School Strikes 26th March - Invoicing the LEA

[Bexinder]

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!

Forgettable...I was actually being light hearted and if you saw me in the flesh you'd know that I'm not one to judge on looks...glass houses etc.

You say 'keep'...I don't think I've judged Gove in his looks before...I'm usually too busy ranting about his shit politics.

Not sure who you think you are being quite so judgey pants on whose posts are articulate or not...ofsted inspector by profession perchance??

Clam...thank you, thank you, thank you for posting that.

Just finished three hours of marking...the perfect end to a Sunday evening watching that

mammadiggingdeep, many apologies, misread the tone

Titter at the clip, clam

I am a recently retired head teacher

and I'm the Pope.

Clam I have certainly watched that clip a fair few times. It doesn't stop being funny.

I too call bullshit on the 'I was a head' statement. And, oh my god, I did swear. Well fuck me. Obviously we teachers should be above that sort of shit.

Why are we even engaging with this stupid argument?

recently retired headteacher

One who has spectacularly failed to remain abreast of developments in education then.

Another one who's finding the smell of bullshit overpowering.

A recently retired headteacher in your own little world maybe.

Dont worry, in my own special world I am the Queen and I ride a unicorn.

Lottie - it's much harder to become a doctor or barrister (can't say about bankers) than a teacher. And I think it's been established recently that many barristers are quite badly paid.
Teachers are quite well paid, and in addition to that they get loads of holiday and pension and the chance to be in a meaningful union and more job security than most.

Unpaid holiday. Or did I already mention that?

"Well-paid?" compared with whom?

"Job security?" Not these days.

"Meaningful union?" That everyone's slating because they're creating a hassle for other working parents to find childcare on Wednesday.

Well paid?? Would you care to elaborate on this?

You can call it unpaid all you want. The fact is that you earn national median level or above salary, get loads of holiday (almost 3 times the norm), a union that fights for you and has some muscle (many many workplaces have no union presence) and, believe me, I know whereof I speak, you have masses more job security than people in the private sector. I have a relative in secondary state school teaching who for many years was a union rep. He used to talk about the schocking cases he dealt with. It was peanuts compared with what many private sector workers are put through. I appreciate that things are becoming tougher than they were though.

In many parts of the country teaching is seen as being really well paid. In this part of the country, for instance, there are hordes of qualified teachers competing for jobs. Similar level jobs outside of teaching are far worse paid, and have a third of the holiday entitlement.

• it's much harder to become a doctor or barrister (can't say about bankers) than a teacher

You mean it takes longer to qualify. Of course it does. However, we should be trying to recruit people who are capable of these things to the profession because they are bright but passionate about teaching.

State school teachers being 'well paid' is subjective and whether or not you agree with this statement reflects mainly upon your view of teachers and their importance to society.

IMO they are not 'well paid', I am however, because I work in a large independent school. (Independent does not always mean more money, but it can be foundry you research your school carefully).

The pension is much less favourable than it was.

Why do people keep using things like the pension as a stick to say teachers shouldn't complain ....about losing their pensions.

Nonsensical.

I'd be interested to hear what you consider to be an equivalent but less well paid job.

I didn't say that you were well paid, but plenty are paid worse and all others are probably on lower holiday entitlements and pension entitlements. Lots of different types of jobs. Just look around you.
It's not just that it takes longer to qualify as a barrister or doctor. It is also far harder to get on to the relevant courses and, in the case of a barrister, to find a tenancy (first job). You won't find many barristers or doctors who are not extremely bright (academically speaking) and with very high grades in their exams. Many people who simply would not find it possible to become a doctor or barrister, regardless of time spent and cost, could become a teacher.

I know many people who think Michael Gove is an excellent Education Secretary and many are parents, governors and teachers

Hi Sarah, I liked your Chloe name better.

Pah! Give an actual example or two please! I want to know what you consider to be an equivalent job. That will give us a clearer idea of where you really stand on the issue.

I'll give an example, of where you said teachers are quite well paid,

Teachers are quite well paid, and in addition to that...

Just to be fair

Ok, quite well paid in comparison with others. I actually find that many people are paid less than I would expect for what they do, IYSWIM. I could give you a few examples from the area I work in, but would prefer not to blow my "cover" completely. I know someone who did a management consultancy role with a statutory authority and was paid £25K, would be slightly more now. She had a first class degree from Oxbridge, plus a specialist MA and several years' high quality experience. I'd guess 5 or 6 weeks' holiday. On the recent legal aid thread a barrister was talking about earning £19K, with long hours, no rights to sick pay or pension and taking little holiday.
Some classes of employment I think are clearly overpaid - including doctors (a GP, which is considered lowly, I am told earns over 100 thousand, with consultants earning considerably more), and dentists (if paid on the NHS I gather they are paid 60 or 70 thousand, and if working privately, as is v common, they earn vastly more).

I was bullied in state school into a psychiatric ward under the Mental Health Act and underwent ECT.

But of course I expect that's peanuts compared to conditions in the private sector. I work for a charity with no official union recognition now. I'm still a union member but at least I get treated like a human being. No one could tempt me back to teaching.

was Chloe really Mrs G then?

mrz or feenie - please PM me the Goveposters, I've probably been horrid to her on here & I wouldn't be if I'd known she had to live with Slithy...

I know someone who did a management consultancy role with a statutory authority and was paid £25K, would be slightly more now. She had a first class degree from Oxbridge, plus a specialist MA and several years' high quality experience. I'd guess 5 or 6 weeks' holiday.

My qualifications are similar to these as are my husband's. In most cases if you earn 25K after several years experience with a first class Oxbridge degree; that is your choice. I used to earn a six figure salary but then chose to drop that in order to have 13 weeks off. Again that is a choice I have made.

I don't think teacher's wages are awful, especially when the holidays are taken into consideration. However I was only willing to take the huge paycut to be a teacher because my husband was the main earner. I work with quite few female teachers who treat their teaching wage as a top up wage rather than the main wage. I do think that if we are going to attract the top graduates who might be attracted to more lucrative careers we may have to pay more.

I really like being in a classroom, I am quite good at it but I did not want to settle for the average classroom teacher's wage and therefore quite quickly aimed to get promoted to a senior level which meant less time in the classroom but more money. I think it should be possible to earn a decent wage and stay in the classroom, I know some of the changes to pay and conditions are supposed to make this possible: we will see of that happens.

- it's much harder to become a doctor or barrister (can't say about bankers) than a teacher

You mean it takes longer to qualify. Of course it does. However, we should be trying to recruit people who are capable of these things to the profession because they are bright but passionate about teaching.

I think it is harder to become a doctor than a teacher, I am not sure about barrister. I would guess that if you take the average qualifications of a new doctor and a new teacher, the doctors will have better GCSEs and A Levels. I think this is becoming more pronounced, I rarely talk to a super bright student who wants to become a teacher. Most of the very bright students I teach want to go into medicine, law or something very specialised - teaching tends to be the aim for well behaved B grade students,

A newly qualified teacher in outer London starts on a salary if 25k, a tube driver starts on 46k.