Labour Group call on Brent Council to consider a formal twinning arrangement with Nablus in the occupied West Bank

 Nablus (Copyright: istock Getty Images)

The Labour Group have tabled a motion for the Full Meeting of Brent Council to consider twinning with the city of Nablus in the Israeli Occupied West Bank.

The meeting is on Monday 18th November at 6pm and the  motion is number 9 on a 19 item agenda so will probably be debated between 7pm and 8pm. You can watch live HERE or attend in-person at Brent Civic Centre.

The Motion:

Brent Twinning with Nablus

 

This Council notes:

 

That Brent currently has a single twinning relationship, that with South Dublin, established in 1997, at a time when Brent had the largest Irish-born population in mainland Britain.

 

That Brent currently has the second highest Arab diaspora in England and Wales, within which there is a significant number of residents of Palestinian heritage.

 

That like Brent, Nablus in Palestine – as one of the oldest cities in the world – has a long and rich history of culture, diversity and dynamism, ranging from historical architecture, a lively economy and a youthful population.

 

That Brent has a long history of internationalism, including conferring on Nelson Mandela the Freedom of the Borough.

 

That a growing number of community and charitable organisations, including Brent Trades Union Council, Brent NEU and Brent Friends of Palestine have developed productive relations with Palestinian organisations and diaspora, further strengthening bonds to the city of Nablus.

 

That through the joint work of Brent Trades Union Council, Brent NEU and of Brent and Harrow PSC, CADFA and the Palestinian Forum in Britain, opportunities have been provided to young Palestinians to meet Brent young people, Councillors and MPs, and share and develop a bond over their experiences in education, sports and culture. Opportunities for visits to Palestine by young Brent residents are being planned.

 

That the establishment of the “Brent-Nablus Twinning Project” organisation provides an opportunity for Brent to explore the potential of a formal twinning arrangement with Nablus through community engagement.

That community organisations and official representatives in Nablus have shown a desire to develop a more formal arrangement of partnership with Brent and have communicated this desire with their partners in Brent, leading to this proposal.

 

This Council believes:

 

Twinning enhances bonds and improves relations between communities, creating friendships through what we have in common, as well as learning from other cultures, traditions and experiences.

 

Twinning allows avenues for growth through togetherness, improving understanding and ability to tackle issues through collaboration, knowledge and skill shares.

 

A successful twinning relationship would promote initiatives like educational collaborations, sports programmes, and heritage preservation workshops, creating long-term connections between residents and institutions and engages with local communities, cultural organisations, and leaders in both twinned regions to support the establishment of the partnership.

 

This Council resolves to:

 

Consider a formal twinning agreement between Brent and the city of Nablus, which sits under the governance of the Palestinian National Authority, and receive a report considering the proposal at a future council meeting.

 

Explore immediate steps to foster connections, such as cultural exchange programmes, student and school collaborations, and shared community projects, to create a foundation for future growth.

 

Engage with the “Brent-Nablus Twinning Project” organisation to develop a framework for the potential twinning, whilst engaging with local communities, cultural organisations and leaders in both Brent and Nablus to support theestablishment of this partnership.

 

Councillor Ihtesham Afzal

Wembley Hill Ward

UPDATED WITH STATEMENT FROM SAVE BYRON COURT CAMPAIGN: Huge blow to campaigners as Secretary of State confirms Byron Court takeover by Harris Federation from September 1st.

 The community school currently known as Byron Court Primary School will open after the summer holiday as Harris Primary Academy South Kenton. The eradication of the Byron Court identity will be completed with  the appointment of a Principal, Mr Hyneman,  from within the Harris Federation; a new school uniform to be worn on September 4th, the first day of term, (see letter to parents below) and a two week half-term holiday in October for all but Year 6.

Campaigners against forced academisation had their hopes raised following what they saw as a positive end of term  meeting with the new Labour Secretary of State, Bridget Phillipson.

In a letter to the Chair of Goverrnors, Claire Burton, the DfE Regional Director, states that the Secretary of State, has confirmed the takeover by Harris from September 1st. She rejects the campaigners' call for a pause in the process to enable the school to show its progress through a re-inspection.

