Staff at academy to strike over funding dispute

Staff are set to strike at an academy after it was alleged that millions of pounds of funds were being withheld.

Staff at the Burgess Hill Academy are preparing for strike action while parents are launching a formal complaint over a funding dispute.

A group of teachers and support staff at the Burgess Hill Academy accused the University of Brighton Academies Trust, which funds the academy and 13 others, of “withholding a very significant amount of public funding”.

The group has alleged that between 2021-23, £2,829,000 has been withheld from the academy.

The letter reads: “We have made numerous attempts to resolve this issue through dialogue and negotiation with the trust.

“So far the CEO of the trust has still not met with us and our concerns have not been resolved.

“As a result, we have made the difficult but necessary decision to take strike action to force the trust to resolve these issues.”

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The staff have stressed that the alleged withholding of funds impacts “the provision that their students receive and their working conditions” and have decided to strike as a “last resort”.

A parent of a pupil at the school, who wished to remain anonymous, claimed she had experiences of mismanagement of behaviour and mistreatment.

She said: “My daughter has attended the school for nearly two years and has a dyslexia diagnosis and is waiting for an ADHD assessment.

“There is a sheer lack of support for her needs, a real lack of basic understanding of SEN by staff, repeatedly being ignored.”

“There has been a real escalation recently with my daughter receiving multiple suspensions.

“Many children are being negatively impacted in the process.”

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Staff are due to strike on June 26 with parents forming a campaign against the trust’s alleged misconduct.

A spokesman for the University of Brighton Academies Trust said: “The University of Brighton Academies Trust is committed to working with the NEU to address the concerns of their members.

“The trust is committed to seeking a resolution.

"As discussions between the trust and the NEU are ongoing, we are unable to comment further at this time."

The Burgess Hill Academy and the National Education Union have been approached for comment.