Northampton: Teachers at girls' school strike over pensions

Teachers at Northampton High School are taking industrial action in a dispute over pensions

Staff at a girls' school in Northampton have gone on strike in a dispute over pensions.

The National Education Union said 52 teachers at Northampton High School have taken industrial action.

The school remains open despite the strike, although further action is planned.

The Girls' Day School Trust (GDST), which runs the school, said it cared "deeply about its teachers" and said the proposals were necessary.

The union said teachers at all 23 of the trust's independent schools were in dispute, with staff expected to lose about 20% of the value of their pensions.

It said further strikes in Northampton are planned for 23 and 24 February, and 1, 2 and 3 March.

The union's senior regional officer, Ian Marrey, said the strike represented an "unprecedented day in the history of Northampton High School".

He said his members remain "committed to consultation," adding: "Not only is this a significant pay cut for teachers, but would also damage the ability of the schools to recruit and retain quality teachers in future."

Cheryl Giovannoni, chief executive at the trust, said: "Sadly, the increase to the TPS (Teachers Pension Scheme) employer costs has had a severe impact on our expenditure and has put us in a very difficult position.

"We understand the strength of feeling amongst our teachers over this issue and of course the concerns raised by our parents.

"We care deeply about our teachers and would not have put forward these proposals unless we felt they were absolutely necessary to support the long-term sustainability of the GDST family of schools."