Teachers facing axe stage demo

Photo: Picture: DARREN ROBINSON

ANGER... striking teachers during their protest in the town centre.

SPECIALIST language teachers took to Oldham town centre streets waving placards as they went on strike over plans to axe their jobs.

The New Arrivals Team works in primary and secondary schools with pupils who have come from abroad and speak little or no English.

But the six teachers’ jobs are to be scrapped in April as part of Oldham Council’s budget proposals to save £57 million.

Two National Union of Teachers (NUT) members of the borough’s Ethnic Minority Achievement Team, which is being cut from four consultants to one, also joined yesterday’s protests. The NUT says the languages team has taught around 200 children, including vulnerable pupils, who came to Oldham from Asia, Africa and Europe last year.

It responds quickly to requests to provide intensive teaching for short periods.

The strikers, some wearing boiler suits daubed with slogans, marched to Market Place where they handed out leaflets and waved placards with messages including “don’t sack teachers of new arrivals.” They later moved around the town centre.