Nottingham Girls' High: Further strike at private girls' school

Staff at Nottingham Girl's High School are unhappy about changes to their pension

Further strike action by staff at a private girls' school is taking place in a dispute over pensions.

Teachers at Nottingham Girls' High School, a selective school for pupils aged four to 18, said they were being asked to accept cuts to their pensions.

The National Education Union (NEU) said it welcomed moves to find solutions to the dispute but, so far, proposals had been inadequate or incomplete.

The Girls' Day School Trust (GDST) said it was "disheartened" by the strike.

'Pressure'

The strike action is due to take place at all 23 of the trust's schools on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Una O'Brien, the NEU's regional secretary, said: "We welcome moves by the GDST to find a solution to the current dispute, but successive proposals have been inadequate or incomplete.

"We do not yet know the full detail of their latest plan, which appears to have unknown strings attached and was delivered too late for proper consideration.

"Finding a quicker resolution is very much in the gift of the employer, whereas the NEU will continue with the overwhelming mandate of its members to keep up the pressure."

School staff say they could lose about 20% of the value of their pensions

The GDST, whose members include Putney High School and Oxford High School, has previously said it had seen a 43% increase in its contributions to the Teachers' Pension Scheme (TPS) since 2019.

Cheryl Giovannoni, CEO of the GDST, said: "The GDST is wholly disheartened that the NEU has refused to stand down strikes with this updated offer on the table.

"Every effort has been made to give teachers the choice to remain in the TPS and we cannot understand the NEU's position not to work with us to bring teachers back to the classroom to support our students while discussions are ongoing.

"We are all deeply committed to the education and well-being of our students, and we appreciate the key role our teachers play in that."

Other independent schools under the trust are:

• Blackheath High School, London

• Brighton Girls, Brighton

• Bromley High School, London

• Croydon High School, London

• Howell's School, Llandaff, Cardiff

• Kensington Prep School, London

• Newcastle High School for Girls, Newcastle

• Northampton High School, Northampton

• Northwood College for Girls, London

• Norwich High School for Girls, Norwich

• Notting Hill & Ealing High School, London

• Portsmouth High School, Portsmouth

• Royal High School Bath, Bath

• Sheffield Girls, Sheffield

• Shrewsbury High School, Shrewsbury

• South Hampstead High School, London

• Streatham & Clapham High School, London

• Sutton High School, London

• Sydenham High School, London

• Wimbledon High School, London

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