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Primary education

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Original poster

Managing school strikes

198 replies

mamnotmum · 21/04/2023 12:28

Just had an email from school to say they are shut next Thursday for strikes and will update us soon about a strike on 2 May.

It's not that I don't support the teachers but there is no way my employer is going to give me a day off with less than a weeks notice (paid or unpaid) and I can not work from home/bring my child to work.

I realise some people have grandparents / friends but is anyone else finding it increasingly difficult to manage?

OP posts:
Blahdeblahaha · 21/04/2023 16:25

TheCrystalPalace · 21/04/2023 16:22

But I will just say this.
"When you equate the salary for the amount of weeks worked, it's a reasonable salary with an excellent pension."
Well, it's clearly NOT a reasonable salary if so few people are prepared to apply for or remain in the job.

I would go into teaching but I would want to teach and not deal with the other stuff around it.

TheCrystalPalace · 21/04/2023 16:26

"I would want to teach and not deal with the other stuff around it."

And therein lies one of the main problems.

TheCrystalPalace · 21/04/2023 16:27

@TheChoiceIsYours "Anything that denies children access to their education is for me over the line and unacceptable."

What, you mean like the Government's woeful record with regard to funding schools?

Blahdeblahaha · 21/04/2023 16:27

@TheCrystalPalace but then you are confirming my original point, which is it's not the salary it's the crap around the teaching that teachers are being put off by, so get the funding for other roles particular to that

TheCrystalPalace · 21/04/2023 16:31

No, it IS the salary (amongst other things). The salary (massively reduced in real terms since 2010) is not sufficient to tempt people to either start training, or continue in the job once there.
STEM graduates, for instance, can earn so much more in industry. Why on earth would they settle for the carnage that is schools today?

RedToothBrush · 21/04/2023 16:31

TheChoiceIsYours · 21/04/2023 16:23

It’s ethically wrong that teachers are striking such that schools are closing and children losing education. I 100% support the reasons but they could strike in other ways - refuse ofsted access, refuse to submit SATs results etc.

Anything that denies children access to their education is for me over the line and unacceptable.

The impact of this on already struggling families is horrific.

I am now totally against it.

Honestly I'm torn.

The way the government is saying the teachers/heads can have a pay rise is to throw it back to schools and LAs to come out of existing budgets.

So it's the kids that lose out. Especially the SEN kids.

I already feel that there isn't enough allocated to school budgets. So it's actually feck all to do with how much the teachers get paid.

The government knows that it's going to piss off parents so are playing the long game to alienate and play divide and conquer.

In DSs school about half the staff are striking. That means his class are losing days but the other class in his year group aren't. DS'S class are the one with the need for the greater SEN support. Their teacher is fab and has been half killing herself trying to deal with it all.

Thus I'm kinda indifferent about the strikes themselves. I just want better education for my son and he's not going to get it with strikes but he's also not going to get it without strikes.

The whole thing just pisses me off.

MrsHamlet · 21/04/2023 16:32

TheChoiceIsYours · 21/04/2023 16:23

It’s ethically wrong that teachers are striking such that schools are closing and children losing education. I 100% support the reasons but they could strike in other ways - refuse ofsted access, refuse to submit SATs results etc.

Anything that denies children access to their education is for me over the line and unacceptable.

The impact of this on already struggling families is horrific.

I am now totally against it.

But we can't do those things. That would be a breach of contract. In law, we can withdraw our labour. So that's what we're doing.

Blahdeblahaha · 21/04/2023 16:42

TheCrystalPalace · 21/04/2023 16:31

No, it IS the salary (amongst other things). The salary (massively reduced in real terms since 2010) is not sufficient to tempt people to either start training, or continue in the job once there.
STEM graduates, for instance, can earn so much more in industry. Why on earth would they settle for the carnage that is schools today?

I have shortage skills and am one of those that have considered teaching many times and it's not the salary, as industry doesn't always give what those in the public sector imagine. Perhaps if you are in a high flying role, no you wouldn't attract those, but there are plenty of us who don't earn at the top level for the industry who are still very capable and for whom education is important that you might attract (or re-attract) if teaching was more supported.

Cudz · 21/04/2023 16:43

@RedToothBrush I feel exactly the same as you. Me and DP both work full time with no holiday clubs available for strike days. It's really pissing me off now as we are having to use leave for one day here and there (when you can't do anything productive really) rather than take quality leave like we have earned and deserve (stressful NHS jobs and no we didnt strike for those). Similar to you the other class in DS's year group aren't affected by strikes so they will have benefitted from 7 extra days of teaching once this next round of strikes has happened too. The whole thing is a mess and I know from speaking to parents in the playground what started out as support for teachers is rapidly declining into more and more pissed off parents each time new strikes are announced.

