Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

Original poster

School Strikes 26th March - Invoicing the LEA

432 replies

Bexinder · 21/03/2014 11:47

Just wanted to share what I'm doing, and I wonder if we can get some sort of campaign going. Lots of UK schools are closed due to teacher's industrial action next Wednesday 26th March. Given that we parents have absolutely no leeway when it comes to taking children out of school during term time and will be hit with heavy fines per child if we do without permission, I'm invoicing my local education authority for failing to provide education on this day. They haven't asked MY permission to allow the school to close.....Now I'm not expecting them to pay this at all, but I am wanting to cause a stink. They can close the school over the pay and pensions row, but I can't take my children out of school for a funeral.
Sorry - rant over... if anyone wants to copy the invoice, let me know and I'll post it. Thanks!

OP posts:
Philoslothy · 22/03/2014 22:04

Our GCSE targets are based on key stage three performance , using KS2 based targets as a starting point.

Hulababy · 22/03/2014 22:06

I suppose one benefit if Gove was PM, at least everyone else could see exactly what it is like to have their lives affected by him. Not sure he would last very long though.

spanieleyes · 22/03/2014 22:07

And mine are based on achieving above floor targets!

BoneyBackJefferson · 22/03/2014 22:08

Are your KS3 performance levels graded in house? as there are no longer any national tests at the end of KS3.

We have to use the FFT and they are from KS2.

Philoslothy · 22/03/2014 22:09

Yes graded in house.

Departments are given the FFT data and then we alter them (if needed) in line with key stage three data and our knowledge of the pupils.

forceslover · 22/03/2014 22:10

Teachers please ask your unions to call a strike on a Friday so I can have a long weekend away! A Wednesday is no good! Grin

BoffinMum · 22/03/2014 22:10

My theory is that Gove went to the US recently to pave the way for a possible job within Pearson or a similar company, flogging dodgy IT based instruction systems to the schools of the globe, undermining state education systems. If he doesn't get to be PM.

BoneyBackJefferson · 22/03/2014 22:11

Philoslothy I am impressed we are not allowed to deviate from the FFT that is set.

Philoslothy · 22/03/2014 22:13

Eyebrows would be raised if departments only put targets down and not up.

Seems a very sensible way of doing things to me.

ravenAK · 22/03/2014 22:16

Ours are based on KS2 philoslothy - the argument being that RAISEonline etc looks at KS2 data. 4 levels of progress is the new mantra.

Also, if you're teaching a non-core subject things get properly weird.

My English targets are KS2-based.

My Latin targets are based on History target or MFL target - whichever is the higher - which are in turn based on KS2 English (& arcane demographic data).

This doesn't cause me a huge problem as the Latin cohort are self-selecting high achievers - they have to be in top set for MFL in year 8, in order to be allowed to spend year 9 attending an afterschool club, in order to be accepted onto the GCSE course.

Not necessarily the case for the Geography or Food GCSE students, say.

Lottiedoubtie · 22/03/2014 22:21

Gove is highly unlikely to become PM as a lot of senior Tories reckon he's lost the plot completely and they are gunning for him.

Please God let this be true.

alldoublestandards · 22/03/2014 22:37

Out of interest, did the last teacher strike achieve anything?

The NUT state that the main reasons for striking are: excessive workload and bureaucracy,performance related pay and unfair pension changes. These issues are just what a lot of working people have to deal with these days unfortunately. I am in a union that did arrange strikes in the 80's over pay and conditions but it didn't make any difference- the changes went ahead anyway.

I do find it interesting that the NUT states ' Teachers’ working hours are also inflexible. It is very difficult for teachers to take time off during term time, for example to attend an event at their own child’s school'. But a lot of working people have this problem - it's not uncommon and just limited to teachers.

ravenAK · 22/03/2014 22:38

Actually. I read an article about the Tory 'possibles' t'other day - Theresa May (shark eyed racist), Osbourne (clueless towel folder) or Boris (sociopath).

If I were a Tory, I'd probably be picking Pob out of that lot.

Tbh, they can have him for Leader & welcome to him as far as I'm concerned, if it stops him dismantling the education system in order to give its assets to his mates & get his mug in the tabloids.

rollonthesummer · 22/03/2014 22:40

I do find it interesting that the NUT states ' Teachers’ working hours are also inflexible. It is very difficult for teachers to take time off during term time, for example to attend an event at their own child’s school'. But a lot of working people have this problem - it's not uncommon and just limited to teachers.

