Scottish teachers strikes

[museumum]

How have other Scots found the teachers strikes?
I’m seeing a lot of stress from English parents I know on Fb as well as on mn but it seems to me in my bit of Scotland parents have said “fair dos” to the teachers and just got in with things/arrangements quietly.

I’m not sure this is necessarily good for the teachers cause….

interested to hear from other Scots around the country….?

Unison balloted School staff and staff in early years based in Schools this time. They didn't even give us a look at the offer last week as it was insulting.

But this is the second year running that support staff haven't their payrise in April and last year, back pay wasn't paid until December and a number of colleagues lost most of the back pay to tax and NI. So it wasn't worth their while.

Recruitment is now dire for staff as pay is so poor.

A friend who has a child at a school in Glasgow City Council has been told that S4-6 must attend as usual next week. East Dunbartonshire have said everyone out.

All a bit of a mess.

It's tomorrow we will know for sure. This is from their letter after last week's offer.

Unless a significantly improved offer is received by 5pm on Wednesday 20th September, allowing time for our Local Government Committee to take a view on it on the following day in advance of the public holiday weekend, our members working in schools will be taking action on 26th, 27th, 28th September 2023.

https://unison-scotland.org/wp-content/uploads/Letter-to-COSLA-re-Pay-140923.pdf

I got an email from my DDs school saying the school will be closed and they will be doing some kind of remote learning. No idea what that is or whether DD will do it. I'm wondering if I could get some additional tuition for her on those days but again will she do it, or see it as a week off?

There may yet be hope.

School strikes: Deadline extended for councils to improve pay offer https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-66865143

Surely if the schools are closed the teaching will move online? The teachers aren’t striking and all the kids are set up for teams?

DD has come home to say that contrary to the email about online learning, her teachers said they wouldn't be doing it.

Then they are surely in breach of contract? Our school emails have mentioned nothing about online learning so I’ve emailed and asked the question. Teachers can’t be getting 3 extra days paid holidays surely?

Teachers are expected to be in school.

We got a letter saying there would be online learning.
Unfortunately I won't be able to facilitate that as I will be working.

And do you believe her?
Teachers will do as prescribed by the authority. The pupils may attempt to dissuade parents re the amount but instructions and expectations will have been made clear. Teachers won’t be saying this en masse.

As above

The EIS have written to their members about their do and don'ts.

which are....?

Considering our school did pretty much eff all during Covid then I doubt they will do any remote working.

having said that they have a different Head from the Covid days so guess it’s possible

In my school S4-6 will be attending school and S1-3 should be following their timetable online. Realistically I think the s4-6 numbers will be right down though as a lot of them will have younger siblings to care for.

All my council's schools will be closed to pupils. My colleagues and I will be going to a PPP school which employs janitorial and cleaning staff who are not on strike. We will be setting online learning for numeracy, literacy and HWB. We will also work on our School Improvement Plan and do other development work and professional reading. Not looking forward to it at all but fully support my striking support staff colleagues

From the education service I would like:

A subject specialist teacher for each lesson, primary teacher and TAs in every primary class, and adequate other staff (technicians, receptionist etc) to ensure the schools are run properly.

The school to have adequate supplies of paper / pens / glue / textbooks / chairs / whiteboards / lab equipment / windows school upkeep etc.

The local authority to run the budget for both of the above to remove the need for head teachers to stress over how to get a fence fixed etc or a teacher to be photocopying textbooks cause they cannot afford it wtc.

the government to adequately fund the local authority to ensure the above can happen.

An end to the inclusion of violent, disruptive pupils in mainstream schools. There is no place for this kids in a classroom where the majority of kids want to sit quietly and learn. It is these kids who are massively suffering from this policy and they don’t deserve it at all.

These are the absolute basics of a school. The real basics. If paying teachers and other school staff more is what is needed to ensure they want to ensure we meet basic educational requirements then it should be done.

why the hell is the scottish government funding healthcare overseas, and having a Indy budget, and spending money promoting Scot’s language etc when these absolute basics of an absolute basic public service are not being met???

Well said. I could not agree more.

Strikes to go ahead after latest offer rejected.

Nothing from Unison so far. We keep finding out from bloody STV.

Bloody unions making decisions without actually asking their staff if they like the new offer or not. And I say this as a former unison rep!

They might like it, or not, but fucking ask them.

Just had notification from local Authority to say all schools in area are closed and the school will be in touch to say what they have in place for online learning

Ours is providing some online learning which is a pleasant surprise.

that old head leaving has been such a positive for the school

Couldn’t agree more @Boisey 👏🏻

Teachers are leaving the profession at a terrifying rate. In my family there were four teachers, now all four of us have quit! There are easier ways to pay the bills than have to be the front of house person for all of that. I felt like I spent my full career just constantly covering for everyone else and making it look like I was responsible for all of that awful stuff. I’d spend hundreds of pounds (of my own money) every summer for the first few years to make sure I had a beautifully presented classroom and the children actually had pencils, pens etc to use. A few years in when my supplies had been completely wiped out, children had shown no respect for the things I’d bought and the disruptive kids had most likely launched most of them across my classroom, I decided to stop buying anything and they just went without. It meant we couldn’t even use their whiteboards for whole class numeracy lessons etc because they didn’t have a whiteboard pen. It’s tragic!

In the end it just wasn’t worth it anymore. I felt like I was only staying for the sake of the poor souls having to put up with the horrific behaviour in their classroom but eventually enough is enough. There’s been staff (usually support staff) badly injured in my school, some have even had to go to hospital. We’ve had windows smashed during violent incidents and things being thrown across the class are a daily occurrence.

I’ve just had to step out of the whole thing. I ended up really unwell and on a lot of anxiety medication. A few months after escaping leaving and I don’t need a single bit of anxiety medication and haven’t felt like I’m on the verge of a heart attack once! There will be a national crisis in 5-10 years when the wider population starts to realise what is actually going on in schools (particularly coming up from primary schools) and these children won’t be able to function in adult life 😔 It will be too late by then though