This was written while I was at home, missing out on another six hours of vital education. That takes this year’s total up to 30 hours, however, I am neither ill nor skipping school. In fact, I am off again, because the teaching unions evidently believe that money is more important than our education. I know that not all of my teachers support the strikes. Some have suggested I write this as they do not support them, but others clearly do. The 30 lessons I am missing out on could be pivotal for the achievement of high grades in not just my GSHE’s, but in all of my future exams. My future prospects could also be affected.
For example, this year I have had five strike days and most of the lessons I have missed are engineering. This is bad news for me and the other students who have chosen to take it as an option. Engineering positions are always highly competitive, and missing out on crucial lessons could leave us seriously disadvantaged. We cannot easily go over the topic again in class as it will affect the rest of our lessons. As an example, one of this year’s projects was bridge building; out of the 12 hours required, we ended up only having 3.
Education is mandatory and every student must attend school. Our parents are told: ‘If your child doesn’t go to school, you could get fined or prosecuted.’ How can they obey this If we have no option but to stay at home? If I have a slight cough or a cold (including Covid-19), I am expected to attend school. The only reasons I can stay home is if I am seriously ill, or if I have a medical appointment. Yet teachers can take the day off because of money. I cannot even go on holiday, where I might miss a couple of days!
Each day of individual pupil absence results in around 0.3-0.4% of a standard deviation reduction in achievement. This is not the fault of students, and we can do nothing about it–we did not get to vote on the matter. On a personal note, I have already missed four days of school this year because I was seriously ill, which I could not help. So altogether I will have missed nine days of school. This means that for my end of year assessments, I will have a significantly reduced chance of achieving my best grades, which this may necessitate moving down to a lower set.
Some may disagree, but I believe that teachers are getting paid a decent wage, especially those in the higher positions: headteachers; assistant headteachers; and heads of year. In England (excluding London) teachers earn a minimum of £28,000 and a maximum of £38,810 per annum. In inner London they earn a minimum of £34,502 and a maximum of £44,756 per year, and in outer London they earn a minimum of £32,502 and a maximum of £43,193 per year. School Leadership Team’s salaries are £50,000-£70,000 per year, and a Headteacher’s salary can reach six figures. This is considerably higher than the average wage.
Admittedly, teachers have not had a pay raise for a long time and their salaries have fallen in real terms value. But, during the pandemic, teachers were considered key workers and they were able to continue teaching online. Also, certain students were permitted to attend school if their parents were key workers. This meant, whilst the other job sectors were on furlough, teachers were still getting paid their full salary. Moreover, if the government accedes to their pay demands, the only way this can be achieved is by printing money. This will increase inflation and cause a further lowering of living standards. Inflation affects everyone, but we do not see everyone going on strike; some people are simply glad to have a job, or perhaps they are not members of such a powerful union.
As I wrote in The Daily Sceptic, school students have already had their education badly affected by the unnecessary measures introduced during the ‘pandemic’. The last thing we need now is more disruption. Holding pupils to ransom may be an effective bargaining strategy, but this is simply not the right time for teachers to be going on strike.
Jack Watson is a 14-year-old schoolboy, who has a Substack about being a Hull City fan. You can subscribe to it here.
Jack, just remember what Mark Twain had to say:
I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.
I was educated once – it took me years to get over it.
Education is what you must acquire without any interference from your schooling.