Dear Parents and Carers
I’ve been using the weekly to discuss our school values over recent weeks but will pause this week in favour of a few words about Wednesday’s strike action. The NEU had really motivated their members for this, leading to high numbers taking strike action and with both sides of this dispute digging in, I can’t see it being any different in the upcoming strike days in March, though I will confirm nearer the time of course. There were also demos and pickets all over the country and of all the schools to pick, the Joint General Secretary of the NEU picked Myton School as the picket he would join. Given he leads the Union which called the strikes, that also attracted quite a lot of reporters and press to our gate which was very exciting, covering many news outlets and also doing live pieces to camera for breakfast shows. For a while on Wednesday morning, the lead articles online on the BBC, Sky News, The Telegraph, The Guardian and The Times were all of the strikes and all featured Myton. They had secured some interviews with our staff to add to the reports, and some pictures to go with them (explains why the interview I gave was immediately earmarked for radio I suppose).
Strikes split opinions and I assume there is a range of different opinions in our community on whether teachers should strike or not. For my part I will repeat that I am sorry for disruption to learning for students and the knock on impact on parents but also acknowledge that there is a right to strike and that the NEU did everything they were obliged to do leading up to the strike and were pretty transparent about it all from my point of view.
Working in education always has been and continues to be a privilege and a lot of fun. Kids are endlessly entertaining and want to learn. There is always challenge but there is so much reward from working with them. However, I would always urge those people in the room negotiating for Unions and for Government to listen to kids, parents and teachers and not merely dig in on pay and sound off their statements to play to their own bases. I believe that kids, parents and teachers just want to feel listened to rather than be told what we think, and then those with power can start responding to the areas which so obviously need improvements (community services which support children and families in social care and health, SEND funding and the system in which we operate, teacher shortages and the endless cover your kids experience, the numbers taking up teacher training, the impact of lockdown on the social skills of our kids and their behaviour, admission arrangements and so on and so on).
Whatever people think on strikes, Wednesday saw education at the top of the agenda and we can only hope that someone from one of the political parties listened directly to staff, kids and parents on that day enough to start doing something meaningful. I certainly tried my best in my interview but unfortunately my old face for radio didn’t transmit too far, hopefully some of these younger and better looking Myton staff had more luck when it was their turn.
Best wishes
Andy Perry
Head Teacher