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!

For entry to a programme leading to QTS that is. For UQTs, all bets are off. Although I work with some excellent and very well qualified UQTs.

No mention of A' levels?

What do you understand the entry requirements to be?

No clam, although I guess they are assuming you have them if you have a degree. It surprised me that they were not there. You would expect a linked A level to your chosen teaching subject as well as a degree.

You are lucky if you have a field of candidates from which to select Philoslothy. Recruiting highly qualified staff in shortage subjects to challenging schools is increasingly difficult. I have experienced significant understaffing because I am a picky recruiter. and that affects students' education as well...

I teach in a popular school that teachers want to work in, I have spent time in schools that struggle to get staff and know that you can't always be choosy. We have recently appointed new phsyics and maths teachers and still had quite a good field. The last two permanent positions we advertised (Head of Year/House) and history teacher both attracted in excess of 50 applicants.

What are the entry requirements for the BEd?

I think the 'actual', as opposed to the 'minimum' requirements vary quite a lot depending on the state of the economy. When recruitment to teaching is easy - economic downturn - the training institutions can be more choosy. In upturns, when many graduates / potential BEd students will turn to less 'safe', but perhaps more glamourous alternatives, entry standards will be lower.

It's like a positive feedback loop. Very hard to break the cycle. You are in a fortunate position!

Couldn't say what they are now but the entry requirements in the late 90s for the primary science BEd were C in Maths, English and Science at GCSE.

My UCAS offers were mainly the points equivalent of CDE or DDD at A-level with two of those having to be in science subjects. They do interview applicants though so it's possible that the actual offer might depend on how much they want the applicant.

I am in a fortunate position and I have put myself there deliberately. I am not noble or hardworking enough to work in a tough school. I suspect I don't have the skills either. In a good school I am a good teacher, push me any more and I would crack or give up. That is something else I would like to see addressed in the pay system, higher pay for those teachers working in the tougher schools.

It is madness that I am paid the same amount of money as somone in a tough inner city school.

It is a bit of a vicious cycle - we want to employ high quality teachers but find it hard to attract them because our school is trying to turn itself around. It is a nightmare. In my previous schools we had loads of high quality applicants for every job.

I have sat here for about 20 minutes with total writers block about The Sun headline. It is REALLY bugging me. Any offers?

Photo: "angry" mum(s) with folded arms and sad looking kids? Or perhaps foxy mum on bed with LEA invoice between teeth? No...they will definitely need sad looking kids in there...hmmm.

p.s. Don't tell The Sun that I stand behind our teachers 100% - fingers on lips now.

But if it paid more you would get some of those high quality applicants.

I am responsible for behaviour and the pastoral teams. I see our most challenging students.

Today I dealt with someone who ran down a corridor and someone who sang a rude song during his cookery lesson.

You can cope in my school by being a good teacher who is prepared to mark a lot of work. It is the schools who need the strongest teachers who often have to settle for the weakest candidates.

Philo, I doubt you'd get onto a PGCE course if you only had a 3rd. It's much more competitive than in the 1990s. Many incoming teachers have 2:1s, and it's the norm to study for a master's early on in your career. Later on some people do professional taught doctorates (EdDs).

I have taught with at least one teacher that I know of with a 3rd, she is not in her late thirties so I assume she qualified in the late 90s. If I knew of one there must have been others. I do hope it has become more competitive. We rarely get applications from anyone with a result below a 2:2. I think the bar should be set at a 2:1 personally.

Yes I agree, but we can't pay more, hence the problem. I also find that I have to work twice as hard at this school compared to my last one, due to the situation of the school and the pressure everyone is under. This is what I was saying up thread - some of the students with the most challenging backgrounds are never going to make two sub levels of progress a year - why would anyone choose to teach them if that is how we will be judged?

I think if our most challenging students were those that ran down the corridor or sang rude songs we'd definitely be onto a winner!

Have to say I disagree about the degree thing - some of the best teachers I know have 2:2 or 3rds. Obviously not all, there are some amazing ones with higher degrees too. More the problem is non-specialists teaching our subject (maths) either to make up timetable gaps, or because recruiting is a problem.

I thought the government had changed it to a minimum 2:1 'to raise standards'?

Because when it happened, we commented that DH was lucky he'd applied a year earlier as he has a 2:2 in Chemistry & Physics from Bristol.

He is also an outstanding teacher. So it's education's gain that he got in.

I've taught with teachers with all classes of degrees and believe me it makes no difference to their teaching ability. I'm teaching at the moment with an NQT, she has a 1st and is studying for an mEd at the mo. she knows all the theory but her class lacks routine, consistency and her planning is verging on inadequate. This is in primary though, so perhaps that makes a difference.

I don't think they should exclude 2.2s - that will lose too much talent. I know someone who got a 3rd - but is extremely bright and dedicated and is now teaching at uni. It has been a hard struggle for her just due to her degree classification. I think she was in love and took her eye off the ball!

Dh lectures in teacher training and their requirements for the B.Ed (apart from the English, Maths and Science at GCSE) are 300 UCAS points (which equates to 3Bs at A level, at least one of which must be a Nat Curric subject) and a pass in the Professional Skills Test in English and Maths.
For PGCE, a 2:1 is pretty standard, but you wouldn't get a bursary with anything lower.

Funny how the teachers at our primary school never strike. It also never shuts due to bad weather. The Head has a grip of steel over the staff I think.

Junior school next door to my school has OFSTED in today and tomorrow. Half their teachers are striking today. Not sure if that would be good or not, thinking latter tbh.

Junior school next door to my school has OFSTED in today and tomorrow. Half their teachers are striking today. Not sure if that would be good or not, thinking latter tbh.

I hope the school isn't penalised for the strike. Will you feedback on here and let us know if the strike is mentioned in the Ofsted report when it comes out? I'd be really interested to know.