Brent NEU members balloting for strike action over worsened conditions at South Kenton primary school taken over by Harris Federation

 

Barry Gardiner MP at the demonstration against forced academisation of Byron Court. The placard sums up early concerns about the Harris Federation

 

 From Brent National Education Union

 

NEU members at the former Byron Court Primary School- now Harris Primary Academy South Kenton- are balloting for strike action in a fight to retain their proper working conditions.

 

Teachers and support staff at the school have met together regularly since the takeover of their school by  the huge Harris Federation, to discuss the worsening of their working conditions. A year ago they learned  their school had failed its Ofsted and, after a financial donation to the Labour Party by Harris bosses, it was  announced that Harris would be taking over the school. Since then there have been changes to the school  day, the school year, the curriculum and style of teaching, working hours, roles and responsibilities and  rights of trade union reps. Members have tried to resolve these but after more than a term, the Federation has not agreed to reverse the changes. 

 

 

The NEU is now balloting its members in the school, alongside a national ballot of 18 Harris secondary schools who are balloting on very similar issues.

Jenny Cooper of the NEU national executive said: 

This school cannot operate without our members- they are the frontline workforce behind a company that generates half a million a year for its CEO. The staff remain steadfast in their determination to exercise their rights despite attempted interference in our union processes by the Federation. The NEU remains willing to meet with the school to resolve this dispute in which case the ballot could be suspended; however they will need to be prepared to make some changes.

The issues began to emerge in October last year  soon after the Federation takeover. Jenny Cooper told the Education Uncovered website about the pressures exerted by 'consultants' on experienced staff to change their teaching methods LINK:

We are being told that for a large part of the week there are consultants in the room with [NEU members], either watching them, or taking over, showing them how they think a particular aspect [of learning] should be taught. So early years should be taught like this, or reading, or maths, or whatever, and expecting the person to instantly take up this new way of teaching, which the person themselves doesn’t necessarily agree with.

 

In some cases, that teacher has got 10 or 20 years’ experience in this area, and who knows what the consultant has got? And yet they are kind of lording it above them. I think that’s really uncomfortable. It just looks like every aspect that they are teaching is being kind of thrown out and starting again.

 

The NEU members at Harris Primary Academy are not alone. Educators across the Federation's schools have decided enough is enough and are taking part in the ballot for action.

 

 

 They say:

Hundreds of NEU educators, including teachers, middle leaders, support staff, and more, play a crucial role in the success of Harris Federation schools. We are committed to providing students with an exceptional education, and our dedication to educating and supporting students is unwavering. However, the current conditions are making it increasingly challenging for us to carry out this important work. It doesn't have to be this way; we are advocating for change.

The fight for fairer workloads, pay and conditions, as well as equal treatment for Caribbean and overseas-trained teachers, is crucial for the well-being of educators and the success of the students they serve. By advocating for these improvements, we can create an environment where both staff and students thrive.

 

 

 

Forced academies: Victory and victims

Parents at Snaresbrook Primary in the London Borough of Redbridge were celebrating tonight after the Department for Education decided not to intervene in their school.  After being judged 'Inadequate' and put in Special Measures the school faced being forced to become an academy, a fate that has befallen Salusbury Primary School in Brent and is being challenged by parent campaigners at Gladstone Park Primary.

Unlike Salusbury and Gladstone Park, Snaresbrook and its parents had been strongly backed by Redbridge Council.

A DfE spokesperson said:

Our policy remains unchanged - we cannot stand by when a school is judged inadequate and believe that becoming an academy with the support of a strong sponsor is the best way to ensure rapid and sustained improvement.

Snaresbrook Primary School does not have a history of underperformance and has made significant progress after being judged to require special measures by Ofsted in June. We therefore do not plan to intervene to convert Snaresbrook to an academy.

However, being judged inadequate by Ofsted is extremely serious and we will continue to monitor the school’s progress in coming out of special measures.

Gladstone Park Primary too did not have a history of under performance and previously had a 'Good' Ofsted rating. Its results are still above the national average at Key Stage 1 and Key stage 2.  However despite passionate requests from parents Brent Council did not get behind their campaign or make strong representations to the DfE. Governors are currently consulting on an academy sponsor.

Meanwhile Roke Primary School (now Harris Primary Academy) parents are facing the consequences of the Croydon school being taken over by the Harris Academy chain in September.

Inside Croydon LINK reports than 1 to 1 SEN support has been removed in a move that some parents interpret as an attempt to reduce the number of SEN pupils in the school.  Children and parents were in tears after the news.

In a further move showing disregard for parents and pupils, the management  closed the Bourne Children’s Centre, which ran toddler and parents’ groups.  The building into a storeroom, causing a marked decrease in provision of service for families with children at the school.

Parents also accuse the academy managers of manipulating pupils attainment data in order to create the impression that the new academy is out-performing expectations. Parents report that pupils previously said to be exceeding levels in face to face meetings with teachers are now categorised as below expectations, enabling the school to claim vast improvement at the end of the year.

Inside Croydon reports:

Harris has provided each child with targets for the next half term, yet many parents said these had already been achieved in the last academic year when the school was still Roke Primary. The headteacher sent a letter telling parents that “previous levels you have been given may vary slightly to the levels recorded on this report”.

A spokeswoman for the Roke parents’ group told Inside Croydon:

We predict that results will now show remarkable improvement during the first year of the Harris academy and be used as a false benchmark of their success in turning our school around, as well as legitimising contentious forced academy policy.

Academy status and the new management have had to apologise for mistakes in homework which appeared to be cut and pasted from American websites and for unzipping 5 year old girls' dresses to check that what they wore beneath met the new school uniform requirements.

The Snaresbrook victory, along with the news from Lewisham, should reinforce campaigners' determination to fight for our public services. Let's hope Brent Labour will get behind them.