Sooo, is your child's school striking on the 30th November?

[Appuskidu]

Have they told you yet if the school will be closed? My DD's school shut for the most part last time, but I can't remember when they let us know!

I have no idea what my "work to rule" would be...
my contract and job description don't even begin to say everything I do.

God woman, proof read. Two parents' evenings this week, so making little sense, it would seem.

It was meant to read:

I would find work to rule very difficult, but yes, it would be very effective. Very interested to see if the NASUWT ask their members to follow it through.

I suspect the government would love us to work to rule because they know most of us won't do it.

There was an article in The mail the other day saying that teachers were wrecking the education of children because we were merrily refusing to do nativity plays etc.

Exactly though - you do only what your contract and job description state - nothing else. Lots to leave out!

There was an article in The mail the other day saying that teachers were wrecking the education of children because we were merrily refusing to do nativity plays etc. Brilliant

but Feenie my job description says "any other duties that are requested by the Headmaster or governors" .... dang!
Might as well just go to work as normal

those militant teachers at it again

That's the bit you leave out

I just hope the BBC put on some good films. Maybe an hour devoted to each subject...

I was part of the work to rule protests in the eighties.
Taught, marked and planned lessons. That was it.
No clubs, extras or evening stuff. No seeing parents unless it was within my designated work time. Got to school at 8.30am and left at 4.
No PTA activities. No changing wet or dirty children, and this was before TAs.
No looking for lost clothing, tying shoelaces, mending broken toys or making tooth fairy parcels. Can't remember all the things we stopped doing, but it was a huge list and hard to remember because the boundaries of the job stretch so far into other areas.
It was very restful, not doing all the extras that we did and weren't paid for, the hidden curriculum bits. The parents were shocked into realising what they had taken for granted as part of the job that wasn't.
It is a very powerful tool, but hard to be that disengaged.

'but Feenie my job description says "any other duties that are requested by the Headmaster or governors" .... dang!
Might as well just go to work as normal'

Designated hours in school give boundaries. You can be directed during directed time but not beyond.

Wednesday is my half-day anyway, so I generally work to rule anyway. Normally time to see my DD - and that's what I'll be doing on 30th from about 11am...

At least a work to rule might emphasise the things we do outside of our contracts and get the parents onside.
A strike just labels us as militants.

I honestly think that there is so much negativity out there, we won't get any sympathy full stop :-(

What happens if the caretaker is striking and won't open the school when it comes to staff who are not striking?

I think as long as the HT is there, you can open.

ASteep... Why would you want sympathy? Strikes do not garner sympathy, they inconvenience people, and people generally see the narrow me-me-me picture, strikes just let people know you are at the end of your tether and the issue needs addressing.

The call for a work to rule is much more "clever" - teachers will work to their hours and contract only - would cause much more disruption to the powers-that-be, especially long term, teamed with strikes in small "runs" - Tue + Thu one week, Wed the next... strikes lose their impact on Mon or Fri as people take a long weekend and part time workers often do the start or end of the week - and lets face it "if a strike doesn't "hurt" it doesn't work! "

or so I was told last time(by our HT) , when our school was closed to children, but as a support worker I had to attend but could not sit my children - who normally go to the school I work at - in a corner for the 1hr, hence losing me a day's pay - and losing them my sympathy.

I have sympathy. It's a slight PITA because I shall have to take a days holiday, but seeing as the government refuse to enter any dialogue with you in regards the subject, then . And I work in the private sector, have no private pension etc. I don't begrudge others what I don't have, nor do I think it is fair that the goalposts are so shifted so much. It's a bloody hard job, and not one that is particularly well recompensated on a monetary scale.

Just a reminder that those striking don't get paid for that day. The point is that they aren't at school, what they choose to do instead is up to them. Personally I rallied and had a fabulous day in a left wing city. The support was amazing.