The teacher strike is on the same day as DS's transistion day to year 7

[cottonwoolbrain]

He's already unhappy about the school he's been allocated but we've been selling it to him that he'll be much happier and everything will feel more real once he's been and spent the day there... he's the only one from his primary going so it was so it is more important to him than some others.

We've just about got him looking forward to it.. and now this. Wondering if there will be a transition day at all now.. I'm hoping it will be moved rather than cancelled. He's not even been inside the school only ever seen it from outside. He does not know a single person there.

We will wait to see what the school say before I tell him anything. Apparantly that week is transition day for loads of schools across the country... I'd like to think there was nothing deliberate about upsetting so many year 6s... but I feel as if there may be

I agree with this.

I think a lot of parents will be understandably frustrated and it will only continue to fracture already fragile relationships between schools and parents rather than put any pressure on the government.

I’m a teacher myself and have 2DC (one who is autistic) who are supposed to have transition days on the striking days, so I see both sides.

I haven’t actually decided whether I’ll be striking this time around because of this

If people aren't up in arms and protesting about the state of the NHS then I honestly can't see them lobbying the government about schools.

College transitions are less likely to be affected, as most lecturers are UCU members rather than NEU. DDs reception induction session is on the 5th, really hoping they just move them into one of the other two sessions that week.

Whoever decides not to strike is exempt from the strike.

High schools don't coordinate their transition days. My Y6 class are going to eight different secondary schools between them and their transition days are all different.

During the last few weeks of term it would be nearly impossible not to hit dates with transition, trips, sports days etc. I expect most schools will rearrange if at all possible. And if not, it's not the end of the world.

The bigger issue, that there is very likely not going to be enough qualified people to teach our children in the very near future is too important not to prioritise.

In the last few months, my husband and friend have both left teaching for good, my daughter's head has stepped down as the job is unsustainable for, five other members of staff are leaving her one form entry primary (several to teach abroad) and my own school is unable to fill the vacancies we have been posting for months. In addition, my son has not had a biology teacher for weeks, just a continually changing rota of unqualified cover teachers.

I understand the concerns and disappointment (my own kids have trips and a sports day scheduled for these dates) but I am far more concerned about the long term problems for the education

There isn’t an expectation for some staff to strike, though. ‘Carry on going to work and no one will (or should) think any the less of you’ is what it actually means but that is a tad wordy.

It's what union members agreed to. The teachers don't care clearly.

I did the first round of strikes, but I have given up as school covered internally by forcing support staff to cover and the only ones upset were my children. Instead I’m voting with my feet and finish teaching in July. Currently I’m irreplaceable. I won’t be striking this time as want to spend the last few days I have with my gorgeous class.

Ah I see. In that case it will show where there teachers priorities are

All 3 of our towns schools are doing transition days on the 6th and 7th we also have a parents event the evening of the 7th so assuming everything on 7th will be cancelled.
At least we will have the one day

If everything can just be rescheduled, what's the point of a disrupted strike? Makes it a bit like a snow day - unavoidable, bit irritating but insignificant. I thought you couldn't move activities from a strike day?

You can, we had a parents evening rearranged which was really annoying! I agree that it shouldn’t really happen, though.

If you are worried about how he is going to cope with the transition it would be worth speaking to the school and see if they do extra transition sessions. My daughter is part of the transition team at her school. They do extra transition sessions for any kids that they think are going to find it hard for any reason. The prefects run it. They do it after school. Helping them get used to the school grounds, playing games etc.

Transition day isn't a national thing. It isn't even a regional thing. Some schools split over several days for example.

@Afolnerd is right. If you think transition will be problematic contact school and they will make arrangements. We've had several students come for extra loom rounds and meeting their form tutor in advance of their transition day.

That's exactly what I mean. I was replying to a poster that said staff on residential trips are exempt from strikes.

I think many parents are preoccupied with concerns about paying their mortgage/rent and other bills plus their own lack of pay rises - I know so many people who have only got one or two per cent despite the inflation figures - that teachers pay is not their priority. I am not saying that teachers are wrong for striking but I think parents are worrying about too many other things to focus on teachers strikes.

Yes, missing two days of school with no pay in the middle of the biggest cost of living crisis in most teachers adult lives Vs carrying on and pretending everything is normal whilst you work in a field that's figuratively engulfed in a wildfire and crumbling.

Teachers aren't just striking about pay. Even so, the pay offer wouldn't be so offensive if it was actually funded. It's not funded. In order to pay what the government is suggesting, some schools would need to make half their workforce redundant.

This isn't actually about teachers pay though, is it? This is about the government minister for education not realising the report that will tell schools how they will be funded. So schools cannot plan anything. They don't know how much money they will have for their wage bill (can we afford to replace the 5 teachers and 3 TA's that have left?) And any other bill.

Schools are already in financial chaos. This is another unnecessary level of chaos added on top of that, completely of the governments making. And the unions are rightly protesting it.

I stand with the unions, the individual teachers that go on strike and the schools that have no idea of they can afford pencils for the new school year.

@Foxesandsquirrels yes I know that but parents are focused on other things, that’s the issue. So if teachers are relying on parents to lobby the government about this, I don’t think it’s going to work.

I have been a secondary teacher for years and I don’t think you speak for many teachers. Transition day is not particularly difficult and clearly important for the children. I have never once met a teacher who has a problem with it.

Who said they are? And even if they are and it won't work, what else would you suggest? I'm not even a teacher and I genuinely don't know what else they can do. Rome is halfway burnt.

@Foxesandsquirrels well it’s been said earlier in this thread for a start:

That is the point of striking really. There's no point in the unions saying they will "strike on the last day of term so it doesn't disrupt anything" as how is that going to get parents to pressurise their MPs into getting the Government to do something about the terrible state schools are in