the way back - nervous breakdown and all that

This week, we entered our fourth week of industrial action at Prendergast schools. Understandably, there is a lot of tension in the air. My NEU colleagues and I have been getting a significant amount of online and verbal abuse over our strike action. I therefore wrote the following statement to try to ensure people are more respectful of each other: Dear parents/carers, We all appreciate that this is a period of frustration and confusion for both you and your children. You will doubtless understand that this is an extremely stressful and upsetting time for all of the teachers who have chosen to strike over the MAT conversion issue. The hardest thing for us during this period has been not teaching your children, but the Governing Body’s proposal is anathema to our educational philosophy. We will continue to oppose it. Obviously we cannot, and do not expect, everyone to share our position. That said we have really appreciated support from so many of you. We would like to stress how impor...

I am writing this blog directly to parents of students in the Leathersellers Federation in response to questions and criticisms of Prendergast NEU members’ decision to take extensive strike action against the proposal to convert the Federation into a Multi Academy Trust. I will let Prendergast members speak for themselves and attach their statement as an addendum and would encourage you to speak to them directly. I am writing because I have been referenced repeatedly in relation to the campaign and think it is important I try to state a s clearly as possible my view on this situation. The first thing to say is we fully understand and acknowledge that the action is highly disruptive. Unfortunately, that is the nature of strikes and, for those of us working in education, we get that disruption to children’s lives causes stress and struggle. We don’t opt for strike action lightly and we always exhaust other avenues before balloting members.   Some have argued that it is not our action...