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!

I know many people who think Michael Gove is an excellent Education Secretary and many are parents, governors and teachers. Perhaps we don't mix in the same circles.
The unions are arguing about teachers' conditions of service not the children's education. Let's be clear. The teachers are going on strike about their pensions not the education service

2Little1s... I know hundreds of teachers. Not one has any respect for Gove.

differential pay for "good" teachers, end of course exams rather than teacher assessments,

Admit it...you are all going on strike about your pensions, not the children's education

How exactly will attacking teachers' terms and conditions and making the profession less attractive to talented graduates help to improve our education system, 2little1s?

I live in a die-hard Tory constituency. At governors' meetings at our school, I'm surprised the clerk hasn't started minuting the audible hiss that goes around the room every time the Education Secretary is mentioned.

I don't even pay into the teachers pension, I can't afford to

2little1s for my subject we don't do teacher assessments. It's controlled conditions within the classroom, where work stays in the classroom and then is marked by the teacher and sent to an external moderator.... Do you think we just make grades up?

2little1s Fri 21-Mar-14 22:43:40
Admit it...you are all going on strike about your pensions, not the children's education

I am a late entrant to teaching, my pension is a tiny irrelevance. We don't particularly need my wage either although it is nice to have . I am not striking because I will be on maternity leave but I would be and it has nothing to do with my financial gain.

I like the idea if free schools and academies.

My DD1 school has obtained academy status and I can not fault the school. DD is very happy there. Could not recommend the school enough. Since becoming an academy the catchment area has become a lot smaller. Perhaps a sign parents really like it.

We also have a new free school primary in our area. Parents are falling over themselves to get on to it. If my DD2 was younger I would probably apply for it as well.

Gove does not make my pulse go any faster but I think it is a vast improvement on Balls to be honest. But I'm not a teacher only a parent.

differential pay for "good" teachers,

Are you aware of how difficult it is to objectively assess 'good teachers'. Are you aware that the methods Gove is proposing to use are open to massive abuse and aren't proven to actually work anyway.

end of course exams rather than teacher assessments

Are you aware that changes are being rushed through so fast they arent being properly researched?
Are you aware that when asked what his evidence was that his efforts to model our education system on aspects of the Finnish education system would work he replied, 'good question, I don't actually know the answer, but there are people who do'

To be fair you wouldn't be aware of my last point unless you were at the lecture of his I had the misfortune to attend and heard me ask him. However, if you are going to comment you should know the rest.

Actually, with a bit of tweaking the OP's suggestion might help support the strike.

Imagine the chaos if we all turned up en masse at the LEA with our children, placards to support the strike? We could demand that the Director of Education fulfill their statutory duty of provide our DCs with education. Tongue in cheek of course, but it will help show that we all think Gove is an arse.

Differential pay for "good" teachers is all smoke and mirrors. As I am part time I'm not fully up with PRP but I have been judged twice in the last year as outstanding in lesson obs, I run lunchtime clubs every lunchtime, i'm taking pupils on a European trip, I put on concerts and music for special occasions but because one or two pupils can't be bothered anymore (actually said to me last week) and will fail to meet their Government generated targets I can kiss goodbye to that.

You could do that on another day, it'd make the same point and be funnier!

It's not such a ridiculous idea. If your child is at private school and the teachers go on strike shortly before GCSEs and your child fails because of that and you have to keep him at the school to re-take, thus causing you financial loss, in those kinds of circs I think you'd have a claim.
You need to have a contract and a financial loss. You can't impose a fine.

A one day strike would not cause anyone to fail their GCSEs... Lack of work / effort on the pupils part from Sept 2012 till now would though.

Could I countersue the pupils for screwing up my chances with PRP because they "don't care anymore".

Teachers are loosing a days pay because they want YOUR children to be taught by qualified teachers, not people who have been dragged off the streets.

I know that, Stille, I was considering the possibility that a more serious strike could justify a legal claim. The private school would be considered to have breached the contract with the parent if its staff went on strike.

Stille - your contract at a private school would be with the school, not the pupils.

I cannot believe this OP.

Parents are pissed off that Gove has banned term-time holidays and imposed fines on parents that take them.

Teachers are pissed off that Gove has massively screwed with their job.

Parents should be supporting teachers against Gove not blaming them for the fines. I don't know any teachers that think it's a brilliant idea!

and 2little1s

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

Really.

Dinosaur it's all 'what ifs' and maybes though isn't it? Additionally as only 6-7% are privately educated it's not hugely relevant I guess.

It was just a point of interest, Stille, nothing more.
Have just been reading about Gove's stupid spelling test. Hate him for that as well.

2little1s

Can you not see that teacher's employment conditions have a direct impact on children's education -both now and in the future?

What possible incentive will there be for graduates with good degrees to enter the teaching profession?
How will the education sector retain good, professionally qualified teachers, if their employment conditions and pension provision are so poor?

I'm not a teacher but it's not rocket science!