Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Pupils took ‘strike’ action
THE “majority of pupils” failed to turn up to most secondary schools in Dundee on the day of a cancelled teacher strike, it is believed.
A teacher at Braeview Academy estimated pupil absence could have been as high as 80-90%, highest in more senior years and increasing after lunch.
At Morgan Academy a teacher also said absence rose after the lunch break and that there were less than 50% of pupils in school yesterday.
Another teacher at St John’s High School said she thought there were “definitely less than 50% of pupils” in attendance but guessed the actual figure was closer to 25%.
And we were told that there were around a third of pupils in attendance at Harris Academy.
The only school we spoke to which reported higher attendance figures was Grove Academy, where a teacher said there was between 60-70% attendance in his classes.
However, he did say his classes were all S1-S3 and that he “wouldn’t want those figures to contradict the fact that a lot of pupils have voted with their feet”.
Teachers claimed it was a day of “lost learning” for students, impacting both those in and out of school.
They said some planned lessons were not able to take place due to low attendance, and that some work might have to be repeated to allow pupils to catch up.
A teacher strike had been planned in an attempt to stop faculties being introduced in secondary schools.
But it was cancelled at the last minute on Tuesday after the court intervened in the dispute between teaching union EIS and Dundee City Council.
As a direct result of the ruling, the EIS suspended strike action and told its members to report to work. Dundee City Council informed parents and carers that schools would be open as usual.
The council declined to comment on pupil absences and instead referred to a previous comment that it is “studying the detail’ of the Court of Sessions” decision.
David Baxter, EIS Dundee rep, said: “The impact on pupils’ learning today will not be as big as the impact of the imposition of faculties. But if any finger-pointing is to be done, it’s down to Dundee City Council for not engaging in negotiations as they should have.
“Teachers turned up, we got the win we needed through the courts, not a strike.”
TODAY’S fresh strike by rail workers comes after the union at the centre of a bitter dispute over jobs, pay and conditions accused the transport secretary of “wrecking” negotiations.
Talks were held yesterday between the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT), Network Rail and rail operators in a bid to break the deadlocked row.
But there was no breakthrough, with the RMT criticising Transport Secretary Grant Shapps.
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: “Grant Shapps has wrecked these negotiations by not allowing Network
Rail to withdraw their letter threatening redundancy for 2,900 of our members.
“Until the government unshackle Network Rail and the train operating companies, it is not going to be possible for a negotiated settlement to be agreed.”