Teachers strike again

Crompton House school teachers on today’s picket line

TEACHERS held their second one-day strike at Crompton House School today in a last-ditch attempt to halt academy plans.

Drivers honked their horns in support as around 40 members of the NUT and NASUWT unions picketed the Shaw secondary.

Governors were due to decide this afternoon whether to apply to become an academy. This would see it break away from local authority control with more power over its finances, curriculum, admissions, term dates and teachers’ pay and conditions.

Catherine Myerscough, NASUWT negotiating secretary, said: “The teachers are just opposed to the effective privatisation of the school.

“We have had a lot of support. We have had letters and e-mails from around the country, as we did on the last day of action, and we have also had letters from parents.”

Crompton House only opened today to Year 10, 11, 12 and 13 pupils who had GCSE, AS and A-level exams.

NUT branch secretary Tony Harrison said: “The full governing body has agreed at last to meet us to discuss the issues. Hopefully they will be persuaded of the error of their ways.”