Schools staff strike over planned front line cuts

Staff at two Dorset schools, run by a multi-academy trust, have walked out over planned subject cuts and redundancies.

National Education Union (NEU) members formed picket lines on Wednesday in front of Queen Elizabeth's School (QE) in Wimborne and Corfe Hills School in Corfe Mullen, which the Initio Learning Trust is planning on restructuring.

Teacher and NEU branch representative Rebecca Pearce said their main concern was the removal of specialist teachers, leaving their workload "pushed out on to other staff members".

The trust previously said its priority remained "providing a supportive working environment for all staff" and providing "high-quality education to all our students".

Pearce said members were "taking this action with real reluctance, but with a strong sense of responsibility to their students".

"The proposals currently on the table risk increasing class sizes, reducing support, and placing unsustainable pressure on staff," she added.

Speaking to the BBC from the picket lines, she said they were concerned about the impact of removing specialist teachers and support staff.

"Where is that workload that those teachers and support staff were carrying out?" she said.

Pearce said each of the 19 schools the trust runs in Dorset paid a sum of money per pupil to cover central costs.

"They found some efficiencies so that central cost is reducing, but there are still arguments that that could be reduced further, so that we don't have these front line cuts to our education system," she said.

"Up to Corfe Hills, we're looking at class sizes of above 30 as the core - that's just not sustainable for our teachers and it does not mean a quality of education for our young people."

She said they had received a "great deal of support" from parents over the action.

The Teachers' Union NASUWT is also due to take industrial action on Thursday.

"They only paused their action for last week while talks were ongoing," Pearce said.

"Unfortunately, those talks did not bring about the commitment to movement that we were looking for and therefore that is why our strike action is continuing."

She added that the NEU "remains committed to constructive dialogue" and is ready to engage at any point where there are "genuine concessions that would protect jobs and provision".

A parliamentary petition calling for the changes has gathered more than 3,000 signatures.

A spokesperson from the Inito Learning Trust previously said: "We will continue to work with representatives and we remain committed to ensuring that a lasting resolution is agreed.

"Our priority remains providing a supportive working environment for all staff, ensuring our schools continue to provide high-quality education to all our students."