Targeted school strikes - which schools are affected and why is there nothing in the news about this?

[Felici]

Tomorrow is the first of 6 additional days of targeted school strikes, we're in east Dunbartonshire and it's just Douglas in Milngavie & Bearsden Academy that are shut, the other secondary in Bearsden, Boclair, isn't within the fragrant Ross Greer's constituency and so is open.

We received a letter from someone eduction in the council saying discussions with SQA are happening, so it's at least being acknowledged how hugely unfair this is for a selection of Scottish students. Whether they actually do anything about it is another matter.

I don't have exam year DC but I'm seeing nothing in the news about this, so how much difference is this action actually going to make?

I've just got the headache of an extra 8 days of childcare juggling to do, which is a total pita but nothing on what's happening for exam years.

Is there even a list published of which schools are closed?

Answering myself here, found something on STV news (but not on the front page)

news.stv.tv/scotland/teachers-strike-in-nicola-sturgeon-john-swinney-shirley-anne-sommerville-and-ross-greers-areas

lots of primary but only 10 secondary. 6 extra lost days for those 10 schools.

My DC is in one of the targeted schools and in an exam year. It's making it really hard for her. She doesn't do well with self-directed study and could do with being at school. 6 days is a lot extra lost time. And another disrupted year of education.

I just found this: www.gov.scot/publications/industrial-action-in-schools-an-open-letter-to-learners/

I have kids in one of the affected East Dunbartonshire schools too. It's not just the secondaries, it's their feeder schools too so Baljaffray Primary, Castlehill Primary, Mosshead Primary, St Nicholas Primary, Clober Primary, Craigdhu Primary and Milngavie Primary as well.

And all because we have the misfortune to live in the same constituency as Ross "Chocolate Teapot" Greer, who could no sooner influence the unions than fly to the moon. We are off 3 days this week, 2 next on a national strike, 3 the week after on local action again. Very grateful that my kids are not in exam years as the guidance from school was "access information online and look at past papers".

Also agree that this puts children in S4 and S5 who are at targetted schools at a real disadvantage compared to their peers.

But we can trust the SQA to be all over this, given their stellar performance during the pandemic.

Oh wait...

The Greens are a fan of illegal secondary action so conveniently forget they are part of the government and join the picket lines instead.

guidance from school was "access information online and look at past papers".

The unions are very clear that teachers do not set work for strike days.

Not in a targetted area, but do have an S4 pupil, does anyone have any more information on the 'discussions with the SQA' please? Is this in relation to exams and disrupted learning affecting marks? Are the discussions only in relation to targetted areas or all areas affected by strikes?

Who knows, @NicolaSturGONE . It was just something they said to try to shut us up. I have zero faith in the SQA to get ANYTHING right, they have fucked up so many times on national and individual levels.

I think the discussion I heard was about the targeted areas though - taking into account a child sitting Higher Maths at Douglas Academy in Milngavie will have had 6 days less teacher in Feb/March (and possibly more, if this drags on) than a child sitting the same paper at Boclair Academy in Bearsden and that this puts a small number of children at a disadvantage.

No idea - schools have been met with deafening silence from SQA.

The difficulty is six days is a dose of flu, so if they make adjustments for targeted strike areas then what about children in other areas who unavoidably miss school? The SQA pretty much trashed its qualifications over the last few years, but if they start to represent different standards in different areas you are rapidly reaching the point where pupils qualifications (and the work to obtain them) are discredited regardless of results.

However, any adjustment requiring the input of teachers would be seen by unions as trying to get around the impact of the strike. Actually making any adjustment at all would probably be considered strikebreaking by the militant EIS.

we are in Renfrewshire all our schools are closed next week for 2 days. My son is in 5th year and I’m absolutely fucking sick of the teachers constantly banging on about resilience, beating the kids with a stick about the results, whilst not actually turning up to do their job.

Aberdeenshire here, all schools closed for 2 days next week. I’m losing sympathy for the teachers

Yes the targeted action of 3 days this week and 3 days days the week after next is being sandwiched by 2 national days next week.

I’m in Dunfermline and we’ve 3 days strike this week, 2 days next week and 3 days the week after - > and I have 3 DC in exam years. It feels like a lot of time off on toP of the previous strike days. One of mine is keen to leave school altogether (I’m ok with this as they have unconditional offer for uni)

NPFS parent survey on strikes:

docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSedM17zuenNvY16whQG6WXi5ZNfECUKagl5jjsDIdWQ7Pd8SA/viewform

I don’t think these targeted strikes are being publicised much. I have primary children and only really know from reading on here then looking it all up. I knew about the national 2 days and we got relevant letters form council. I didn’t really know other areas were have it SIX additional lost days of teaching. I really think it’s an awful tactic from the Unions. Clearly they want to cause issues in those areas so people complain to the people the unions think can make a difference. It’s just a very unfair tactic. I doubt it will make a huge difference anyway. They already rejected a decent offer without putting it to the vote. I don’t know what else they want. Everyone is in same boat. Police got 5% I believe and they aren’t allowed to strike plus have rubbish pay scales compared to teachers too. NHS is worse. Not that it should be a race to the bottom but it seems that teachers maybe don’t realise how good they have it. None of my private sector working friends and family are getting anywhere near those salary increases. Most got nothing or 3/4%.

It's not news because it only affects a small percentage of Scottish schools. Bigger stories in the news - SNP leadership, NHS, Ukraine, cost of living.

The targeted strikes are very little to do with teacher pay and far more the teachers being used as pawns in a political agenda. By not offering their members a vote on the most recent offer (which I understand has been accepted by the head teacher union) the EIS are making sure they can continue to play politics. It is an absolute disgrace.

I’m in Perth and Kinross in John Swinney’s constituency and my primary aged DC’s school is affected by the targeted strikes too. I’m thankful my dc aren’t exams age but do think it’s still very unfair, unsettling and disruptive to these wee ones especially after the last couple of years. Just after half term too.

twitter.com/Mamateach2/status/1628786717795708931?cxt=HHwWhsCzkfy4zpotAAAA

Same. 8 days strikes over 15 days, ridiculous

Then more in April /May ( no date shave been released yet).

It is awful. We’re in Swinney’s constituency too. Eight days is a lot of time to take off, I’ve booked some holiday, some leave without pay and two days of strike activity camps. The thing is if you use up all your holiday for strike days childcare in the holidays will cost a bomb.

Shirley Ann Somervilles constituency.

10 days strikes plus 3 day half term means 5 weeks of the kids only going to school 2/3 days per week.

I'm ok as wfh but I feel for all the parents having to shell out for childcare or losing wages through having to take unpaid leave and the kids doing exams.

Somerville's own kids not affected as she doesn't live in the constituency.

Parent teacher relationships will be damaged.

It's bloody awful.