So in case you haven’t heard, us teachers are overworked and thus to save my time and yours; I’m going to state my intentions using bullet points.
Here’s why I’m going to Strike!
* Proposed removal of PPA because we don’t do enough in our OWN time. (Definition of PPA can be found here)
* The push for a 10 hour day.
* The notion that we can get ALL children to make a SPECIFIC amount of progress each year, regardless of whether they have English as an Additional Language, Special Educational Needs, difficulties at home etc.
* Pay raise withheld if ALL children don’t make a SPECIFIC amount of progress.
* The ridiculous idea that it’s OK for us to have uncertainty re pay for the SAME post!
* The removal of working 1265 directed hours a year. (More info about this here – point 12)
* Removing the protection of 195 working days a year. (More info about this here – point 14)
* Invalidating the recent agreements regarding rarely cover.
* Overturning the results of past action to protect our lunch HOUR i.e. proposing that we have a short break and then work through lunch.
* Changes that mean Heads can remove teachers within 10 weeks using the new Capabilities procedure.
* LEAs can no longer ensure that children are placed appropriately in the schools within the borough. Free schools, Academies etc. cannot be guided or told to accept children even if State schools are bursting at the seams!
* Budget cuts mean schools can’t afford to send teachers on training, yet we need to remain as knowledgeable as ever.
* Learning Assistants are being pushed to do more e.g. take children out to stretch them or help them catch up, so we don’t have support in class.
* We already come in early, work through breaks, eat our lunch quickly and set up for the next lesson, teach until the children leave and THEN we mark.
* Each piece of work needs to be marked in a certain way. Ticks, symbols and brief comments aren’t enough!
* Can you imagine how long it takes to mark 30 books for 4 lessons per day?
* We’re paying more for our pension but getting less than what was agreed.
* We are expected to do MORE than teach.
* We are expected to do what parents haven’t managed when the children are over 4 years old!
* Class sizes are too large for us to have the most successful impact on the child’s education.
* Pay freezes.
What do you think?
Are the reasons good enough?
