NUT strike 5th July

[Dripdrop]

Are people striking?

And I do not have anything to be dissatisfied about.

Presumably you weren't that attached to your pay and conditions anyway....

I am quite content with my pay and conditions.

That's the point - you're about to lose them.

I don't think so.

What am I about to lose?

Teachers and support staff will be left at the mercy of negotiations with individual academy chains
The wrong priorities White Paper is a huge threat to teachers’ pay and conditions

The White Paper’s proposals for the total academisation of all schools in England is alarming in the extreme. Amongst other things it will mean the end of national and local pay and conditions for teachers and support staff.

Apart from pensions, everything else will be decided at the level of the academy trust. This includes, but isn’t limited to:

• sick pay

• length of school year, directed hours and school day

• structure of teacher working day

• non-contact/PPA time

• class sizes

• structure of school holidays

• maternity, paternity, adoption pay above statutory minima

• starting salary

• salary structure

• all pay progression rules, including proposals to reduce pay

• chief executive salaries

• probationary arrangements

• teacher qualifications and rules around unqualified people teaching

• redundancy pay (beyond statutory minimum)

• disciplinary processes

• grievance processes

Teachers and support staff will be left at the mercy of negotiations with individual academy chains, their chief executives and boards, with no elected parent governors. These are the same chief executives lambasted by Ofsted’s chief executive Sir Michael Wilshaw for paying themselves too much.

All this will result in separate negotiations with thousands upon thousands of employers and many more disputes.

www.tes.com/news/school-news/breaking-views/academisation-a-huge-threat-teacher-pay-and-conditions

The above post is quoted from the article I linked to.

Maybe you don't read the news much?

I don't really give a monkey's about those things that are unique to teachers.

I came into teaching later in life, so used to the cut and thrust of industry.

I'm a Nasty not a Nutter, but do visit TES forums every day. I tend to gloss over anything that is moaning.

Yeah, maternity and sick pay are definitely unique to teachers.

Who needs PPA time anyway?

This has got to be a wind up. No.one is that stupid.

I'm in the NUT and have been on all the strikes, marched etc, but I can't help feeling they change absolutely nothing. We are just continually ignored by the government who have gone on and done what they wanted anyway and we lose a day's pay. With a lot of teachers seemingly not doing it as well, there won't be a lot of disruption.

I got maternity pay when I was in industry. What is special about teachers? When I was pregnant and teaching, I had no problems getting time off for ante-natal appointments and parentcraft. That was 20 years ago.

I teach around 85% of full timetable and manage to plan my lessons and mark by arriving at school an hour early and leaving on the dot of 3pm. I do a fair bit of cover too, and duties. I don't do any work at home.

I started teaching at age 30, having worked for an American multi national before then. Teaching is definitely easier.

Wow gin where do you work?! I get to school between 6.45 and 7, I work non stop all day until around 5.30 when I go home. Then I do my marking in some evenings especially around exam time. I feel stressed every single day that I cannot get everything done. My class sizes are getting bigger and bigger and I'm required to get higher results. On top of that we have a huge national shortage of maths teachers so I'm having to take on extra classes or set heaps of cover work where we have supply teachers.

I do not know anyone else in teaching who has it different to me... Everyone is stressed and overworked.

I got maternity pay when I was in industry.

Brilliant. But it is now a condition of employment that we might lose.I'm not sure how your story is relevant here.

When I was pregnant and teaching, I had no problems getting time off for ante-natal appointments and parentcraft. That was 20 years ago.

What?

What do you teach that you only need 1 hour per day marking and prep time?

I think some sarcasm perhaps went unnoticed there...

I am a Science teacher, so also in demand.

I really, honestly, don't see why most teachers feel hard done by.

I have been teaching for over 20 years so am a bit more relaxed about planning and marking. I am happy to tell assessors where to go if they question my practices.

I think I just have the attitude of doing what I can to the best of my ability (and my standards are high and research-based) and not doing anything that is unreasonable. If they want more, they need to provide more resources. Throw it back at them.

I really, honestly, don't see why most teachers feel hard done by.

Because we're at risk of losing many of the conditions which you say you have benefited from.

But I don't fear this now.

Are you in a primary school? Finish at 3pm? How many pupils per week?

Secondary. I do my extra hours before school so that I can a) dodge M25 traffic, and b) pick up my own children from school at 3.30. Nothing sinister.

But I don't fear this now.

Yet you claim not to understand why other teachers would be worried

Gin, I can fully believe you work in way you say - I don't work at home either and am fortunate to be a manager in a school that don't dictate planning etc. with an iron fist. Plus I have a very generous timetable. So I know I've got it good.

However, I also give a shit about other teachers. Those who have unreasonable demands placed upon them and don't have the power to refuse. Those who are being bullied out because their face doesn't fit. Those who are unfairly denied progression through the payscales.

It's called solidarity and if your union votes to strike, you strike. Haven't even mentioned the ridiculous "blue collar" comment.

You are never going to help those whose face doesn't fit.

How many pupils do you see a week? I teach secondary science and I can't see how you can do this. On a 4+ day timetable. What is your marking policy? How frequent?

I mark all hw each week. There is a difference between feedback and marking, however. I don't do the formulaic www/ebi nonsense.