Students crossing a picket line

[VikingsandDragons]

With the upcoming school strikes our children's school has announced it is staying open with reduced staff. As adults neither of us have ever crossed a picket line, we both have family and close friends who are teachers, and we're quite uncomfortable about it. Does anyone know the law around primary aged children being kept home on a strike day in support of the strikes, or are children not considered to be crossing the picket line?

I posted a similar query on a different thread. We're a trade union family and I feel very uneasy about sending my DS into school on strike day (he's secondary).

I've read the DfE guidance for schools around the proposed strikes (which is laughable). It does state that if a DC's school is open, the child will be expected to attend. If they don't, they will be marked unauthorised absent.

Now I guess there's nothing to stop someone calling the school to say their DC had a 'stomach bug' on a strike day. If a DC's attendance is otherwise good, 1 day won't impact that (although obviously there are 4 planned strike days).

Someone on the other thread suggested that actually, it could be seen to be 'helping' the strike action by sending DC in as that way there is more impact/disruption for schools trying to cover larger numbers of DC, therefore maybe forcing them to close - IYSWIM.

There is nothing in the relevant laws or regulations around children failing to attend school when staff are on strike. The DfE guidance is correct that any child who fails to attend when the school is open should be marked as unauthorised absent, which may lead to the parents being fined.

When there is a train strike, people cram on to the trains that are still running. I see the school children as 'customers' in a similar way. Plus TAs, heads etc will be in, so they will have crossed the picket line.

It feels wrong to send them in😳

They will not see the disruption until they are shown it

To be clear

The government won't see its disruptive unless we all send our children in and the schools struggle to cope if we DONT send the kids in schools will be fine and the strike will not have the impact

I support the teachers strikes but I think discussing whether kids can cross a picket line and labelling kids as scabs is unpleasant and uncalled for. I haven't heard any similar discussions about use of trains, buses or hospitals during strikes. Some teachers in my school are striking and some are not meaning the school is part open and some children be in. Those children are no more breaking a strike than a passenger getting a train on strike day.

That's interesting.

DCs school is open on strike days too - we've had a letter saying support staff and SLT will be working. And yes, unauthorised absence if DC don't attend.

I've been feeling the same as OP, somewhat uneasy at crossing the picket.

In that by sending all the kids in and continuing on our normal day, is the least disruptive - so undermining the effect of the strike. I was working on the presumption that parents having to find (and fail to find) alternative childcare would be more disruptive to society/the economy.

Also suspicious that whole schools being covered by TAs, would give government ammunition for not needing a full time teacher for each class, if the TAs can do it anyway and all the kids can go in. (disclaimer: this is not what I think. Both TAs and teachers do fantastic jobs, and we need both equally)

What? This is an odd interpretation of strike protocol.

Its only 'crossing a picket line' if you are a teacher member of the union that's striking. Staff in schools who are not in the striking union do not have a mandate to strike therfore would be breaking the terms and conditions of their contract and could be sacked.

When a union strikes the members have a legal mandate to strike.

When janitors strike teachers cannot also stay out the workplace to support them.

Teachers can be split across a school with staff in different unions. The unions strike on different days. Strikes are planned until the end of May. Unless school is closed it is nothing to do with the pupils. When nurses strike would children be kept out of hospital?

How does it cause any inconvenience if no children are in the school.

I see it as supporting the strike by ensuring our children do attend and see how the school copes without our staff

I support the teachers strikes but I think discussing whether kids can cross a picket line and labelling kids as scabs is unpleasant and uncalled for. nobody has called anyone a scab. Discussing how to support teachers who are striking isn’t wrong on any level.

You xan only strike if you are a worker. Kids don't work there. My kids would gleefully have the day off, but it would have nothing to do with supporting the strikers, they are just being normal kids. I support anyone's right to strike, so if they get sent home with staff shortages I will live with the inconvenience. They will be shoved in front of ipads so I can get some of my work done.

A great question and one I am debating too.

My school is open and there has been no changes communicated. I am thinking should I keep my DS off in support of the strikes!

My kids state school is closed but has boarding facilities. I hope that any staff picketing are sensitive to the fact that it is the children's term time home and they dont feel intimidated if they go in and out of the grounds in the course of the day

I can't believe you think children should be subject to this ridiculous 70s picket line / "scab" idea and miss out on their education. Of course it doesn't matter if anyone children cross a picket line.

It's only crossing the picket line if you're a member of that union. I used to work in local government and if you weren't a member of the union you were expected in work on strike days or be subject to disciplinary action. Since children are very definitely not members of a teaching union there's no issue in them attending school.

Only if they are off a week surely?

I agree with you OP. Which is why when the nurses or paramedics are on strike, if one of my family has a heart attack or serious injury, I won’t be calling an ambulance. Same as if my house is on fire during the fire strike, I’ll just stand back and let it burn.

Solidarity, brothers and sisters.

Each LA sets its own policy on fines. They can fine for a single day's absence, but most will only do so if the child's attendance is poor. However, I recently discovered that there is at least one LA that will fine for any unauthorised absence, even if it is the only unauthorised absence the child has had.

Bit of a dramatic response for someone a bit nervous about the whole thing. This is MN, not twitter.

😂😂😂😂

It’s obviously sarcasm!

I’m not normally a harsh poster. And I do support the teachers right to strike. But if anyone discusses primary School children going to school in terms of ‘crossing a picket line’ they need to get a grip. Same for sending children in to ‘send the government a message’. The pandemic generation have suffered enough. Don’t entertain the idea of using them as political pawns on either side.

This is MN, not twitter.

I don’t think that’s quite the endorsement of MN that you think it is.

I think it’s undermined the impact of the train strike that people can simply work from home instead. I’d view keeping kids at home as the same thing, it just reduces the impact of the strike action.