Thousands of youngsters off school as region’s teachers join NUT strike action

Graham White, Suffolk NUT (Image: Archant)

Last month, the National Union of Teachers (NUT) voted overwhelmingly to strike, with 92% of members backing the action, over a host of issues affecting teachers and education provision.

As part of the walk-outs, teachers will be demonstrating against continued cuts to the education budget that has left resources strained, as well as defending national pay and conditions and for a national negotiating framework.

The union said it also wants to resume negotiations over teaching contracts and workloads which it says has caused a shortfall in the number of teachers being recruited each year.

Graham White, secretary of the Suffolk NUT branch, said: “I think this is the biggest threat to the future of education, so we have a duty to protect pupils by taking this action.

“The issues are so important for pupils and parents – it’s about the future of education, so I am pleased with the response we have had so far.”

Yesterday, at least eight Suffolk schools and six Essex schools confirmed they would be closing today after the number of striking teachers became too high to reasonably remain open, while at least 40 schools are operating partial closures.

With the eight Suffolk schools confirmed to be closed, more than 3,000 pupils will not be in school, leaving parents to organise child care or take the day off work to look after their children.

The Suffolk NUT branch has around 3,500 members – many of whom are expected to take part in the walk-outs tomorrow, and a special demonstration at the Giles Statue in Ipswich, before being joined by parents and youngsters for a ‘Stand up for Education’ picnic in Christchurch Park which aims to highlight creative activities that are increasingly being lost because of changes to the curriculum.

Mr White said that, nationally, around 4,000 teachers had signed up to the NUT in the last eight days alone which demonstrated the support for urgent changes.

He added: “It’s affecting the education provision – if heads cannot recruit quality teachers that doesn’t help the education of our pupils, and if you cut the funding even more that’s certainly not going to help the education provision.”

Jan Hatchell, headteacher at the Riverwalk School in Bury St Edmunds which is one of the confirmed closures, said that 75% of her staff were NUT members, meaning all 128 pupils would not be attending school. She said: “I hope we can find a better resolution than what we have got. A policy from the government on threatening forced academisation hasn’t helped this, and it does worry me in what this may lead to in the future.”

At Coldfair Green Community Primary School in Saxmundham, four out of the five teachers are expected to strike, after the school has suffered from budget cuts.

“The reason our teachers feel so strongly is because of cuts to the budget. We have got two teachers with classes over 30, and a class of over 34,” headteacher Amanda Fewkes said.

Ranelagh Primary School headteacher Diane Ekins added: “Striking teachers are doing so because they believe that teachers’ workload is continuing to increase whilst conditions of employment are deteriorating which is stopping good quality people becoming teachers, leading to teachers leaving rather than joining the profession and threatening educational standards.”

A Department for Education spokesman said that removing excessive workloads was “a priority” but added: “It is disappointing the NUT has chosen to continue with this unnecessary and damaging strike, despite our ongoing commitment to formal talks. Industrial action causes disruption to education, to parents who have to take time out of work, and damages the reputation of the profession. We urge the NUT to work with us instead of playing politics.”