On the third strike day The Village School strikers claim victory as all their demands met by Academy Trust

 

Undaunted and solid in their unity - today's picket line

NEU members at The Village School,  Kingsbury declared victory today as negotiations with the Academy Trust on the third day of the strike brought concessions from the Academy Trust that runs the school.

The union claims that they have won:

• Original leave of absence policy restored and uploaded 
• Reimbursement for all staff who lost money through the operation of the rogue policy
• Written agreement to operate in accordance with trust scheme of delegation which means 12 policies can only be changed by going through a six stage process which now requires mutual agreement first between trust and union reps at JCC
• Pledge in writing to honour our trade union recognition agreement and links to this placed on policy and trust websites
•  Email to staff clarifying that our position was correct 

Twenty new members joined the NEU during the strike and there were three days of picket lines of more than 60 people. More than 100 staff were on strike on each of the three days, leading to the school being shut. As this is an SEND (special school)  the majority of strukers were support staff. There were multiple messages of support from parents during the strike action and backing from Brent Trades Council and retired NEU members.

Jenny Cooper, on of the school NEU reps said:

When all else fails, don't despair: STRIKES WORK

 

 

 

 

 

NEU hold second strike at The Village School, Kingsbury as negotiations with Academy bosses continue

 

NEU staff at The Village School in Kingsbury were on strike for he second day today. Staff are fighting for reinstatement of their leave of absence policy which was removed by the Academy Trust without consultation. Staff say that the Tust broke its own rules by not negotiating with unions first. Ante-natal, carers' and medical/disability leave are particuarly affected.

 

The largely female and ethnically diverse workforce were on the picket line this morning in good cheer and with a tune or two.They were encouraged by many toots of  support from passing vehicles including buses and commercial vans.  Solidarity messages from parents and other schools were read out and enegetically applauded.

I understand that tough negotiations have made some positive progress but there are still several sticking points. A union meeting at the school gates received a report back on the negotiations, listened carefully and then overwhelmingly voted to go ahead with tomorrow's scheduled strike to win the final elements of their demands.

Pete Firmin gives a solidarity message from Brent Trades Council

 

More strikes will be held next week if staff demands are not met.

 

 

 

'Betrayed' staff mount massive picket at The Village School in Kingsbury

The Village School in Kingsbury this moarning saw one of the biggest Brent picket lines for many a year.

The staff of the school that was academised against their wishes, have recently experienced what academisation means when high-handed management took unilateral action without any consultation - despite the fact that consultation over conditions of service was one of the undertakings made at the time.

 

 

One member of staff remarked about the betrayal of trust and said, 'Jenny warned us about this when we were fighting academisation - and now it has happened.'

The imposed changes will result in pay cuts for staff needing hospital appointments, ante-natal appointments and carer' leave. Attempts to negotiate failed so the NEU called a strike of staff for today and the school was shut to pupils.

If the Trust that runs the school does not shift its position there will be two days of strikes, Wednesday and Thursday, after half-term. 

The mood of the strikers was good natured, positive and very, very determined and the sense of community palpable.

 

NEU members at The Village special school in Kingsbury to strike tomorrow after paid leave cut

 

The Village School, Kingsbury

 

From Brent National Education Union

 

NEU members at The Village School, Brent- part of the Compass Learning Partnership academy trust- walk out tomorrow, angry that they have lost pay protections for pregnant and disabled staff among others

 

Teachers and support staff at the school have reached out to the Trustees to try to resolve and issue that began last year when a school policy was changed without consultation and resulted in pay cuts for staff needing hospital appointments, ante-natal appointments and carers’ leave. Trustees have acted against their own processes by not negotiating with unions and staff have been left out of pocket.

 

Over 100 members of the NEU will be on strike tomorrow and the school will be closed to all pupils. Pupils at the school have a range of complex needs, disabilities and autism.

