The teaching unions (NUT, NAUWT, ATL at Copland Community School have sent the following notice. Copland is due to be forced to be academised and taken over by Ark later this year.
The three
teacher unions at Copland Community School in Wembley will be taking strike action
again this Wednesday over threatened compulsory redundancies. Two teachers face
losing their jobs. The current Headteacher, Richard Marshall and the Unions
have been meeting on a weekly basis with the joint aim of preventing this
occurring. These negotiations have significantly reduced the original number of
proposed compulsory redundancies as well as agreed very useful proposals on how
to prevent the loss of the remaining two jobs. These include covering a
maternity leave and extending the deadline for compulsory redundancies until
December. It is well documented that there is a turn over of staff when a
school converts to an academy.
But ARK,
who are seeking to take over the school in September, have refused to
agree to
any of these proposals.
ARK, known
for their anti union stance, are prepared to see the school closed rather than negotiate,
are prepared to see the pupils education disrupted. The teachers will be on the
picket line again on Wednesday from 7.30 am showing their collective anger at
this stance.
Tom Stone,
NASUWT Secretary said, “I find the intransigence of the ARK management in not
agreeing any of these eminently sensible proposals, unbelievable. We have had
weekly meeting with the aim of preventing any redundancies. ARK is prepared to
disrupt the children's education when such a small step would solve this
situation.
Hank
Roberts, ATL said, “If ARK do take over the running of the school in the autumn
this does not bode well for the staff or pupils. The children's education has
already suffered too much without sacking their teachers.”
Lesley
Gouldbourne, NUT said, “We have been working so hard to prevent any strike action.
Yet even when we and the school come up with an effective proposal, ARK refuses
to agree. It is outrageous that this is allowed to happen when they are not
even running the school.”
The
teachers are planning to strike again on May 21st if there
is not agreement to prevent these compulsory redundancies.
Brent Councillors could have called for a Judicial Review the other week rather than approving the deal for Ark takeover.
ReplyDeleteThere would not have been any need to strike.
Again Copland Ark deal is yet another example of deals done behind closed doors in Brent.
Few people realise residential Tower Blocks are what Brent Labour have just agreed will be built on the Copland site with the school rebuilt at the rear as per Davies previous plan.
The community should all come out and support the strike as few realize the deal that has just been agreed and approved by Brent Council will result in a huge loss of green space in Brent.
The teachers have stood up and Councillors are not listening.
Fully support the teachers on this one.
ReplyDeleteIf they had to become an academy, why couldn't Copland have been allowed to exercise its own choice to become, say a co-operative academy as Alperton did?
ReplyDeleteConflict of interest again.
DeleteMs Gilbert could not order a Judicial Review against her own OFSTED comrade, Baroness Morgan could she ?
Oh dear, I hadn't thought of that. It's absolutely horrendous how entangled the threads of these behavioural improprieties become!
DeleteJust goes to show, unless we have a Judicial Review, the crooks will get away, as they are good at protecting each other, until questions are asked.
DeleteThe story then unravels, as per Ms Davani's example and then the cover ups begin.
How do these people get appointed to such privileged positions and then do not want to face public scrutiny ?