But in most jobs, you CAN book a day off-to go to an appointment/a child's play etc?

Somersaults · 22/03/2014 22:44

Lots of people have difficulties booking the exact days off that they may need. However as a teacher I struggle to make dentist appointments, I had a chest infection for five weeks and had to wait another week to get a GP appointment because I can only book evening appointments. I cannot attend any of the vents at my daughter's preschool. It is not a case of trying to book one holiday for one event and failing but managing to make another event later in the year. I cannot ever attend any events. I knew all this when I signed up. However, in addition to that I spend part of the evenings and weekend days that I can spend with DD doing prep, assessment and many other things for other people's children and I am in no way rewarded or recognised for that. I don't mind a bit of give and take, but it is all take from teachers at the moment.

Somersaults · 22/03/2014 22:45

*events.

2little1s · 22/03/2014 22:46

no it's not you get 13 weeks holiday.

2013go · 22/03/2014 22:48

Don't know why you'd want to invoice the LEA- Gove and co have made entirely sure that they run very few schools these days- instead they've handed over schools and land that belonged to is all to private companies and Tory donors.

stillenacht · 22/03/2014 22:49

Absolutely Somersaults

Somersaults · 22/03/2014 22:52

But I take nothing like that amount of holiday! Do you think that from the last day of term in July to the first day of the new term in September I sit around and do nothing? How does my classroom get prepared for the new school year? How do children's names get stuck on trays and pegs? Who prepares all their books sticking in title pages, targets and 'I can' statements? Who back the walls and puts up displays so that the classroom is an attractive place to be for the new class? How do the lessons the children do in the first week get planned or prepared? I spend at least two weeks of every summer holiday in school completing handover for my old class and preparing for my new class. And at least part of every other school holiday in school planning or assessing. Assuming we all take ours holidays is the same as assuming we work 9-3. It is a total myth. None of the evening or weekend hours I spend planning or marking are being taken into account here either. I am entitled to just over two hours of planning, preparation and assessment time each week to plan five whole days worth of preferably 'outstanding' lessons, mark thirty x a whole week's worth of work and accurately assess and track every child in my class to ensure they are making progress. I know of not one teacher who can achieve all that in two hours a week.

Philoslothy · 22/03/2014 22:53

I think flexible must be relative, I find teaching very flexible. I can't book a holiday during term time, but I can't anyway with school age children. I can and have made medical appointments during the school day. I can leave school at 3:30 a few evenings a week and then catch up with work when the children are asleep.

stillenacht · 22/03/2014 22:54

We are also not allowed to deviate from FFT. My whole class predicted A*/A despite having quite a few non musicians (we are talking about pupils who are more likely level 5 at best, therefore grade E candidates)Hmm chose my subject (I have no say) because they thought it would be fun....

Pooka · 22/03/2014 22:57

Were you an ofsted inspector 2little1s? In schools?

I heard in the news the other day that ofsted had been criticised for low calibre of its inspectors.....

Somersaults · 22/03/2014 22:59

Perhaps different schools are flexible in different ways. Maybe it depends on your HT. But I would have to have an incredibly good reason to be making medical appointments during the school day. I can bring some work home but due to latest safeguarding and data protection policies an awful lot of my assessment, target setting and tracking work can now only be done on site as assessment data cannot be taken home.

Lottiedoubtie · 22/03/2014 23:00

no it's not you get 13 weeks holiday.

Do you know what? I have LOADS more than 13 weeks holiday. It's great and one of the things I love about my job in an independent school.

Bringing up holidays is just goading. Holidays aren't new. They aren't a perk given because teachers are inherently lazy. They are a by product of the education system designed for the benefit of children not teachers.

Having long holidays does not mean you cannot complain about anything else ever.

I won't be striking (wrong union) and anyway most independent school NUT members won't strike because it isn't our T&Cs Gove is eroding.

It doesn't mean I don't have every sympathy with the strikers. And if I worked in the state sector (and was NUT) I'd be out.

It's called empathy and understanding the issues.

If I was a banker, barrister, doctor etc... I'd get less holiday, but a damn sight more pay overall... I choose not to work in the state sector because of Michael Gove.