 

Jenny Cooper of the NEU national executive, who also teachers at the school, has stated:

 

We have reached out to the trust multiple times to try to resolve this issue- the last thing we wanted was to strike- but they are not engaging with us. The Trust has four executives on salaries over £100000 but refuse to pay our frontline staff when they need to attend vital appointments. The school cannot operate without us; they will need to negotiate sooner or later

.

 

No return until it’s safe! Joint Education Unions urge caution whilst mourning their own member

Contributed

Pamela Mistry

In response to the government’s “five pillars” that needed to be met before relaxing lockdown, the NEU has published its own “FIVE TESTS” which must be met before any increase in the opening of schools:

1.     Much lower numbers of cases

2.     A national plan for social distancing

3.     Testing, testing, testing (regular for staff and children)

4.     Whole school strategy (ie test whole school and isolate when one case occurs)

5.     Protect the vulnerable

The NEU has also presented the government with a 250,000 strong petition against opening on 1^st June if the five tests are not met which has also been supported by parents’ organisations.

NEU, NASUWT, UNISON, NAHT, GMB and UNITE unions have now all issued a joint statement to urge caution on reopening. The NEU has produced a stringent model risk assessment for schools, which we understand is being sent to Brent Council on Monday, and members are being advised on the areas of health and safety law that will protect them.

Meanwhile Brent NEU members have paid tribute to Pamela Mistry, a 50-year old teaching assistant who had, until recently, been employed at The Village School and was an active union member there. She sadly died of coronavirus in April after several weeks in hospital, leaving a much-loved partner, children and grandchildren. NEU members and colleagues, denied the chance to attend a funeral due to lockdown, have posted in an online condolence book, paying tribute to Pamela and her lovely family, and describing her as a beautiful, kind and caring lady. One member describes her as a lovely, kind lady who spoke about her family and partner every day sharing funny anecdotes. Staff have been devastated by the news and have said she will never be forgotten.

Staff and children across our Brent schools have suffered family losses too, with the high number of cases in Brent. Brent Council have been consulting unions on their school strategy during the lockdown. Unions are extremely likely to strongly resist anything other than a cautious, phased approach in line with the five tests advocated by the NEU.

Brent Momentum presses Council on education, regeneration, universal credit evictions and fossil fuel divestment

The latest Bulletin from Brent Momentum reveals areas of frustration with Brent Council policy implementation many of which have been covered on Wembley Matters.

Education is a major issue with the failure of the Council to oppose the academisation of The Village School and the proposals for a free school at the Roundwood Centre, are source of contention. The Bulletin does not refer to the proposals to close Strathcona School but I presume Momentum will support the threatened NEU strike action.

The failure of Brent Council Regeneration proposals to take account of community concerns in Granville/Carlton and Bridge Park is criticised as is the failure to ensure the quality of new build on the South Kilburn Estate.

Momentum strongly support the cross-party Divest Brent campaign which is urging Brent Labour to fulfil its local election pledge to divest its pension fund from fossil fuels.

Muhammed Butt, leader of Brent Council is often accused of making promises and then not fulfilling them, so Momentum is pressing for Butt's promise to not evict Council tenants unable to pay rent due to Universal Credit delays, to be incorporated into official  Brent Council policy.

NEU's 'deep disappointment' at role of Brent Labour leader and Chief Whip in The Village School academisation following news it will become part of a Multi-Academy Trust tomorrow

 The Brent branch of the National Education yesterday passed the reolution below on the 'very sad news' the The Village School in Kingsbury will become part of the Woodfield Multi-Academy Trust tomorrow. The NEU has fought hard and long against the proposals with widespread support from trade unions, political parties, parents,  community groups and Brent NorthMP Barry Gardiner.

The move means that apart from Phoenix School Arch on St Rapahel's Estate that special education in Brent has been privatised. A sad day indeed.

Brent NEU congratulates the members at The Village for their brilliant and hard fought campaign against becoming part of a Multi-Academy Trust with Woodfield academy. We also thank Barry Gardiner, Brent North MP, the local Constituency Labour Parties, and the community for their support.

