Striking teachers at Bromley primary school feel 'railroaded' into academisation plans
Staff at a Bromley primary school have gone on strike after being 'railroaded' in a decision to turn their school into an academy. Members of the National Education Union (NEU) who work at Southborough Primary School have opposed the decision, which would see the management of the school transferred from Bromley Council to the Pioneer Academy trust.
The union has claimed its members at the school include support staff, teachers and leaders, with a protest having taken place outside the school this morning (Monday, October 14). John Friend, senior regional officer at NEU, said members at the school were told last month that a pre-consultation period would begin for the proposal followed by a formal consultation next month.
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However, Mr Friend said staff and parents at the school felt they were not fully consulted on the proposal before plans to convert the school were put forward. He said the process had been presented to members as a 'foregone conclusion'.
Mr Friend told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): "The big thing for our members at the moment is they haven't felt part of the process at all."
He added: "Members feel railroaded, to be honest. Meaningful consultation should take staff along with the process of consultation and it should be a two-way process. That hasn't been the case so far and I think that's especially why members are very upset in the way this has been handled."
The officer said staff at the school were worried about how payroll and HR services would be managed by the trust and felt being funded by the council provided an extra level of security. He claimed that the union was currently considering further strike dates as the employer had not adequately answered its demands, which included postponing the consultation on the academisation to February.
A Southborough Primary School spokesperson told the LDRS that it was saddened that the union went ahead with the planned strike this morning. They added that the school had attempted to engage openly with union members and representatives in the lead-up to the strike.
They said: "Our main priority has been to minimise any disruption to our pupils’ education, and in the event, we were able to welcome children into eight of our classes, with the rest moving to a virtual timetable. For our part, we will continue to engage openly and fully with our staff and the wider school community with a view to resolving any concerns or issues."
A Pioneer Academy spokesperson told the LDRS it was hugely disappointed by the strike action. They said the trust had worked hard to address the concerns of NEU members and it was open to further discussion in future. They added that families were written to last week to state the school would be open for as many children as possible today.
They said: "We remain hopeful that any further strike days will be called off and will do everything we can to encourage the NEU to reconsider their decision. Every day is important for a child’s education and every opportunity to learn precious."
Conservative Councillor Kate Lymer, Bromley Council's deputy leader and executive councillor for children, education and families told the LDRS that the authority fully supports the work of the Interim Executive Board (IEB) at Southborough Primary School. She added that the board was approved by the Department for Education to address serious concerns following a breakdown in leadership and governance at the school.
She said: "We recognise the significant improvements in the quality of education overseen by the IEB, with the appointment of The Pioneer Academy providing further capacity and expertise to support the school’s continued improvement. The IEB has a responsibility to secure long-term governance arrangements for the school and we support its efforts to achieve this, in the best interest of pupils and the wider school community."
The deputy leader said the authority was disappointed by the strike action today and that the IEB had fully engaged with the union. She said the council’s overriding priority was to ensure all pupils received high-quality education.
Cllr Lymer said the authority called on the NEU to reverse its decision and avert the disruption caused by further strike action on families and children’s education. Southborough Primary School provides education for approximately 420 pupils aged from 5 to 11 years old and was rated ‘Good’ by Ofsted in an inspection in 2020.
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