An hour each. What a great idea when you all work in different directions? I can really see that working! You either find a non-working friend, (not many in our area) or you take the day off work with no relatives around or you leave your older children alone at home. Not good for health and safety but some people will have no choice. Some people cannot just ask for the day off with little notice. Many companies require a minimum of a week's notice and then can say no.

feckwit · 23/06/2011 14:30

we've had an email today to say 3 classes are in and 3 classes are not, so I have 2 in and 1 at home... yet to hear what is happening at the high school with my eldest!

ivykaty44 · 23/06/2011 14:41

Instead of moaning about it find a viable solution, there is one if you try hard enough and the whole point of the strike is to cause problems - it is up to you whether you are able to get round those issues and find a solution rather than keep moaning all the time that this will not work and that will not work.

You don't have to give a weeks notice in circumstances beyond your control and in any case this will no doubt be the first of many one day strikes so what will you do on the other days planned for striking?

sun1234 · 23/06/2011 15:02

ivykaty44 - you are not a teacher by any chance are you?

mrz · 23/06/2011 17:28

sun1234 the teachers agreed to changes in pension contributions in 2006 which the National Audit Office recognised would make the TPS sustainable

mrz · 23/06/2011 17:28

but I'm sure you are better informed than they are Hmm

littleducks · 23/06/2011 18:00

dd's school isn't shut but her class won't be in that day, along with the majority of the other classes

it isn't a huge problem for me as I am off anyway and have offered to have other children if required

I will be really pissed off if it continues in the autumn though, I have been struggling enough with tube strikes and a lecturer strike and as a family we have suffered alot since the banks collapse and no longer have job security let alone a pension!

I will also be more likely to pull dd out of school if required (not for weeks or for no reason but the school has a strict, only three days per academic year to celebrate religious festivals rule that could cause problems for us) as they obviously don't believe the rubbish that 'a day missed at school can never be caught up' they keep putting in school letters)

Feenie · 23/06/2011 18:07

It might not the continuation of the NUT/ATL action but the start of it by other unions that may be a problem in the Autumn.

Feenie · 23/06/2011 18:09

as they obviously don't believe the rubbish that 'a day missed at school can never be caught up' they keep putting in school letters)

To be fair, if one child misses school, they are missing the teaching. If it's an industrial action day, there is no teaching to miss. So not sure that the two are so similar afte all.

littleducks · 23/06/2011 18:18

The statement hugely pisses me off, everytime I see it, apparently 'research' proves this but the school has never backed this up with a source Hmm

The strike day is 'a day' after all, where presumerably there had been planned teaching aims and lesson plans

It just seems redicolous to suggest that a single day (missed for any reason, family funeral/religous festival/illness whatever) will never be caught up. So the children will presumerably have holes in their knowledge surrounding certain topics as they had chicken pox for a week once...........seems unlikely to me!

I would agree if they said something like 'time missed from school can be hard to make up'

MrsMipp · 23/06/2011 18:23

ivykaty44 - you're doing a great job of getting people on your side, aren't you?

sun1234 · 23/06/2011 18:28

mrz - no but I am better informed than your union who is breifing you

clam · 23/06/2011 18:33

One of our kids informed her teacher today that her twin brother, who's in a parallel class whose teacher is striking, will be sent in to school to be taught in his sister's class! The Head Teacher has made it very clear that that will not be happening and that any children who turn up with their class teacher out will be sent straight home.

mrz · 23/06/2011 18:36

Actually my union isn't briefing me

MigratingCoconuts · 23/06/2011 18:36

sun1234 in what way??

(genuinely interested as I will need to make an infformed decision about voting for/against strike if my union ballot)

MrsGuyOfGisbourne · 23/06/2011 18:39

We have been told which classes are out that day 6/14 - including DS2's, so I resume that means his teacher is on strike, and nt that she is covering for another class whose teachers is. Find it shocking if teachers are not obliged to give their school notice - presume ours did.
So how to explain to DS2 that his teacher is having a tantrum ove the fact that she wants a pension that the rest of the world won't get because... why??

EvilTwins · 23/06/2011 18:40

"tantrum"?

FFS.

mrz · 23/06/2011 18:44

The TDA is going to have to change their advertisment

Teaching benefits

In addition to your basic salary, you will also receive a range of benefits, including:

teaching and learning responsibility (TLR) payments ? additional money if you take on additional responsibilities
<strong>teachers' pension</strong> ? the second largest public sector pension scheme in the country
holidays ? more days than many people in other professions, though teachers work for 195 days per year in school, and do some work during their holidays.
Feenie · 23/06/2011 18:46

Would be interested in finding out what MrsGuy teaches her children about struggles throughout History. Did all people fighting for change have 'tantrums'?

TheOriginalFAB · 23/06/2011 18:46

MrsGuy - I don't think you need to tell him anything other than his teacher is not working that day so he gets an extra day at home.

queen10 · 23/06/2011 18:54

We have not heard anything yet. Not a problem for me as only work part time and was not planning to work that day anyway. Would be nice to have some notice though. I do sympathise with the situation but I think as other have said private secotor worker's are suffering too. I worked for 15 years in banking. ( not highy paid) I left on maternity leave and never returned. I built up sharesaves and took profit sharing in shares. This was part of my security for retirement. Due to poor decisions by those on the huge bonuses I have lost the best park of 20k.