Leicester: Children 'trapped' by special needs school strike

Leon and Jenny's 16-year-old son has profound and multiple learning difficulties

The parents of a pupil at a special needs school have said children are being "trapped" by staff strikes.

Support staff at Ash Field Academy in Leicester have taken 30 days of strike action during a six-month dispute over pay - and 29 further days are planned.

Leon and Jenny, whose 16-year-old son attends the school, said parents often did not know if their children would be in on strike days.

The couple said some children have had to stay at home as a result.

"We don't really know what we are doing day-to-day because he might or might not be in," Leon said.

"Even if they are striking they try to get cover if they've got enough staff to deal with it. Or they call you up and say 'can you drop him off?'"

Ash Field Academy looks after pupils with special educational needs

Jenny said their son, who has profound and multiple learning difficulties, has not suffered as badly as some of his fellow pupils.

But she added some parents had been forced to keep their children off school due to the uncertainty over whether there would be enough staff to care for them on strike days.

"We're lucky because we've got a van and Leon's around to bring [our son] in," Jenny said. "But there are parents at Ash Field that are single parents without transport and their kids are just trapped.

"[Our son] doesn't sleep well when he has this level of disruption. He doesn't sleep well anyway, but it is an added burden."

The latest industrial action includes six days in October and all school days in November.

Unison claims the workers earn "significantly less" than equivalent staff at council-maintained schools, but the trust that runs the school said a new "competitive" pay deal had been offered.

'Reduced reserves'

A spokesperson for Ash Field Academy Trust trust said they were "disappointed" that workers had chosen to strike again.

They said: "The Ash Field Academy Trustees have offered Unison a new, enhanced pay scale for support staff which is competitive, and in line with or above the local authority, and we are eager for this to be agreed by Unison so that it can be implemented.

"We also implemented the pay award for 2022/23 in line with the agreed national pay award.

"Unison refers to the trust's reserves but regrettably the trust is predicting in-year deficits, which are forecast to continue for future years, and which will therefore reduce reserves significantly."

Unison Leicester City branch steward Tom Barker said: "The trust's refusal to shift its stance and pay staff fairly has caused major disruption to the lives of pupils and their families.

"The academy's workers don't choose to strike lightly but feel they've had no other option. But there's still time for the employer to rethink its position and improve the pay offer."