[News] School strikes

[chickens]

Like others here, I fully support the teachers in their strike, despite the inconvenience to myself as a parent.

I want those who educate my children to be well-paid and happy in their vocation, not distracted by the anxieties that are part and parcel of poverty, or distracted by seeking employment in a different sector.

These jobs are some of the most important in our society as they shape young lives. The OP seems unable to see any further than the end of their own nose.

 

[beorhthelm]

mis-read.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

The OP seems unable to see any further than the end of their own nose.

You mean you were not swayed by their strong and convincing argument ?

 

[banjo]

Always fascinating how people can be anti-strikers and anti-unions. Just have to assume people don't understand what the world would look like if employers had all the rights and the employees had none.

All the kids would be cleaning chimneys then you wouldn’t need teachers. Thankfully we moved on.

 

[Nobby]

Mini greenbags school sent email today. What a surprise they are closing school for all 4 days, to all but year 11. Joke

It's disgusting isn't it. as you say, a joke.

You don't see Private School teachers on strike do you.

 

[Napper]

Do teachers still get final salary pensions ?

If so then should be considered in pay expected IMO

 

[BadFish]

They go on strike every day at 3.00, don't they?

 

[BadFish]

Do teachers still get final salary pensions ?

If so then should be considered in pay expected IMO

If you can write a sentence as good as this one, thank a teacher.

 

[Normal Rob]

I've not read all of the pages on this to date. I started, but got a little to angry at some of the ignorant responses that i was reading, so apologies if some of the points i raise have been made previously (i hope they have).
My wife trained late in life (she was 47 at the time) to become a teacher. It was something that she really wanted to do (and still does - despite the many problems that i'll point out below, she is still in love with the job).

The first thing to state is that the 5% pay increase that teachers were awarded is not additional money from the government. All increases have to be provided from with the existing school budget. Paying teachers more means that the schools have to cut back in other areas. So whilst the teachers get a little additional pay, the conditions in which they work, already dreadful, deteriorate at an accelerated rate. The cuts might come from the provision of education materials (books etc) or from staff count (teaching assistants etc) - heads are facing a 'choose the least worst' decision.

Current teaching conditions in school are not just bad, they are dangerous. In this school year to date my wife has been in the situations such as...

• School lockdown - a pupil went on the rampage, slashing at anyone in reach with a razor blade. The schools emergency alarm was raised, meaning that teachers, not knowing the situation, go into full emergency protocols - shutting windows, locking doors, getting children to hide under their desks. So, whilst they had no idea what is happening outside of their door, they also have to keep calm and control 30+ 11-16 years olds and keep them from total panic. Think about that for a second. Afterwards she helped clean the blood down from the main corridor.
• Shots being fired at the school, into classrooms. Fortunately it was 'only' an air rifle, and no one was harmed.
• After teaching a PSHE class, and pupil approached her and handed her a note, asking her to read it later. . She informed the pupil that her duty of care meant that she had to read it there and then. The note read 'my dad is sexually abusing me'. She dealt with that situation, liaising between the social workers, the school and the police.
• She has been verbally, and almost physically assaulted by a parent. This parent, whose child is feral, is a known drug dealer. He drives a black BMW with the registration 'F1lth'.
• Numerous pupils in her classes are known to be running drugs through county lines.
• She comes home from school at around 5, and then normally works from 7pm - 10pm at home lesson planning for the following day.

Throughout all of this my wife...

• Is always on hand if a pupil, or parent needs to talk to someone - any time of day, or night.
• Buys educational equipment for pupils who desperately need it. Possibly because their families have no money to buy it themselves, but more often because they simply do not want to - they spend the money on drink and drugs.
• Buys uniform for kids whose families can't afford it
• Buys class treats (croissants etc - she is a language teacher) as the kids love it, it enhances the classroom experience and aids learning.

She works at a good school, in a reasonably wealthy area of the country. She does not have to spend her own money on the pupils, but she cares for them. It's compassion.

She is 5 years into her teaching career and she currently earns £31k per year.

 

[Easy 10]

One thing I do know - if I had a child in school and wanted to take them away on holiday during term time, but the school said "no", then following all these strikes, I'd tell them to DO one.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

One thing I do know - if I had a child in school and wanted to take them away on holiday during term time, but the school said "no", then following all these strikes, I'd tell them to DO one.

The unions have stated when they’re on strike, you could get a nice long skiing weekend in without any issues right now if you want . Go for it….and stop moaning.

 

[Brian Fantana]

One thing I do know - if I had a child in school and wanted to take them away on holiday during term time, but the school said "no", then following all these strikes, I'd tell them to DO one.

