Several staff members at specialist school in Shrewsbury on strike over 'continued failure' to provide regular breaks
Several staff members at a specialist school in Shrewsbury are striking over an "unreasonable workload and expectations" and "inadequate support and resources".
Members of the National Education Union (NEU) at The Keystone Academy are taking three days of industrial action over a "failure by the employer to meet their demands", the union said.
The NEU said staff are striking today (July 22), as well as this Thursday and Friday, and follows the employer, YES Trust's, "continued failure to provide regular breaks, transfer to national terms and conditions and recognising the union".
The specialist school in Shrewsbury can accommodate up to 120 neurodivergent pupils aged four to 16 with a range of social, emotional and mental health needs.
CEO of the YES Trust, Nic Brindle, said nine of 54 members of staff at the school have taken part in strike action. He told the Shropshire Star that the trust is "deeply disappointed" with the strike action and has been engaging with the NEU, adding that staff "always receive lunch breaks".
The NEU stated that members voted to strike "on the basis of unreasonable workload and expectations as well as inadequate support and resources".
The union added that members have voted that they wish to transfer to School Teachers Pay and Conditions Document (STCPD) terms and conditions.
It said recognising the union would mean that the YES Trust sets up a Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) "where all relevant unions negotiate with the employer on a regular basis and are able to resolve any issues early on".
Co-Branch Secretary of NEU Shropshire, John Boken, said: "Our members are striking to ensure they receive regular lunch breaks, national terms and conditions and setting up a JNC.
"Teachers’ working conditions are very poor and this will eventually have an impact on the education of children. Especially seeing as breaks are a legal right and at the moment, this is not being fully adhered to. Also, why should our members be on worse terms than those in other schools? This is an ideological decision from the Trust which has no solid basis for raising working conditions for staff.
"We first wrote to the YES Trust back in March about our concerns and while we’ve made some progress, but many sticking points remain. The Trust have acted very aggressively and our members have reported intimidation to not strike. Our members deserve better and we remain open to further talks with YES Trust."
The NEU said its members wrote to trust CEO Nic Brindle in March with their concerns. The union said it has met with the YES Trust to negotiate "multiple times" and that "some progress" on issues around workload and equipment have been made.
Responding to the strike action, CEO of the YES Trust, Mr Brindle said: "We are deeply disappointed and have been engaging with the NEU through the standard affiliation period, and have addressed all the concerns that are in school. They are taking place and are generally fine.
"However there are other elements that the NEU are asking for which would involve additional major structural changes that cannot be done anecdotally.
"Although we have made significant strides to things internally, the external factors and wider impact need proper work, so we weren't able to work quickly enough to prevent the strikes for these three days unfortunately.
"We have nine of 54 members off. It will have a small impact unfortunately.
"Staff always receive lunch breaks, some of the staff would like lunch breaks that are set for midday rather than 2.30pm. They always get breaks, and always have done.
"We absolutely want to find a resolution for the benefit of children, we don't want them to miss out on any form of education."
The NEU said it is willing to set further dates for strike action in September this year if the YES Trust does "not commit to a process to recognise the union".
Hannah Capstick, Co-Branch Secretary of NEU Shropshire, added: "The staff at Keystone care about the children so much, but have been burned out and exhausted through high workload and lack of breaks. They are striking at the school because they care so much about the school.
"Without improving working conditions, the school will see more staff leave which will have a negative impact on the students who desperately need consistent adults in the classroom to help them with their education. Our members have stood together collectively and fought for these demands for a long time."
