Surely the greater impact is to make sure all students who would normally attend school, are present and recorded on strike days?
So particularly with secondary schools, if this means classes merge, or close, we are supporting teachers disrupting by making sure those in charge have to consider a whole class rather than maybe the half class which has turned up?
There's only so many spaces in our school were we can accommodate doubled up classes. The school might not be able to get enough supply teachers in - my school is already having that with teaching staff and slt having to give up non-contact time to cover classes.
It also causes wider disruption because in the event the school cannot accommodate all pupils due to limited staff numbers, parents will be called to collect younger students particularly if teachers commit to not informing prior to strike, as they are permitted to.
Older students will be sent home. But it disrupts other businesses if they have to release parents go fetch children and reminds the government that school is not a babysitting service. It is an education service that parents sign up for when they register their child for school.
Yes, our children will miss out on a small part of their education. But I know that chronic underfunding is already impacting our children in far greater ways than a few days non-attendance.
I do not have either enough of or the correct resources to support sen children in developing and building on essential skills. And these are children who have additional funding. We do not have enough TA's to support students in mainstream classes. We do not have the time to plan quality provision as we are expected to deliver it without planning time.
I know it is just as hard in classrooms where teachers regularly have equipment destroyed, where they are pulled to cover absence and removed from their own non-contact time which is essential for them to understand and plan for their classes. To provide the education that parents and gov demand.