Teachers poised for second one-day strike

CROMPTON House School will be hit by a second one-day strike by teachers on Tuesday — the day governors decide whether to apply to become an academy.

Members of the NUT and NASUWT unions at the CE secondary will take industrial action in a bid to halt the proposals.

It follows a walk-out on May 12 which forced a partial closure.

The Shaw school will only open to Year 10, 11, 12 and 13 pupils who have GCSE, AS and A-level exams.

A science-revision morning for Year 11 pupils will not go ahead, but supervised study facilities will be available. The sixth-form centre will also be open for revision.

The unions believe that parents have not been given all the facts about the move, which would see the school break away from the local authority with more control over its finances, curriculum, admissions, term dates and teachers’ pay and conditions.

They say there is no evidence that converting to an academy raises standards and that academies can employ teachers who are not qualified, deny local children places and remove parent and staff representation on governing bodies. There are also fears about the future financial risks.

A joint statement by the unions says: “Whatever promises are made by the governors now can be changed once the school becomes an academy.

“Parents would be unable to oppose such changes as their local councillors and local authority will have no responsibility for the school. Teachers at Crompton House feel they have no alternative than to strike for a second time about proposals to turn our respected high school into an academy with no local accountability.”

A statement on the school’s website by head teacher Elsie Tough says that a substantial number of its teachers are NUT or NASUWT members.

She adds: “It is regrettable that members of these unions have decided to take industrial action during the exam period and as the governors meet to make decisions about conversion to academy status.

“The governors have gathered the views of staff and are very clear about what their concerns are. They will take these into account in their decision making.”