Sussex teachers vote to strike at schools set for closure

Parents staged a protest outside Hove Town Hall earlier on Monday

Teachers at two primary schools at risk of closure have voted in favour of strike action over job losses.

St Peter's in Portslade and St Bartholomew's in Brighton have been earmarked for closure at the end of the academic year due to falling pupil numbers.

The National Education Union (NEU) said both schools saw a 100% yes vote in favour of action.

Brighton & Hove City Council said a redeployment scheme would be available.

Councillors had been urged to push ahead with the closure plans in a report by the council's Children, Families & Schools committee earlier this month.

It followed a public consultation held between November and December, in which the council said more than two thirds (69%) of the 467 respondents opposed the plans.

Nick Childs, senior regional officer at the NEU, said the ballot results indicated "the depth of feeling at both schools and the sense of betrayal members feel at the way the council [has] behaved towards their schools".

'Exceedingly short-sighted'

He said the closures were "exceedingly short-sighted".

"Pupil admission numbers have been falling in recent years, but these fluctuate over time depending on birth rates and a range of other factors," he added.

The council has previously said that between 2011 and 2021, there was a 22% drop in children under four living in Brighton.

The committee is due to meet later and will decide whether to proceed to a statutory closure process.

While a date for strike action is yet to be set, parents gathered outside Hove Town Hall earlier to demonstrate against the council plans.

Parents also staged protests against the move last month.

In a statement, deputy council leader Jacob Taylor said: "We completely understand why teachers at these two schools are upset about the proposals, and concerned about their jobs.

"As we proceed with the closure process, we will make the council redeployment scheme available to all staff, and will work with other schools in the city to facilitate further redeployment opportunities."

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