Many local stakeholders have voiced their desire for certainty, for the pupils, the parents, the staff and the wider community. This is particularly acute given how close we are now to the start of a new academic year. Pausing the process now will bring further uncertainty without a clear alternative. In all likelihood, it would lead to a longer period of upheaval, which is not in the best interests of the children at the school.

Ironically, Harris recognises progress already made in its letter to parents when they say they will support the school as it 'continues to raise standards.'

Regarding the Ofsted judgement of 'Inadequate',  Burton says that the school had already been in need of support prior to the inspection although that judgement may have come as a surprise to parents:

 My colleagues at Ofsted have confirmed that the Ofsted complaints process has been fully exhausted. I am aware of a further complaint to the Independent Complaints Adjudication Service for Ofsted (ICASO) which is independent of Ofsted. Nothing of substance has been upheld.

You will note that there is no mention of a re-inspection. This means that the next Ofsted inspection of the school will be of its Harris entity and the improvements made by the LA and current school leadership will not be captured. However, the improvements will be built on what has already been achieved as demonstrated by the recent Year 6 SAT  results.

The decision raises questions about the new Labour Government's policy both on academisation, including forced academisation, and on the much criticised Ofsted that many see as overly influenced by academy chiefs and Tory education policy.

Meanwhile Save Byron Court and the NEU must be congratulated for their energetic and persistent campaign.

Jenny Cooper, of Brent NEU said:

Yesterday, the Save Byron Court  campaign learned that Harris will be taking over on 1st September. This is a terrible decision for staff, children and community and we know it is based on an Ofsted complaints process and forced academisation system that are not fit for purpose and do not involve stakeholders. The determination of our members, reps and the local community meant that we sustained 16 strike days, countless rallies and protests, a 2100 strong petition, FOI requests ( still going), four complaints to Ofsted ( still going) and a successful delaying of TUPE three times plus a meeting with Bridget Phillipson and a further pause in the decision.

The Grunwick strikes are painted on our walls in Brent, and on our union banner; they remain an iconic part of local and national history. You do not have to win everything you ask for to win the moral fight. 

The moral fight is won. We wanted our academy order revoked but we have successfully shown that it should be and have shown ourselves and others how to fight.

Thank you to all of you who sent messages of solidarity, visited the picket lines, gave donations, wrote letters, joined the protests and helped share our story.

The members are not defeated; they have found their voices and will not be walked over.

#WeAreTheLions
#TheWorkersUnitedWillNeverBeDefeated

Simon O'Hara of the Anti-Academies Alliance said:

It's obviously a heavy blow and there's no real way of escaping that feeling, but every single person who fought should hold their heads up very, very high. Don't get too down, we all live to fight another day. And we all will until the whole rotten system and those who run it, are brought down. You never went meekly like so many others. Phillipson needs to understand that while academisation exists, the (re)building of a comprehensive, inclusive, progressive and democratic school system is impossible. You're either for academisation or you're against it. The Byron Court campaigners will always be on the right side of history. Love the fighters in Brent.

 

Save Byron Court camapaign made the following statement on Friday August 2nd:

We are devastated by Bridget Phillipson's decision to proceed with the takeover of Byron Court by Harris Federation from September. Despite us exposing major issues with the Ofsted inspection, the many aspects of this opaque system that are rigged against parents and deny us choice and voice, and presenting the major rapid improvements made proving ours is not a failing school, we have been ignored by Bridget Phillipson in much the same way as her predecessor did. Specific concerns have not been addressed; we have been denied the opportunity of reinspection; we weren't even given the courtesy of a direct reply to us or our public petition signed by over 2,000 people.

There were many factors at play that led Byron Court to forced Academisation - turbulent leadership with an absent headteacher during the inspection; ineffective support and scrutiny from Governors and the LA; an understaffed SLT - yet despite this, with parent scrutiny, greater leadership capacity, and LA support, the improvements made at the school in one academic year were incredible.

