School tries to evict pupils

Residential caretaker Ricky Jones, his wife and three children face eviction from their home in William Patten School, Hackney, London. Two of his children have been born since living there and two attend the primary school.

The council and the school governors want to make Ricky's post as residential caretaker redundant. This ill thought out proposal was put to the last governors' meeting with no prior notice. The governors were given 10 minutes to read the paperwork and vote on it.

Ricky Jones is Hackney Unison's education convenor and has recruited and represented hundreds of members over the last seven years.

Unison branch chair Brian Debus said: "I am appalled at the callous treatment meted out to Ricky and his family. It is difficult to believe but the Learning Trust (responsible for educating most of Hackney children), the chair of governors and the head teacher have conspired to evict some of the school's own children from their home".

It is little wonder that the whole family has been devastated by this proposal. A joint campaign by Hackney Unison, Hackney NUT and the local community has already collected hundreds of signatures and lobbied the governors' meeting on 17 March.