STRIKING school staff have staged a rally in Lichfield city centre.
Members of the National Education Union (NEU) have walked out in protest over planned redundancies at the Arthur Terry Learning Partnership.
The latest day of industrial action today (21st January) saw some schools closed or partially shut – and more disruption is expected when strikes continue tomorrow.
Around 200 union members gathered in Lichfield city for a rally to highlight their criticism of the proposals which they say is caused by a “top slice” far higher than is necessary.
Chris Denson, national executive member of the NEU, said:
“Members are really concerned for the students that they teach. Any cuts should come from the massive central office spend, not from teachers and support staff who do so much for the children that they support day in, day out.
“They are deeply concerned about the potential impact on support for children, for SEND support, for the impact on class sizes, not to mention the loss of jobs for members and their colleagues.
“The Arthur Terry Learning Partnership need to drastically re-think their plans.
“Cutting pupil facing roles will always damage education, wherever it happens. The massive central spend and central structure need to be cut, not support for students and their teachers and support staff jobs.”
But the trust says over-staffing means action is needed to balance the books.
A spokesperson said:
“We are committed to tackling the financial challenges we face so that we bring stability to the trust and schools as quickly as possible, while at the same time maintaining the high standards of education and care that our pupils and their families deserve and expect.
“Returning to a financially sustainable position means taking some difficult decisions.
“We continue to explore every area of expenditure and have identified numerous savings. To ensure we move forward rapidly and are secure long-term, we have also started a consultation on a restructure of the organisation.
“We are continuing to implement a programme of significant change to improve the trust’s financial position, including appointing a new interim finance director to provide oversight on how decisions are made and evaluated.
“Many children and young people are again not able to attend school today because of the ongoing strikes, which is deeply regrettable.
“To ensure pupils not able to go to school can continue their education, high-quality remote learning has again been arranged.
“We are doing all we can to resolve the dispute as swiftly as possible, including continuing to hold constructive talks with the NEU and reviewing all budgets to ensure our schools move towards a stronger and more sustainable future.”
