Showing posts with label Brent NEU. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brent NEU. Show all posts

Tuesday 21 November 2023

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

 

Wednesday 15 November 2023

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.

 


Monday 13 November 2023

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.

Friday 3 November 2023

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 7TH 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

Sunday 16 July 2023

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


Thursday 6 July 2023

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)






Monday 3 July 2023

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.

 

Thursday 27 April 2023

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.



 




Wednesday 15 March 2023

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


 

Thursday 2 March 2023

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.

 





 

Determined teachers stage second Brent strike. Plenty of public support.

I joined the picket line at Ark Academy, Wembley, again this morning on the NEU's second strike day and their determination remained strong. The  morning news about Gavin Williamson's opinion of teachers and their unions was well-timed to increase their determination.

We were joined by Labour councillor Ihtesham Malik Afzal. There was plenty of public support from passing pedestrians and vehicle 'tooting for teachers'.



Wednesday 1 March 2023

REMINDER: Education Festival, Wembley Park, tomorrow 10.30am to 1pm

 










BRING your placards, whistles, bubbles, musical instruments and, if you like, in World Book Day fancy dress for our competition- 3 book token prizes! BRING families, children, friends, etc

 

RALLY with speakers

 

ACTIVITIES WITH A CARNIVAL FEEL: face painting, bubbles, music, parachute games, storytelling and more.

 

COMPETITION FOR BEST WORLD BOOK DAY COSTUME












Friday 24 February 2023

'Fund Our Schools' Carnival style event in Wembley Park, March 2nd 10.30am-1pm

 

Brent National Education Union will be welcoming all to a carnival style Education Festival at Wembley Park on their next strike day on Thuesday March 2nd.

The government making calling off the strikes a pre-condition for any talks means that there is little chance of any settlement before March 2nd and the strikes will go ahead.

Tuesday 31 January 2023

Brent Green Party sends message of solidarity to striking Brent NEU members

The news that National Education Union members in Brent will be striking on February 1st is welcomed by Brent Green Party, who together with  the Green Party of England Wales as a whole, support all workers taking part in the current strike actions.


We recognise that NEU members are making just claims for pay increases that at least give some respite from the pressures of inflation which is outpacing the incomes of many except wealthy cabinet ministers and donors to Tory party coffers.


We know that the issue is not just pay, the NEU strikes and others are in defence of proper public provision in such vital areas such as education, health and transport. A viable low carbon economy can only be built on these foundations, so the strikes of the NEU members in Brent and many other trade unionists are an important part of wider struggles which are vital to us all.


SOLIDARITY TO THE NEU! SOLIDARITY TO STRIKERS!


Peter Murry, Trade Union Liaison Officer, Brent Green Party

TEACHERS IN EVERY BRENT STATE SCHOOL TO STRIKE OVER PAY TOMORROW

 

From Brent branch of the National Education Union

 

BRENT TEACHERS PLEDGE STRIKE ACTION ON PAY AND FUNDING TO SAVE SCHOOLS

 

NEU members will gather across 24 picket lines tomorrow morning from 7.30am in a bid to “save” their schools due to funding pressures and below-inflation pay.

 

Teachers will be on strike in an attempt to push the government for a fully funded pay award in line with inflation. They say that teachers in Brent are using food banks and cannot afford to live where they teach. After years of pay freezes and awards that were below inflation, and not fully funded, the NEU says Brent schools are in a sorry state and striking is a last resort.

 

Brent teachers smashed through the government thresholds placed on trade union ballots with a turnout of over 70% and a huge YES vote to strike. Many schools will be closed or partially closed tomorrow as a result.

 

All 3 Brent MPs have offered support to striking NEU members, as has the Leader of the Council, school governors and many parents.

 

Jenny Cooper, Joint District Secretary of Brent NEU and NEU national executive member has stated:

 

Teachers never take strike action lightly; we went into this job because we care about children and we certainly didn’t go into it for the pay! We feel it is our duty to do the only thing left that we can do to force the government to understand the mess our schools are in; this is another symptom of broken Britain,

 

 

Thursday 4 June 2020

Brent NEU set out criteria for wider re-opening of schools in context of the number of local Covid19 cases, test results delay and BAME vulnerability

Following a meeting of Brent National Education Union yesterday, the union has written to headteachers summarising the membership's position on wider school  opening. It has set out what it wishes to see in place in risk assessments in order for members to support wider re-opening.  If they are not in place they do not think it will be safe to return.

The NEU says that its position is based on their evidence from members' meetings and advisers that it is typically taking 2-3 weeks to get Covid19 tests results. The NEU state that there are still over 1400 live cases in Brent and a huge proportion of the school workforce and families are from BAME backgrounds and have suffered the loss of loved ones close to them over the last few months as a result.

BRENT NEU STATEMENT ON THE WIDER REOPENING OF SCHOOLS:
  • We request that all schools push back wider reopening to at least 15th June
  • We request to see in the whole school risk assessment a statement that if one person develops symptoms, they are isolated then sent home. ALL their "bubble" goes home at the end of the day and does not return for 14 days UNLESS there is a negative test result. IF there is a positive test result the whole building is closed while there is a deep clean.
  • We request to see in the risk assessment a statement that all staff in vulnerable categories and living with people in vulnerable categories, as well as people with BME backgrounds, are allowed to opt to continue to work from home until this is reviewed. In addition we request individual risk assessments, where staff would like them, for males over 55 and for staff that have no option but to use public transport
  • We request the school to allow staff to use PPE in all situations where social distancing is not possible, and train staff in the correct use of this, and provide sufficient PPE for this
  • We request to see in the risk assessment an agreement to have at least weekly reviews of the risk assessment with union reps. If there is no rep we would like to be invited to recruit one in your school

Wednesday 20 November 2019

Roe Green Strathcona strike again to save jobs


When talks with Brent's Strategic Director of Children and Families on Tuesday evening failed to win a guarantee of no compulsory redundancies, NEU members at Roe Green Strathcona decided to take a sixth day of strike action today.