We are however deeply disappointed that Cllr Sandra Kabir, Chair of Governors of The Village and Chief Whip of the Labour Group supported the academisation and Cllr Muhammed Butt, Leader of Brent Council did not use his position and offices to strongly oppose this privatisation of our outstanding Local Authority school.

Brent NEU condemns 'abject failures of governance' at Woodfield School - £400k in wrongful payments uncovered

Brent National Education Union responds to the ESFA report on Woodfield School financial irregularities. NEU statement below:

Damning ESFA Report exposes abject failures of Governance at Woodfield School.

£400,000 in wrongful payments uncovered.

An investigation by the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) into financial irregularities related to the academy and Multi Academy Trust (MAT) conversion process between Woodfield academy school and The Village school in Brent has just been published.

£400,000 was wrongly paid to two consultants, one of whom was Greg Foley who acted simultaneously as Chair of Trustees, Member of the Finance Committee and Chief Financial Officer. (All this information can be found out from public records.) Those in charge at Woodfield failed utterly in their duty of oversight and care of monies that should have been spent on their special needs pupils.

Going onto the school Website and looking at the names of Trustees reveals that Kay Charles has been an ex-officio Trustee since September 2017. Kay Charles became the Executive Head of The Village and Woodfield school on the same date. Records show that she was in attendance at every Governing Board meetings for 2017/18.

Kay Charles Ex-officio (appointed 01.09.17)

Resources Committee

Evaluation & strategic development Head Performance management

Brent Schools Partnership

The Village School

None

In the ESFA report there are repeated references to the Chair and Chief Finance Officer (CFO) breaching and not complying with the financial regulations of academy trusts. This was under her oversight.  

Hank Roberts, Brent NEU President and National Executive member said:

“As whistleblower I feel totally vindicated by the findings of this report. The bankrupt academy system is an open invitation to help yourself to school funds. Kay Charles has proved herself inadequate to the task of halting this corruption. If she won’t put the interests of state education above her own, she should go. 

“Cllr Muhammed Butt, Leader of Brent Council and Sandra Kabir, Chair of Governors of The Village were warned that there were questions over the finances at Woodfield a year ago, yet neither expressed opposition to the proposal that Woodfield and The Village become a MAT. Now is the time they should show leadership and call for this proposal to be dropped rather than support this disaster in waiting. This is the agreed policy of Brent Constituency Labour Parties and recently was unanimously confirmed by the Local Campaign Forum (LCF) and fully supported by the local Labour MP Barry Gardiner.” 

Governors and trustees of the two schools were aware of the financial situation and failed to act on NEU members’ concerns. Despite this, the majority of these governors and trustees are proposed as trustees and governors of the new MAT where they will be overseeing a budget almost twice as big.

Cllr Jumbo Chan, who has supported the campaign to stop the academisation throughout, said:

“The decision by the governing body of The Village to academise the school was wholly unnecessary and misguided. In light of the ESFA’s damning report into Woodfield School, it has further highlighted a dearth of wisdom at the heart of the decision.

“In addition to offering no concrete benefit, the decision to academise ignored completely the swathes of concerns voiced by parents, campaigners, and the school’s own outstanding teachers and support staff.

“Nearly a year later, the academisation process has left The Village School in limbo, demoralising and sowing uncertainty amongst its committed staff.

“That the ESFA has now produced a litany of gross failings with regards to Woodfield School – including procurement, related party transactions, governance regulations and register of interests, including large payments of thousands of pounds of public money to consultants – corresponds to problems in the academisation process elsewhere.

The ESFA report is a wake-up call that leads to the unavoidable conclusion that the whole academisation process should immediately cease. I urge the governing body to now finally listen to its staff, and withdraw its application to academise, and remain within the Brent Council family of schools.”

