School closed to almost every pupil as teachers strike over pay and 'poor management'
Six strike days have been planned at St Matthew’s C of E Primary School in Bolton with others expected next week
Teachers joined a picket line outside their primary school for the first of a six-day strike.
Almost two dozen National Education Union (NEU) members at St Matthew’s C of E Primary School, in Bolton, are protesting over performance related pay and what they claim is 'poor management'.
Wednesday, March 19 was the first of six planned strike days at the school, with others scheduled for March 25 and 26, as well as April 1 to 3.
Nursery is closed to pupils, as well as one Reception class, along with 10 other classes. Only two classes and a second Reception class remain in school.
Union members voted unanimously for the strike, with the NEU saying concerns have been raised 'for some time' but despite negotiations with the headteacher, 'progress has been slow and extremely limited in impact, leaving the members with no choice but to escalate to a formal dispute'.
Standing outside the Halliwell on Wednesday morning, teachers held placards with messages including 'Happy staff = happy children', 'I'd rather be teaching but this is important' and 'If teachers are outside, something is wrong inside'.
Others stated 'education is not a business' and 'our children are not just a number'.
Peter Middleman, regional secretary of the National Education Union, said around 20 joined the picket line including parents, former staff members and school support staff.
He said: "Members have sent a strong message today about their determination to secure a culture change in the management of the school.
"The employer now has a week in which to respond, but we find it ironic that professionals who have a statutory duty to promote the British Values of democracy and the rule of law, to students in their care, are currently expected to leave their rights to an element of workplace democracy and fairness at the school gate.
"It’s not too late to avoid a further five days of action and we urge the leadership team and the council to grasp that opportunity”.
Earlier he explained: "Performance related pay for teachers is ineffective and unfair; it increases workload and stress while undermining collaborative working. It is also often used to apply unfair targets and to hold down pay, having a disproportionate and discriminatory impact on women and Black educators.
"Many teachers have been denied pay progression even when they met the targets set. For these reasons, the School Teachers’ Review Body has recommended that the requirement for maintained schools to adopt PRP be removed.
"We welcome the steps that Bolton LA have taken towards this recommendation in the latest iteration of their pay policy for schools, but our members are concerned that elements of PRP remain.
"The hyper-accountability and associated workload issues wrought through unacceptable management practices have negatively impacted on our members’ working lives and their ability to deliver the education experience pupils at St Matthew’s deserve. They want to see a genuine commitment to positive change for the benefit of the whole school community.”
Representing NEU members at the school, Joanne Squires, Bolton NEU branch secretary, said: “Members are dedicated professionals who work hard for the pupils at St Matthew’s and deserve to be properly remunerated each year, without jumping through bureaucratic hoops and filling in endless paperwork to prove their worth to the school.
"Educators at this school want to provide a broad curriculum and fulfilling experiences for the pupils in their care, but they feel their professionalism and expertise has been undervalued in the way change has been managed at the school in recent years.
"Members are further concerned about the impact of poor management culture on retention of dedicated staff at the school, which could ultimately lead to more disruption for pupils in the long term.
"We have been in active negotiations with the governing body and local authority in order to try to find an acceptable resolution to this dispute for our members.”
In a letter to parents, the school's deputy head Alison Worthington, said: "I am notifying you that the National Education Union (NEU) members at St Matthew's C of E School have voted to carry out discontinuous industrial action on the following days.
"A number of our employees are members of the NEU and as such we are likely to be affected by the industrial action. The school and the governing body have therefore undertaken a risk assessment for the school to safeguard children's safety and feel that the school will be partially open on these dates due to the requirement to deploy staff across the school classes."
A Bolton Council spokesperson said: “St Matthew’s Church of England School has been working with representatives from the National Education Union to resolve this matter.
“Unfortunately, they were unable to reach an agreement in time to prevent industrial action taking place today, and this has resulted in some disruption to the school timetable."