TEACHERS and support staff at the area’s two secondary schools held four days of strikes in a dispute with management.
Members of the National Education Union at the Castle School and Marlwood School walked out on July 6 and 7, and on July 13 and 14, saying concerns over “excessive workload”, “inappropriate direction of staff” and “lack of consultation on important working arrangements” had not been addressed by Castle School Education Trust, which runs both schools.
They held a demonstration outside the trust’s headquarters at Marlwood, joined by staff from Downend School and Mangotsfield School, which are also affected by the dispute.
The NEU is calling for an increase in staffing capacity.
It has raised concerns over a move away from South Gloucestershire term dates from September, and the introduction of an “off the shelf, standardised curriculum developed by another multi-academy trust”.
The union says CSET is providing the “minimum planning, preparation and assessment time alongside maximum teaching loads,” prompting some teachers to leave for other jobs, and others to go off sick with work-related stress.
South Gloucestershire NEU branch spokesperson Elly Owen said staff are facing a “crisis”, adding: “Our members care deeply about the children and young people they work with. They do not take the decision to strike lightly.
“This dispute is about ensuring schools are properly staffed and that staff have the time and capacity to do their work, so that every child in their schools can get the high-quality education they deserve and pushing back against a culture of trust executives unilaterally making significant decisions which affect the core fundamentals of members’ working lives, and children’s education.”
The union is calling for the trust to use its “significant financial reserves” to increase staffing levels and says it has recently made significant pay increases to senior leaders.
Elly added: “The strike action has been taken with deep regret, and NEU members want to see an end to the dispute.
“However, with CSET refusing to come to the negotiating table, NEU members will be forced to name more strike dates in September, which will cause further avoidable disruption to students, parents and the local community.”
Responding to the claims, CSET said: “We are disappointed that strike action by members of the NEU is causing unnecessary disruption to pupils’ education.
“This strike has come about primarily because NEU officials are demanding a 10% reduction in the number of lessons taught by teachers in CSET secondary schools.
“The current arrangements are determined by nationally agreed teacher contracts, and changing this would require a substantial and sustained increase in the funding provided to schools by the Department for Education.
“We have engaged with NEU officials and representatives over recent months. All of the other issues that they have raised have been addressed, and they have rejected alternative proposals to ease workload pressures.
“School leaders are working hard to minimise the disruption caused by the NEU’s industrial action campaign, with educational activities continuing wherever possible on the strike days.”