Jobs are threatened following Brent Council's decision to implement a phased closure of the Strathcona Site.

The NEU is asking for funding to enhance voluntary redundancy, retrain staff and to pay the existing staff who will be deployed at the main site in the expectation they will gradually leave for new jobs.

Friday 26 April 2019

UPDATE: PROPOSED ‘FREE’ SCHOOL CALLED IN BY BRENT COUNCILLORS - BRENT NEU 'APPALLED BY PROPOSED PRIVATISATION'

From the Brent branch of the National Education Union (NEU)

UPDATE: The Call-In will be heard by the Scrutiny Committee on Thursday May 9th 

Brent NEU Officers have written in the strongest terms to Cllr Muhammed Butt, Leader of the Council, after the Labour Cabinet voted to support a ‘Free’ School on the Roundwood Youth Centre site. ‘Free’ schools are academies and part of this Government’s privatisation of state education programme.

Brent NEU had been repeatedly assured that there were no plans for any more ‘Free’ Schools. Cllr Butt had also publicly assured the local Labour Party of this when the idea was first mooted. Yet that is exactly what is happening – with Brent actually being the ‘sponsor’. It is to be run by Brent Special Academies Trust. 

Now the decision has been called in by a group of councillors led by Cllr Jumbo Chan stating that the Cabinet has not fully explored options for a Local Authority controlled school to provide alternative provision at the site of the Roundwood Centre or other potential school sites in the borough such as the Roe Green Strathcona site.

Brent NEU understands that local Headteachers are opposed to a ‘Free’ School, and that some of them had initially been approached to take on Roundwood as an extension of their own school. We have been told that these approaches had not been taken up. We have formally requested, under FoI, copies of any correspondence relating to this as we do not believe this was fully pursued by the Local Authority.

Brent NEU fully understand and support the need for more provision for students who are temporarily excluded from school, but strongly maintain that such provision should be under LA control and not as a ‘Free’ School run by a Labour council and an academy trust. 
It has been national Labour Party policy since last year not to support any new academies or ‘Free’ Schools and, when in power, to allow academies to return to the Local Authority. Jeremy Corbyn, Leader of the Labour Party, reinforced this message when he spoke to the NEU annual conference in Liverpool on 16th April. A motion was also passed at the Brent 
Central Labour Party meeting on 18tht April condemning this latest move by Brent Council. 

Hank Roberts, Brent NEU President and National Executive member said:
Has no-one at the top of the Council watched the Panorama programmes exposing the iniquitous practices of academies? I am sure they have, yet Cllr Butt and Cllr Sandra Kabir, who led the privatisation of The Village school, continue to support the privatisation of our schools supported by Gail Tolley, Strategic Director, Children and Young People. Instead they should follow the lead of other Labour Councils who are promoting the party line such as Newham, Barking and Dagenham, Camden and Redbridge to name but a few.
Editor’s Note: At the last Cabinet meeting when the free school proposal was approved local Labour Party member Graham Durham interrupted the proceedings to condemn the Labour Council’s move to invite potential sponsors to set up an alternative provision free school at the Roundwood Centre:

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Saturday 27 October 2018

FoI reveals why approval for the Woodfield-Village School Multi-Academy Trust was delayed


Brent NEU sent an FoI request to Martin Post, the Regional School's Commissioner, asking why a letter had been sent to the DfE  suggesting that the controversial MAT proposed for The Village and Woodfield special schools was not approved.  The NEU allege that the school had denied there was any such decision and  had replied to the FoI request in a misleading way.

Post's response indicated  that the Head Teachers' Board (HTB) that approves MAT requests had concerns over governance:
The proposed structure was not felt to be robust:
  • Two proposed members are also Trustees, and these individuals are also the Chairs of the Governing Bodies at each school, which raises issues for accountability.
  • Both the vice chairs of the local governing bodies are also trustees
  • Three of the proposed trustees are also employees
  • All of the trustees are either employees or on the current local governing bodies of the two schools
  • Ex-Head of the school as a member
  • Overall there needs to be some independent individuals on the Board
Has the trust completed a skills audit for the Board of Trustees? Would expect appointments to be made based on skills - would expect the trust to aim for a skills based Board post the transition phase

Both The Village School and Woodfield currently have interim heads of school - what happens when these individuals leave/.what is the future plan for Heads of school?
Governance and particularly the lack of  public and democratic accountability has long been a major issue raised by those of us opposed to academisation and the HTB's comments reinforce those reservations.

Surely these are are issues that should have concerned Brent Council. Why did they not seek information from the RSG or make their own representations over governance. Surely it can't be because the Labour Chief Whip, Cllr Sandra Kabir, is Chair of Governors of one of the schools,  a key champion of academisation and apparently unaware of these problems?

In the absence of an Education Committee on Brent Council it is surely time that the Scrutiny Committee looked into the issue of academisation and its impact in Brent in some detail.

The NEU's local newsletter, with more on this issue and the background. is posted below. Click on the bottom right square for full page version: