NUT strike

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magwich
Posts: 60
Joined: Mon Mar 03, 2008 12:41 am

NUT strike

Post by magwich »

It would be really interesting to compare the results of secondary schools which are closed due to strike action with those which have remained open due to their staff having chosen to join a less left wing union.
I can already tentatively con clude that the worst schools have closed for the day !
Perhaps when we choose a school for our children we should be asking about the pattern of trade union membership rather than computing facilities etc.!!
[incidentally before I get the usual abuse for calling a spade a spade my father was a long serving shop steward and I used to lecture on trade union law so I am not against trade unions per se, just militant teachers]
yoyo123
Posts: 8099
Joined: Mon Jun 18, 2007 3:32 pm
Location: East Kent

Post by yoyo123 »

I am a member of the NUT.

I didn't choose it because it was a militant union.

We have members in all types of schools

There are many factors which make some schools difficult, some of the very best teachers I know work in "bad schools", their dedication , hard work and determination not to give up on some of the most disadvantaged children means that those children have some chance in life.
katel
Posts: 960
Joined: Thu Jan 11, 2007 11:30 pm

Post by katel »

I would hope that by the time my children reach GCSE level their propspects will not be severely damaged by having to revise on their own for a day without teacher input!
T.i.p.s.y

Post by T.i.p.s.y »

If this government hadn't wasted billions on consultancy and burecrats (can't spell) fees bringing in intiative after initiative and just paid the teachers more then maybe we would have a better state sector. In saying that I imagine people go into teaching for holistic reasons and not the pay package. Teachers are made aware of the likely levels of salary, and the fact that its never going to pay that well.
magwich
Posts: 60
Joined: Mon Mar 03, 2008 12:41 am

NUT strike

Post by magwich »

Well the NUT does not have many members in the local grammar schools here - they are all open today. It does not have many members where OH works in the maths dept. either. It did not have many or any members in the grammar school where my mother in law was head of modern languages either. Nor did it have any members in the grammar school where my father in law taught. It did not have many members in the grammar school I attended nor did it have any at all in OH's school.
BUT if I look at the list of local schools which are closed today I do see most of the ones that I wouldn't send my cat to never mind my children!!
Bewildered
Posts: 1806
Joined: Mon Feb 20, 2006 2:29 pm
Location: Berkshire

Re: NUT strike

Post by Bewildered »

magwich wrote: BUT if I look at the list of local schools which are closed today I do see most of the ones that I wouldn't send my cat to never mind my children!!
Whoa!!! :shock:

Schools in our area are not closed, just individual classes where the teacher is a member of the NUT.

What I love about this country is that we all have a right to choose. If this freedom was taken away, what sort of state would we live in?

Magwich you are indeed lucky to be able to choose that you don't have to send your children to the local schools where you wouldn't send your cat. Unfortunately not all of us live in such a happy situation.
Grumpy Old Man
Posts: 52
Joined: Tue Nov 07, 2006 7:51 am
Location: The Garden of England

Post by Grumpy Old Man »

Thoughts...

1) Plenty of teachers have a cushy number. Some - I'm thinking of those who struggle to deliver in shitty inner city schools with large numbers of 'challenging' pupils for example - deserve double their salary!

2) I wonder how many of the parents who are bitching about this one day happily take their kids out of school to benefit from 'cheap' out-of-termtime' holidays?

3) Why do public sector workers always expect an annual rise? I spent years employed in the commercial sector and never assumed I'd get a yearly rise - nor did I that often!

On balance I think that teachers deserve a decent level of pay - and a good increase. The state is putting more and more responsibility for curing society's ills on schools (something New Labour has abrogated..) and as the quality of some entering teaching is pretty dire we do need incentives to encourage good graduates into the profession - before all teachers are replaced by 'learning assistants'..just as the police are being replaced with PCSOs!

Rant over!
proud mum x2
Posts: 609
Joined: Mon Dec 31, 2007 7:35 pm

Post by proud mum x2 »

On a lighter note!....My DD's priamry school is open,her teacher told the class that she was going to strike , but as there was only one other teacher in the NUT they thought it unfair on the other staff!(much to my DD's disgust!)

Son's GS is also open, with a msg on their website saying that because it was exam time, the teachers didn't want the pupils to suffer.(to son's disgust also!)
capers123
Posts: 1865
Joined: Sun May 13, 2007 9:03 pm
Location: Gloucestershire

Post by capers123 »

Grumpy Old Man wrote: I wonder how many of the parents who are bitching about this one day happily take their kids out of school to benefit from 'cheap' out-of-termtime' holidays?
Exactly what I was thinking! It would be interesting to see the results of Secondary Schools where many parents voluntarily exclude their children for holidays vs. ones where few parents whip them out for a few weeks each year.

Another factor of which union to choose could be the area the school is in - maybe NUT are better at supporting teachers in rough schools?

At our primary 3 teachers are out. One voted against striking, but is out today (it's called democracy) - she would have taken the day off anyway to go to a funeral.
Capers
magwich
Posts: 60
Joined: Mon Mar 03, 2008 12:41 am

Post by magwich »

I've just watched the news footage of the NUT marching in central London - what a rabble!! Quite frightening to think they are in charge in many schools!
It wouldn't be so bad if any of those interviewed could speak properly!
I really think they might get more sympathy if they dressed in a buisness suit and wore their university gowns!
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