Rees Melville, Liverpool NEU member
A major dispute is taking place in the north west of England over education.
Over the next four years, the Catholic Archdiocese of Liverpool is attempting to transition over 210 schools (42 in Liverpool) into one of three Catholic multi-academy trusts (CMATs), without consulting staff members or trade union representatives, in breach of long-standing agreements with Liverpool City Council.
Church authorities failed to consult anyone before publicising their plans in the local ‘Echo’ newspaper, only to then invite union members the day after for a one-off consultation.
Backlash from educators and parents has been immediate. National Education Union (NEU) members have already delivered an overwhelming strike mandate, walking out before the summer holidays. There was a 100% ‘yes’ vote at St Bede’s in Ormskirk and Corpus Christi in Preston, and a 96% vote at Cardinal Allen in Fleetwood.
Headteachers represented by the NAHT (National Association of Headteachers) have also rejected the plans, with many threatening resignations.
In response, the Catholic Archdiocese has resorted to undemocratic measures, threatening to replace any school governor who votes against the plan with a compliant appointment.
Socialist Party members in the NEU have fought consistently for official NEU policy to not only oppose academisation, but to also establish a clear route back to local authority control.
Privatisation
Academisation is privatisation of public education, allowing MATs to dictate and diminish the curriculum, ‘top-slice’ vital school budgets to fund central bureaucracies, harm staff terms and conditions, and further syphon vital money in six-figure salaries into the pockets of trust executives – while schools issue redundancies to staff due to the £600 million unfunded pay rise of 2025.
Education must remain publicly owned and accountable to the democratic control of educators and working-class communities to stave off further cuts and syphoning off of vital resources.
I am a member of the Liverpool Trades Council and we are organising a public meeting in the autumn term to bring together education unions such as the NEU, NASUWT, NAHT and Unison, as well as local communities and parents, to help spread awareness and discuss an effective strategy to fight back against these developments.
This is Andy Burnham’s backyard. He says he wants to “change education”. He could start by ending the blight of privatisation. To win that, cross-union coordinated action is vital for the working class to protect our vital services and working conditions.