The staff at Byron Court really believed in the school and in keeping it a community school, they too are victims of this unjust system, they too were failed by those entrusted with Byron Court - we needed them to fight for us, not to hand our school over to a corporate machine. Whilst we did get public support for a pause in this process from the school leadership and chair of governors, with only a week to go before the DfE deadline, it was all too little, too late.

🎶 The people on this bus said, 'Save our school, save our school, save our school ' 🎶 - Byron School campaigners take a big red bus to Westminster to save their community school from academisation

 

Outside the school (Credit: Pete Firmin)

 

Parents, staff, Brent Trades Council and members of the community, as well as Labour candidate for Brent West, Barry Gardiner, were on the picket line for Byron Court Primary School again today - but this time with a difference.

They were joined by a big red traditional London bus to take a trip to Westminster to show the DfE and the incoming government that they mean business in their fight against a forced takeover by Harris Federation.

 

 Spirits high and determination clear on the tops deck (Credit Jenny Cooper)

 

In the rain in Parliament Square (Credit: Pete Firmin)

 

 Outside the Department for Education (Credit: Jenny Cooper)

Parent campaigner Matt Paul said:

Wow - what an incredible show of unity and fighting spirit today with our very special ‘Byron bus' taking staff, kids and parents, supporters (including the NEU Assistant General Secretary) down to Westminster! Barry Gardiner joined the morning picket and encouraged us to keep fighting before waving us off.

 

The bus was rocking away with chanting, singalongs (including far too much Taylor Swift), and plenty of support from other cars and passers-by. A quick stop in Westminster Square opposite Parliament first, then on to the Department for Education where we made sure they heard us. A brilliant, powerful and emotional day that I won't ever forget.

WEMBLEY PRIMARY SCHOOL TO CLOSE FOR 6 DAYS OF STRIKE ACTION OVER FORCED TAKEOVER BY LORD HARRIS

 From Brent National Education Union

MEMBERS OF NATIONAL EDUCATION UNION STRIKING TO SAVE THEIR LOCAL SCHOOL

 

NEU members at Byron Court Primary School are to strike in a fight to save their local community school which is threatened with a forced privatisation by the huge Harris Federation chain of academies. PICKET LINE OUTSIDE THE SCHOOL FRIDAY 17^TH MAY 7.30-9.30am!

 

Staff at Byron Court Primary School in Wembley will be on strike to save their local community school from a forced “academy order” following an intimidating Ofsted inspection which has left some staff fearing for their mental health and their futures. Many of these long-serving staff served the school’s community throughout the pandemic and face uncertainty in their jobs, pay and conditions as they face a takeover by the hostile Harris multi-academy trust. 

 

NEU MEMBERS VOTED IN HUGE NUMBERS TO TAKE STRIKE ACTION OVER MULTIPLE DATES FOLLOWING A HIGH PROFILE PARENT CAMPAIGN which is supported by many in the local community including Councillors and MP.

 

Staff and parent supporters will protest at a picket line outside the school from 7.30am Tuesday and will continue to lobby the Secretary of State to get their academy order revoked. Staff are asking for a reinspection, handled fairly and proportionately, while a live complaint lodged with Ofsted is being looked at externally after reports that Ofsted lied during the complaints process.

 

Jenny Cooper of the NEU national executive has stated:

 

These striking members undertake difficult jobs every day and have the expertise and knowledge that should be valued in our schools. There has been no consultation whatsoever with any stakeholder and we do not believe it is the right decision to hand this school to a glorified carpet salesman who is paid half a million a year for the privilege. The NEU will NOT accept privatisation of our schools through a politicised Ofsted process which is what we are seeing.

'Save our School' - Byron Court Primary resists forced academisation and privatisation: Demonstration 8am Thursday+petition

While I have been away from Wembley Matters in Australia,  staff and parents of Byron Court Primary School have moved with impressive speed to resist being forced into becoming a Harris Academy after a poor Ofsted report. Harris itself ha a poor reputation for its treatment of staff and the enormous salary of its boss. Removing the school from the oversight of the local authority (Brent Council) removes democratic accountability. With support from Brent Education Department the school is already making great progress to address the issues highlighted by Ofsted and the process of academisation would in itself be disruptive to those efforts.