It's absolutely nailed on that someone will use the above defence if they get a fine from the local authority for taking their kids out of school. 'My son made the informed decision to withdraw his eductional labour for the period he was not in school.'

 

[The Merry Prankster]

Nadhim Zahawi is obviously feeling the pinch after carelessly forgetting to pay over £3,000,000 of tax. The bullsh1tt1ng former Prime Minister Boris Johnson is making £loads by bluffing his way through speaking engagements. Tory MP Simon Clarke says nurses who need to use food banks should budget better, and incidentally is slapped down by Michael Gove for saying so.

These people are out of touch with reality, as are you. The holy grail of keeping taxes low or even cutting them further means that people doing jobs that are vital for the success of our society are clobbered, and the services they are working in are clobbered for budgets too.

Incidentally, Aldi last year gave all their employees two decent pay rises as a recognition of the fact that there is a cost of living crisis - yes, crisis. A large profit making (German!) retailer is more socially minded, more caring about ordinary people, than our government.

Except taxes aren't low, they are at their highest for years.

 

[beorhthelm]

Do teachers still get final salary pensions ?

If so then should be considered in pay expected IMO

they do and there's a significant employer contribution, over 20%. probably needs to be sensible discussion across public sector about shifting some of this to pay, they'll get some less in pension but shifts to when they need the money.

 

[Springal]

A very good mate is a teacher, and I sympathise with many of their complaints.

But you go into teaching knowing the hours are long, there is a lot of prep, and that pay is relatively low.

 

[amexer]

Yes, no Teachers should cross a Pickett line, including for year 11. As Teachers we have waited patiently to join the battle for our pay and the future of a properly funded public sector. I am proud to stand with Nurses, Ambulance Drivers, Civil Servants, Postal Workers, Rail Workers, Lecturers etc. It makes me laugh when they plan to make strikers in the public sector run a minimum service during industrial action - they only run a minimum service at the best of times. There are no spare Teachers, Nurses or Doctors.

I can assure you times are tough for all. As you can sea from above only people that can afford to strike are those in public sections. In private section where people produce the taxes to pay for public services people keep working because if they dont make a profit they have not got a job.

 

[Normal Rob]

A very good mate is a teacher, and I sympathise with many of their complaints.

But you go into teaching knowing the hours are long, there is a lot of prep, and that pay is relatively low.

yes, I agree. The biggest issue though is that, due to the huge difficulties that teachers now face the drop out level of staff is unsustainable. 41% leave the job within 10 years. 20% drop out within 3 years. The number of teacher vacancies is at its highest ever. Soon there will be non left to educate children. How would parents, who struggle to cover school closures now, cope if that situation came to pass? Last month my daughters school closed an entire year for a day as they did not have enough teachers to ensure class safety across the whole school.


My wife will strike, and i 100% support her. However she is not striking solely for pay, she sees that the current status quo will lead to the much greater problems ahead.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

I can assure you times are tough for all. As you can sea from above only people that can afford to strike are those in public sections. In private section where people produce the taxes to pay for public services people keep working because if they dont make a profit they have not got a job.

And if people in the private sector want a wage increase they can look for another position which pays more. Public sector workers can’t easily do this as it will need a change profession….and surely we don’t want this latter point?

And there’s been wage increases in the private sector, as many posters indicated in a similar thread a few months back. Now it’s the turn of public sector workers who serve the UK admirably.

 

[Green Cross Code Man]

A very good mate is a teacher, and I sympathise with many of their complaints.

But you go into teaching knowing the hours are long, there is a lot of prep, and that pay is relatively low.

Why not suggest that to prospective graduates looking for a career. Great advert.

 

[Berty23]

I can assure you times are tough for all. As you can sea from above only people that can afford to strike are those in public sections. In private section where people produce the taxes to pay for public services people keep working because if they dont make a profit they have not got a job.

For the purpose of this argument can I just check something. So that your line works are we pretending that Uber drivers, deliveroo bods etc have not recently been on strike due to working conditions?

The way people try to create a split between public and private sector is bizarre. Without the public sector then who would educate, protect, keep healthy etc etc. you need both sectors to function properly. If the wage difference between public and private continues to widen then people won’t work in the public sector. Let’s see how companies do when their staff are poorly and they can’t get any educated people to work for them. Maybe all of the roads that allow us to move around the country were built using private funds?

Sheesh. All this public vs private is tiresome. We need both. The government want to drive a wedge. Which is incredible really when they take the public sector wage and claim ridiculous expenses for second homes rather than have a daft commute to an office that is inconvenient to get to. The weirdest attack they have is about the unions funding Labour Party (which is less true than it was) when everyone knows they are funded by private companies who want to scrap so much employment law. I find it staggering that some people in the private sector don’t understand that many of their rights were earned by striking.