Iain Dalton, Leeds Socialist Party
Teachers began strike action at Oulton Academy in Leeds on Friday 26 June in a dispute over terms and conditions.
The school was forced into becoming an academy due to receiving ‘inadequate’ or ‘needs improvement’ grades from Ofsted. This was done through the Falcon Academy Trust, set up by the government as an academy trust of last resort when other chains refuse to take on a school.
The school is now rated as ‘Outstanding’. The reward for staff? Takeover by a new academy chain, Carlton – only interested now the hard work has been done.
Though there are some protections for transferred staff (TUPE), the new contracts include lesser sick pay provision and no maternity policy. Staff going onto such a contract (eg if they change role in the school) would be put on probation, but there is no probation policy, so it is all at management discretion.
The first day of the strike was well supported by teachers, closing the school for the day. If the academy chain senior leadership doesn’t resolve these issues, then further strike action has been called in the run-up to the end of the school year.
- Socialist Party members in the NEU call for the end of academisation, and for a new national contract for education staff