The community is mobilising to save its community school.

Joint Secretary of Brent National Education Union, Jenny Cooper, said:

Our position is that the workforce, as major stakeholders in our schools, should be part of the decision making about their future; as things stand, we see our members once again suffering with work-related stress and anxiety as a direct result of the damaging process we call 'Ofsted'. One-word judgements do nothing to support or help improve our schools; all they do is help steer our school staff on a fast-track to mental breakdown.

 

 This is the wording of the petition you can sign at

https://www.megaphone.org.uk/petitions/save-byron-court-primary-school-stop-the-academisation

To: Gillan Barnard, Chair of Governors; Richard Sternberg, Acting Headteacher; Cllr Muhammed Butt, Brent Council Leader; Gillian Keegan MP, Secretary of State for Education; Damian Hinds MP, Minister of State for Schools

Save Byron Court Primary School - Stop the Forced Academisation

Campaign created by

⮞ JOINT PETITION BY 'SAVE BYRON COURT' PARENT CAMPAIGN GROUP AND BRENT NEU ⮜

Our school is being forced into becoming an Academy and join a Multi-Academy Trust, following a poor Ofsted rating. If this goes ahead:

🢜 everything that has made Byron Court an outstanding school before and a special place within the heart of our community will be lost;

🢜 there is no guarantee that any of the improvements or stability needed will be made; on the contrary, academisation could well bring plenty of new problems, particularly the loss of well-loved and valued teaching & support staff who could be forced out;

🢜 and yet Byron would never return to being a community school for all

Our own surveys have revealed that almost two-thirds of parents want Byron to remain a community school; the overwhelming majority of the staff want this too. Yet, we are currently locked out of any discussions and do not have a vote on the school's future.

How can it be fair or right that those who will be most affected - the staff, the families, the local community - are ignored?

We also recognise:

🢜 the significant failings with the Ofsted inspection itself;

🢜 recent changes introduced by Ofsted to make the inspection regime more supportive but which were brought in weeks after Byron's inspection;

🢜 Ofsted's 'Big Listen' consultation, which includes looking into the "impact of inspections on children, professionals, institutions and parent choices", implying an acceptance by themselves that significant change is needed;

🢜 and the school's progress, both already made and planned, under a Rapid Improvement Plan being closely monitored by Brent Council

The Secretary of State for Education has imposed an Academy Order on our school by force - this means that government officials will be making decisions behind closed doors about the future of our school. This is not fair, transparent, nor democratic.

BUT IT'S NOT TOO LATE!!!! Together we can fight to make things different

WE CALL ON GILLAN BARNARD, RICHARD STERNBERG & CLLR MUHAMMED BUTT TO:

🢜 Listen to parents, staff and the community

🢜 Fight against plans to academise the school without the consent or properly considering the views of parents, governors or the Council

🢜 Push for a delay in the transfer to any Multi-Academy Trust, to give sufficient time for improvements to be made in the school

🢜 Challenge Ofsted - express parent and staff concerns around the previous inspection; fight for re-inspection after sufficient time to review improvements, and under any new framework that comes out of the 'Big Listen' consultation

🢜 Give us the chance to remain a community school

WE CALL ON GILLIAN KEEGAN & DAMIAN HINDS TO:

🢜 Withdraw the Academy Order imposed on Byron Court Primary School

Why is this important?

🢜 Ensure an equal, non-selective environment with a focus on the whole child, an approach that doesn't achieve academic excellence or good behaviour by excluding children or making them scared to be in school

🢜 Give a say to those that it will impact most - the staff, the families, the local community

🢜 Stop the privatisation of our children's education

HOW ELSE CAN YOU HELP?

Write to your local councillors: https://bit.ly/BrentCounc

Write to Barry Gardiner MP: barry.gardiner.mp@parliament.uk

Follow us: https://twitter.com/savebyroncourt
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/savebyroncourt
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/savebyroncourt

Donate to our Campaign fundraising page: https://gofund.me/c696a920

Third day of strike at Lyon Park School to save support staff jobs and pay. Supporting strikers petition launched.

