Teachers strike over threat to axe school
FEARS OVER STAFF JOBS AS WELL AS UPHEAVAL FOR PUPILS
TEACHERS are set to walk out of class in a last-ditch bid to save their jobs.
South Shields School will be closed today, as members of teachers’ union NASUWT set up a picket line around school gates.
South Tyneside Council is consulting on plans to shut the school, which has failed to attract an academy sponsor after being branded “inadequate” by Ofsted.
Government policy states inadequate schools must be taken over by academy chains, but South Shields School’s low pupil numbers mean potential sponsors have judged it too financially risky.
But teachers say the school, which saw GCSE improvement this year, must be given another chance and are striking in an effort to save it from closure.
Chris Keates, general secretary of the NASUWT, said: “While the school has faced challenging circumstances, NASUWT members believe it is making good progress – indeed this year the school achieved its best ever GCSE results.
“To close the school now would undo all of the hard work which the staff and pupils have put in.
“The school is an important part of the local community and there is a lot of support from parents to keep the school open.
“If the closure goes ahead dedicated and hardworking teachers will lose their jobs and children will be forced to go through the upheaval and uncertainty of finding new schools.
“We believe it is not in anyone’s interest to close the school and members are making this stand to demonstrate the strength of feeling among staff and to implore the council to rethink their plans for the future of the school.”
John Hall, NASUWT national executive member for Tyneside, added: “NASUWT members at the school are dedicated to the pupils they teach and regret any disruption this action will cause, but they feel they have no other option in order to try to save their school.
“We are appealing to the council to recognise the value that the school adds to the lives of its pupils and what will be lost if the school is removed from the community.”
Parents and students have also spoken out against the move, with thousands signing a petition in support of the threatened institution.
At a meeting in September, when councillors voted to begin consulting on the closure, families gathered to protest the plans.
Katie Hunter, 13, said: “The support teachers give us is really important. We’ll be going into Year 10 the year the school would close - will we have that same bond with new teachers? That could massively affect our GCSEs.”
A council spokesman said: “We encourage all parties to have their say through the formal consultation route, which has been conducted to minimise impact on pupils’ learning.
“As the consultation is currently under way, it would not be appropriate to comment further.”
The consultation will close tomorrow.