DfE keeping situation at Woodfield School under review including safeguarding and governance matters

 

Woodfield School strikers and supporters outside the Department for Education on Wednesday

 

The Regional Director of the Department for Education has responded to concerns raised by NEU officers regarding the situation at Woodfield School, managed by Compass Learning Partnership.

Dr Vanessa Odgen recognises the challenges of the situation at Woodfield but says that the responsibility for managing industrial relations lie with the trust as employer and the DfE cannot intervene directly.

On a particular safeguarding concern that has arisen during the strike, she says she expects trusts to provide assurance that they have effective arrangements in place to safeguard and promote the welfare of pupils, and robust safeguarding policies and procedures that are implemented consistently across all academies.

Dr Ogden reveals that her team have been engaging with the Compass Trust to understand contingency arrangements in place on strike days: 

Our engagement is intended to ensure I am appropriately sighted on any risks, rather than to intervene in the trust's operational management of the dispute.

A central concern of the strikers has been high executive pay in the trust when the lowest paid are being asked to accept a cut in wages and when there is nearly £4m in trust reserves.

The Regional Director states:

You also raise concerns about the trust's use of public funds, including its reserves, deductions from school budgets, and support provided to Compass Futures. We are working with out Schools Financial Support and Oversight Team (SFSO) to assess the trust's financial position and these issues. Where there are concerns about transparency, value for money, or appropriate use of funding, we will seek assurances and take action if needed. The Secretary of State has emphasised that executive pay must be justified, transparent, and proportionate.  We challenge trusts where pay does not demonstrate value for money or align with the wider public sector, and we are strengthening expectations through the Academy Trust Handbook to ensure pay increases are clearly justified and reasonable.

Dr Ogden concludes by stating that the DfE will continue to keep the situation under review, including in relation to safeguarding assurances and governance matters, and 'will respond as appropriate should any significant concerns arise'. 

 

 

BRENT NEU MEMBERS CONTINUE TO FIGHT FIRE AND REHIRE TOMORROW WEDNESDAY 17TH JUNE

 

From Brent National Education Union

   

NEU members at Woodfield School, run by Compass Learning Partnership- a special school catering for children and young people with complex needs and autism- are still trying to save the jobs of 47 highly experienced and skilled teaching assistants. The importance of these staff was highlighted when a pupil absconded from the school, unsupervised, on a strike day. Striking workers intervened to try to protect the pupil.

Staff have been supported by Brent Council, a number of parents and school transport staff, local union groups, MP Barry Gardiner and the Green Party. It seems that everyone in the community except the Trust itself can see the importance of this campaign.

Lucy Cox, Joint District Secretary stated today on the picket line: 

Fire and Rehire will soon be illegal by law- this shows how desperate the Trust is to cover up their misuse of public money

Strikers continue their campaign on the picket line TOMORROW Wednesday 17th June  7.30-9.30 at NW9 7LY and OUTSIDE THE DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION, Great Smith Street, Westminster 12 NOON TOMORROW

 

BRENT NEU members strike at Local Schools Trust they claim is intent on cutting staff pay while top executives maintain their own pay

 

The picket line outside Woodfield School  (Credit: Brent NEU)

From Brent branch of the National Education Union 

NEU members at Woodfield School- a special school catering for children and young people with complex needs and autism - are striking in a fight to retain their pay, resulting in the school being closed.

Hardworking learning support assistants at the school, which is run by Compass Learning Partnership face pay cuts resulting from a forced change in hours.  The local trust faced three days of strikes at their other school last term. The current changes were decided as part of a restructure which retained high levels of pay for top executives.

 

The NEU has reached out to the trust and to Brent council to try to resolve the pay and funding issues but there is no resolution at the time of writing.

  

Jenny Cooper, local branch secretary, has stated:

 

This school and trust cannot operate without our members- they are the frontline workforce behind a company that generates generous salaries for its top executives. We do not see why staff in the classroom should see cuts to their pay when it is already so low.