 From Brent National Education Union

 

This morning's picket line

NEU members at Lyon Park Primary School are to strike in a fight to save support staff jobs which are proposed to go in a huge restructure. PICKET LINE OUTSIDE THE SCHOOL TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY THIS WEEK 7.45-9.30am!

 

Staff at Lyon Park Primary School will be on strike to save the jobs and pay of their hardworking support staff. Many of these long-serving staff served the school’s community throughout the pandemic and face their jobs either being axed or a situation of “fire and rehire” to drop their pay. Teachers face a loss of support in the classroom and children will lose out on the vital support they need. The school has cited budget difficulties as the reason for the cuts.

 

100% OF NEU MEMBERS WHO VOTED IN THE BALLOT FOR STRIKE ACTION AT THE SCHOOL VOTED TO STRIKE OVER MULTIPLE DATES THIS MONTH WITH TWO MORE DAYS ANNOUNCED NEXT WEEK AND THREE THE WEEK AFTER!

 

Staff and their supporters will protest at a picket line outside the school from 7.45am Tuesday and will continue to try to negotiate with the governors in a bid to reach an agreement. The union has twice attended extra talks with the school management but this has so far failed to address the huge proposed loss in pay for staff. The Executive Headteacher has only recently joined the restructuring talks.

 

Jenny Cooper of the NEU national executive has stated:

 

This isn’t rocket science- if the school agrees to protect staff pay in the restructure, the strikes will be called off. Staff do not enjoy striking- teachers enjoy teaching and support staff enjoy supporting children. If they didn’t they could all get better paid jobs elsewhere!!! Our members should be valued for the highly specialised jobs they do.

 

In the video below the staff explain their contribution to the school and children's education. Outside the school yesterday many parents agreed that the staff were essential to enable their children to make good progess.

 

SIGN A PETITION TO SUPPORT THE STRIKERS HERE

 

Lyon Park Primary strikers on second day of the strike: 'We are the backbone of the school' - VIDEO

 

 

There was no need for me to ask anyone how to get to Lyon Park Primary School this morning when I took the shortcut over the railway bridge from London Road. Loud cheering and chanting echoed through the quiet suburban streets off Ealing Road and served as my guide. 

The strikers were in great spirits on the second day of their walkout and their sense of togetherness was strong and getting stronger as they talked about their struggle against wage cuts and worsening of conditions, including transfers to term-time only contracts.

As I have pointed out on Wembley Matters now for several years the worsening school funding crisis and subsequent redundancies affect support staff in schools the most, but have a knock-on effect on teachers' conditions and the quality of education offered by schools.

Lyon Park Primary is not alone in Brent in suffering from a deficit budget but it is he first to implement such drastic cuts after failing to be granted a licensed deficit by the local authority. What is happening at Lyon Park will be a test case closely watched by the governing bodies and senior management of other schools.

The support staff I spoke to this morning were diverse and mainly women whose pay has never been generous but have a fierce commitment to the children they work with.  Many have been at the school for more than 30 years and working with the second or third generation of children. They are proud of their role and the way it has evolved into a professional (though often unrecognised as such) job over the past few decades.

The support staff described themselves as the backbone of the school, well known to the local community and often the first port of call for both parents and children experiencing difficulties.

They emphasised that they played a valuable part in moving the school out of the Ofsted 'Requiring Improvement' category and now feel betrayed.

Three days of strikes are planned for next week and further escalation thereafter. 

It appears that the management has been taken aback by the strength of the strike action and the support and solidarity strikers have received. I understand that the unions are due to meet with the headteacher for talks on Monday morning.

Stay tuned to Wembley Matters for further updates.

 

Following talks failure Lyon Park Primary School strikes are back on - the first tomorrow and more next week

The concessions made by Lyon Park Primary School that led to the suspension of planned strikes over the staffing restructure have not been sufficient according to Brent NEU and so strikes are back on.

More talks took place during the suspension period but did not settle the issue in which at least five members of staff  expect to lose up to £4,500 pay a year as a result of the restructure.  The NEU say that in addition teaching assistants are being required to undertake unacceptable levels of cover.

NEU members at the school have voted to continue their action and will be on strike Tuesday and Wednesday of this week and Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday next week. There was an 83% turnout in the ballot of whom 100% voted to strike.

NEU refuse to accept job losses and 'fire and rehire' of frontline workers at Lyon Park Primary School and will strike on Tuesday

 

 From Brent Branch of the Natioaal Education Union (NEU)

 

NEU members at Lyon Park Primary School are to strike in a fight to save support staff jobs which are proposed to go in a huge restructure. PICKET LINE OUTSIDE THE SCHOOL TUESDAY 7^TH NOVEMBER 7.30-10am!

 

Staff at Lyon Park Primary School will be on strike to save the jobs and pay of their hardworking support staff. Many of these long-serving staff served the school’s community throughout the pandemic and face their jobs either being axed or a situation of “fire and rehire” to drop their pay. Teachers face a loss of support in the classroom and children will lose out on the vital support they need. The school has cited budget difficulties as the reason for the cuts. Ironically the school now has an expensive Executive Headteacher, who has not appeared at any of the restructure meetings to date and has not attempted any talks with unions.

 

100% OF NEU MEMBERS WHO VOTED IN THE BALLOT FOR STRIKE ACTION AT THE SCHOOL VOTED TO STRIKE OVER MULTIPLE DATES THIS MONTH.

 

Staff and their supporters will protest at a picket line outside the school from 7.30am Tuesday and will continue to try to negotiate with the governors in a bid to reach an agreement. Staff have shown willingness to accept voluntary redundancies but after a call for applications, the school have now said they cannot accept the applications.

 

Jenny Cooper of the NEU National Executive stated:

 

These striking members are the people who were on the Brent frontline in the pandemic; these are key workers, supporting vulnerable families and working daily with children from the Wembley and Alperton communities. They undertake difficult jobs every day and have expertise and knowledge that should be valued in our schools. If we can afford big sums for executive school leaders, we can afford to retain the pay of our frontline staff, and to fund those that request voluntary redundancy. The NEU will NOT accept fire and rehire and we remain hopeful the school will reach an agreement with us to resolve this dispute in which case the action could be suspended

Brent NEU members urged NOT to support acceptance of the 6.5% pay offer

Brent NEU debated the Goverment offer  at their  end of year meeting and a majority of reps present voted to continue strike action if the award was only 6.5% or if it were not fully funded.  That is the case, so this remains the Brent NEU position; a demand for an above-inflation fully-funded pay rise.

The Tories are arguing that the award is fully funded because of the funds they have put into schools. But these funds come on the back of  years of  cuts which mean that many Brent schools now have a deficit budget and some are already making redundancies as a result. 

Brent NEU told members that the 6.5% is now agreed and will be added to salaries in the next school year regardless of what happens next.

They continued:

Many members are demanding MORE than 6.5%; 6.5%is well below inflation and is effectively ANOTHER real terms pay cut. It will NOT make up for all we have lost after years of cuts and freezes. We suspect it won't do enough to help recruitment and retention of teachers in London schools with our high rents, transport and property prices.

 We are facing so many restructures that we don't have enough officers to even attend all the meetings about them which is a terrible and unprecedented situation.

In the event that members vote to reject the "offer", strike action would continue into the next school year which is the reason for the current reballot of teaching and support staff.

This is the choice facing teachers:

1. VOTE ACCEPT- Receive the 6.5% award and this will CLOSE our dispute which will mean that regardless of the outcome of our ballots we will NOT by law be able to take STRIKE ACTION for a year on pay or funding.

2. VOTE REJECT- You will still receive the 6.5% award but will be able to continue strike action to try to get a higher award and better funding going forward. This will mean an escalation of action (eg same number of days as before in 3 months instead of across 6 months).

 

 EDUCATORS SAY NO - DETAILS

Brent teachers strike for fully-funded pay increase

 

 

Members of the National Education Union in London went out on strikefor a fully-funded pay increase in large numbers yesterday with some schools closed. 