TheCrystalPalace · 21/04/2023 16:44

Striking teachers are the ones who DO care about children's education. They're the ones looking ahead, horrified at what's coming down the track.
They're taking the hit with short-term pay loss to try to highlight the terrible state that education in this country has got to, with much worse to come.
You should be grateful!!

thesmee · 21/04/2023 16:44

It's illegal to not allow Ofsted access to your school.

Blahdeblahaha · 21/04/2023 16:45

TheCrystalPalace · 21/04/2023 16:44

Striking teachers are the ones who DO care about children's education. They're the ones looking ahead, horrified at what's coming down the track.
They're taking the hit with short-term pay loss to try to highlight the terrible state that education in this country has got to, with much worse to come.
You should be grateful!!

Sorry I don't agree, as has been said teachers can only strike for pay rises and for me that is not the issue.

TheCrystalPalace · 21/04/2023 16:47

Doesn't matter what it is for you!

Blahdeblahaha · 21/04/2023 16:49

@TheCrystalPalace maybe that's the problem with the strikes then, it is not trying to get jo public onside to make things better as a whole

MrsHamlet · 21/04/2023 16:50

Blahdeblahaha · 21/04/2023 16:45

Sorry I don't agree, as has been said teachers can only strike for pay rises and for me that is not the issue.

Show quote history

You can disagree all you like.
We are now down ten learning support staff on this time last year. We can't afford to replace them.
Teaching staff pay rises have to come from the budget. We already can't afford to provide the support students need and it's only going to get worse.
It isn't only the case that that harms students with SEN. Unsupported students with additional needs means the teacher is spread more thinly and it gets worse for everyone.

TheCrystalPalace · 21/04/2023 16:55

And when some children's SENs are unsupported in class, YOUR child's learning can be quite severely disrupted.

Blahdeblahaha · 21/04/2023 17:00

Isn't this is completely my point as they are not teachers but support/specialist staff...but payrises for teachers doesn't solve getting other staff in whichever way you look at it.

MrsHamlet · 21/04/2023 17:02

All the money comes from the same pot. The payrise we've already received (plus the rises in energy and paper costs) have depleted our budgets even further. We're striking for FUNDED pay rises.

LadyPenelope68 · 21/04/2023 17:03

mamnotmum · 21/04/2023 12:28

Just had an email from school to say they are shut next Thursday for strikes and will update us soon about a strike on 2 May.

It's not that I don't support the teachers but there is no way my employer is going to give me a day off with less than a weeks notice (paid or unpaid) and I can not work from home/bring my child to work.

I realise some people have grandparents / friends but is anyone else finding it increasingly difficult to manage?

Making it hard to manage is the whole point if strikes. It wouldn’t have any impact if it made things easy for people. Not sure you understand the point of a strike!

RedToothBrush · 21/04/2023 17:07

TheCrystalPalace · 21/04/2023 16:44

Striking teachers are the ones who DO care about children's education. They're the ones looking ahead, horrified at what's coming down the track.
They're taking the hit with short-term pay loss to try to highlight the terrible state that education in this country has got to, with much worse to come.
You should be grateful!!

I wouldn't say grateful. But I do think DSs teacher cares for the kids and sees the lack of sen provision as massively hurting the whole class. Begrudgingly dealing with it is a better description

Okunevo · 21/04/2023 17:12

Why are there year groups with one class missing days but not the other? Shouldn't the school alternate which classes are off and move teachers around for those days? Or prioritise the younger year groups as it is easier to make arrangements for older primary children than younger ones. Or is that not allowed?

TheCrystalPalace · 21/04/2023 17:13

It's quite clear that lots of people have no idea how strikes work.
Of COURSE they can't swap teachers around, fgs!!

Blahdeblahaha · 21/04/2023 17:14

MrsHamlet · 21/04/2023 17:02

All the money comes from the same pot. The payrise we've already received (plus the rises in energy and paper costs) have depleted our budgets even further. We're striking for FUNDED pay rises.

So you are not striking for extra money? I get it all comes from the same pot but what is not clear is, is there a demand for teachers to get extra money as well as how it is funded as part of these strikes or is it purely how it is funded?

cantkeepawayforever · 21/04/2023 17:20

My impression is that if the Government had offered what they did a few weeks back - a well below inflation offer - BUT funded it fully with new money, it would not have been turned down by every union involved. For those I have talked to in real life, it is all about the fact that teachers don’t feel they can take any pay offer, however paltry, while it further impoverishes their workplaces and causes support staff to lose their jobs. Fund the current offer, and despite the fact that teachers will continue to fall further and further behind other graduate employees, I suspect the strikes would stop.

Okunevo · 21/04/2023 17:27

TheCrystalPalace · 21/04/2023 17:13

It's quite clear that lots of people have no idea how strikes work.
Of COURSE they can't swap teachers around, fgs!!

At my DS's 14 to 19 college they have been prioritising specific year groups.