More strikes due at school that became academy

Byron Court Primary School in Wembley closed after an 'inadequate' Ofsted rating, and later reopened as an academy school

Primary school teachers and staff who are union members have voted in favour of striking over what they claim are "worsening" conditions since becoming an academy.

Byron Court Primary School in Wembley, north London, closed last year after a forced academisation order was issued by the Department for Education (DfE) following its inadequate Ofsted rating.

It reopened in September as South Kenton Primary Academy under the control of the Harris Federation trust.

An academy spokesperson told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "We are always happy to listen and improve, but the NEU [National Education Union] has not been able to provide the examples of clarification we would need to progress."

School must 'be serious'

Union members at the school went on strike last May when the academisation plan was announced.

The NEU said although some issues have been resolved, others remain in dispute, such as the additional number of hours worked, the amount of cover required by support staff, and pay.

It added that last week about half of its members at the school voted 100% in favour of striking.

The NEU's Brent district joint secretary, Jenny Cooper, said: "We remain committed to reaching a resolution to this dispute in the hope we will not need to take strike action, which is always a last resort.

"However, Harris Federation needs to be serious about supporting its staff – children cannot be taught well without happy staff."

Further details of the strike are due to be announced.

Parent feedback 'positive'

The development followed a wider NEU ballot of 18 Harris Federation-run secondary schools and colleges across London in opposition to what the union said was "excessive and unhealthy levels of workload, an unfair and punitive pay progression system, and the unfair treatment of Caribbean and other overseas trained teachers".

That ballot resulted in a 92% vote for strike action on an 80% turnout.

A spokesperson for Harris Primary Academy South Kenton said the school made a "vast improvement" since the change in leadership, and feedback from parents was "incredibly positive and supportive".

"They complain we have moved too fast in improving standards, but our view is that when it comes to giving children the education they need and deserve, as long as staff are supported, which they are, we cannot move fast enough," they added.

"We are communicating closely with parents and carers and have told them that our intention is to keep the school open during any NEU action."