View From The Top

I think I'm welling up.

I've no issues with his proposed changes to teacher training. Most appear sensible although, as with everything, I await the fine print.

Bless.

Ummmmm. Dates set by the Dept of Ed. Suggest you have a word with Gove.

Nor can I.

Check is post history Jamie, he's not right sharp.

Drama. Queens.

So the mandatory child protection/vulnerable adult training, that we were told we had to undergo by the Dept of Ed, is due to lack of training or new rules/legislation introduced by HMG? The CEOPS training we've got next month, due to lack of training is it or making sure we can keep our charges safe and also educate the parents? Should we already know all that, what with being teachers 'n all?

It is, and just over 1/2 their members are from fee paying schools! Oddly enough two fee paying (prep) schools, local to me, are closed for the strike yet my kids state school is open! The ATL folk at my place are gutted but determined to fight this and they are the sandals with socks brigade!

How many people do you think would go into teaching if they also lost the holidays? The fact that we are going to offer £20k to maths and science grads with a 1st and £15k to those with a 2:1 just to train to be teachers should scream at the precipice we are on. I'm the only maths grad' (from my course) who trained as a teacher still teaching and the lowest paid by a very long way. I stuck with it as it's a vocation but young people need the ££ and will follow it workwise and I don't blame them for it.

And if Grove thought it necessary he would have. I allow you to draw your own conclusions from the fact he hasn't.

No, no, no. It;s totally unfair that part of a job that you sign up for is better than someone else's part of a job that they signed up for. I blame the unions.

They. Are. Set. In. Law. By. The. Government. The. Government. Say. They. Have. To. Be. In. Term. Time. Not. The. Schools. Or. The. Teachers.

13 glorious weeks holiday. Well not me as I work in FE/Adult Ed and it's different. Feel free to be outraged that you have to look after your own kids in that time. Your opportunity to again abdicate responsibility will be around again soon.

I am, my missus is, so we do. How other places are run I can't comment on.

We are back a week before the students, my wife 3 days before.

The Baker Days were set by a tory government to recorgnised the need to constantly upskill the workforce. The fact that this tory government thinks they are still needed speaks volumes. We are desperately struggling to recruit maths and science grads into the profession, I know as I also teach on a PGCE course at a local uni and the numbers are down again, and slashing the holidays would impact on that even further. We are on a dangerous path for our future economic position if this continues. In addition, the holidays are for the kids. My two at school are knackered and need to recharge, which is why the holidays are still spread as they are. Still, the long holidays give the rabid right something to moan about before they once again abdicate responsibility for their offspring in September.

We had two days of statutory child protection/vulnerable adults training. Could hardly do that with them all in could we? (It was beyond boring but necessary) The follow up day (6 months later) was split over two 3hr twilight sessions so we didn't shut. I would suggest that the fact that even Gove understands why they are used is evidence enough of the value attached to them.

Statutory days allocated by a previous tory government, hence the name Baker Days. In my experience most teachers hate them, myself included.

They are decent players by anyones standard.

I never would but those striking have agreed not to picket so we don't have that dilemma. All are hoping that it will be called off as none of them want to be on strike but know they have to fight this.

They are really going for it. He would have been an excellent signing.

Poor Tristan, he tries so hard and yet, as with life, it turns out cr@p. No wonder he's so bitter.

The view of the vast majority I'd suggest.

1/2 of my faculty belong to no union. There is no requirement at all to be a member of a union. Also notable that the ATL have never taken strike action previously and that just over 1/2 of the membership are from the militant/socialist background of fee paying schools.