Brent NEU members were featured in an ITN London News bulletin explaining their case.

'Fully-funded' is a demand that the government increases school budget to enable schools to pay the increase without causing cuts and redundancies.  Teachers do not want to get an increase at the expense of worsening education provision and redundancies amongst poorly paid,  but vital,   largely female, support staff.

A considerable number of Brent schools are facing deficit budgets already and a failure to  achieve full-funding will worsen the crisis. Restructuring of staff, creating voluntary redundacies is taking place across the borough.

At the same time the deteriorating salaries and conditions of service of staff, during a cost of living crisis. means that teachers are leaving the profession in droves and management faces huge difficulties in  recruiting staff.  High house prices or rents mean that young teachers, when they want to start a family, have no choice but to move out of London.

Meanwhile the government is in denial.

There will be another strike on Friday.

Pictures from yesterday's strike (contributed)

TEACHERS ON PICKET LINES AT TWENTY BRENT SCHOOLS AS STRIKES HIT SCHOOLS ACROSS ENGLAND - BRENT TEACHERS SAY ENOUGH! ON REDUNDANCIES

 From Brent National Education Union

 

NEU members across Brent are striking this week in the fight for a fully funded pay rise in education. This follows multiple “restructures” in Brent primary schools which have led to redundancies.

 

Teachers across Brent will be on picket lines this Wednesday and Friday as part of a national strike campaign across England. Cuts to funding in schools and non-funded pay awards have led to redundancies in several Brent schools this term.

 

Teachers and supporters will be on picket lines at 20 Brent schools this week and many more will attend a demonstration in Westminster this Wednesday.

 

Jenny Cooper of Brent NEU and the NEU national executive said:

 

This government does not care about the dire state of our schools- our staffing shortages, our increased class sizes and our lack of money for basic resources. They do not care that those who were key workers in the pandemic are now being made redundant and our SEND kids are being left without adequate support. Well we say “Enough!”- we will not accept this for education- we believe another world is possible.

 

Brent and Harrow teachers on strike unite to call on Bob Blackman to get the Government to negotiate a fair settlement of the pay dispute

 

 

With the Government refusing to negotiate, Brent and Harrow National Education Union members, on strike today, got together to deliver a letter to Conservative MP, Bob Blackman calling on hime to intervene with his Government to get them to the table to negotiate a fair settlement. 

The teachers marched the short distance from Headstone Lane Garden Centre to Blackman's office and held a short rally outside before delivering the letter. The railway backs on to the MP's office but despite the noise from the trains the message was loud and clear: negotiate.

 

Morale positive as Brent teachers strike for the third day

 Teacher members of the National Education Union were on strike for the third day today and are due to strike again tomorrow.

The strike for a fully funded pay increase had led to an increase in applications to join the NEU and the mood remains determined.

Brent teachers will be travelling from the picket lines around Brent on the overground and buses to what is expected to be one of the buggest weekday demonstration of striking workers for a very long time.

BRENT NEU groups will meet a short stroll from Marble Arch at the "Animals in War" memorial in Hyde Park by 11.45am. (From Marble Arch, walk through the park parallel to Park Lane until you see the memorial- about 3 mins). They  will then join the main march in Park Lane around 12, ready to start marching at 12.30pm

 

Carnival mood as Brent teachers stage 'Education Festival' on their second strike day

 

Following a supportive speech from Barry Gardiner, MP for Brent North, strking teachers paraded along Olympic Way this morning, accompanied by colourful parachutes, musical instruments and whistles, for an Education Festival in Arena Square.

Representatives from local schools spoke along with the NEU Co-Secretary, Jenny Cooper, Roger Cox from Brent Trades Council and myself from the Green Party Trade Union Group.

The carnival atmosphere left little doubt that this strike is far from over. 

Nursery teacher Lucy Cox, dressed as a pink rabbit, addresses the crowd

At the end of the Festival, in a powerful moment,  NEU members held up posters demonstrating their opposition to racism and support for the  Resist Racism national demonstration to be held on Saturday March 18th.