-->

ESFA find 'failings & weaknesses' that breach the Academies Financial Handbook at Woodfield School



Whistle blowers who raised concerns about financial mismanagement at Woodfield School, an academy, have been vindicated by a report into a review by the Education Skills Funding Agency (ESFA).  The National Education Union had cited these issues as one among many reasons to oppose the academisation of the Village School and the formation on a Multi Academy Trust (MAT) with Woodfield.  Village School education workers have taken strike action against the academisation proposals. In addition to to the finance problems there have also been concerns over equality at the school and the treatment of BAME staff. LINK

The review found that Woodfield, with a current roll of only 157 pupils, had paid consultants £400,000 since 2013-14 for various HR and financial services. They also found breaches regarding procurement, related party transactions (when a governor or trust member sells servics to the school), governor regulations and register of interests.

The NEU had repeatedly requested Brent Council leader Muhammed Butt to meet with them to discuss their concerns about the school.

The Executive Summary states:

Multiple concerns were received on 24 April 2018 in relation to Woodfield School, (hereafter referred to as the trust), raising concerns about financial management and governance. As a result, ESFA commissioned a financial management and governance review of the trust which took place from 25 to 27 June 2018.  

The ESFA review identified a number of failings and weaknesses in financial management and governance arrangements that breach the Academies Financial Handbook (AFH) 2017, the accounts direction, the charities SORP and potentially tax legislation. These also validate the concerns raised. Key findings of the review have confirmed: 

•           in relation to procurement practises, non-compliance with the at cost requirements and the trust’s scheme of delegation (paragraphs 11 to 17 refer) 

•           failure to declare related party transactions with the former chair’s limited company in the audited accounts, as required by the accounts direction in relation to disclosure of material transactions with related parties and the Charities SORP relating to the disclosure of the remuneration and benefits received by charity trustees (paragraphs 18 to 21 refer) 

•           the trust engaged the services of two consultants, one from 2013/14 and the other from 2014/15 to July 2018. One of which held the role of chief financial officer (CFO) off-payroll, between 1 December 2015 and 26 June 2018, as well as being appointed as the chair of trustees and a member of the resources committee (paragraphs 22 to 24 and 31 to 34 refer) 

•           the trust have not reported their current governance arrangements and structure on their website and Get Information about Schools (GIAS) (paragraphs 25 to 30 refer) 

•           the trust’s register of interests has not been kept up to date (paragraphs 35 and 36 refer) 

It is likely that the MAT proposal will be delayed until the ESFA are satisfied that the issues have been dealt with or perhaps the whole MAT project will be abandoned.

The full report is available below - click bottom right for a full-size version:

Village School academisation delayed again as more questions arise

The date for the academisation of The Village School in Brent, in preparation for the formation of a Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) with Woodfield School, has been put back again. I understand that this is in order for the Education and Skills Funding Agency to be sure that alleged irregularities at Woodfield have been addressed.

The new closure date according to Edubase, the government school information service is now February 28th, 2019 although that could change.

Interestingly one of the concerns has been the lack of separation between proposed Trustees and the governing board. As far as I know Sandra Kabir, (a Labour councillor) is still Chair of Governors at the school but Edubase records her as having resigned from that position last July:

 

 

Cllr Muhammed Butt has still not responded to the National Education Union's request for a meeting about the academisation and MAT proposals despite their heart-felt plea reported on Wembley Matters HERE

-->

A new twist in The Village School-Woodfield saga?

Readers will know that The Village School Executive Headteacher hoped that academisation would go through by February this year but a new factor has entered the proposed Multi-Academy Trust with Woodfield School, which may delay things,

Woodfield had been under investigation over alleged financial irregularities LINK and I now understand that a separate independent equalities investigation is taking place over alleged lack of reporting and addressing of racist incidents and the treatment of BAME staff.

NEU plea to Brent's Labour leader: 'Please, please Muhammed, can you respond to us' on academisation

Cllr Butt maintaining silence

The President of Brent National Education Union and The Village School NEU representatives have written to the borough's Labour councillors and their leader, Cllr Muhammed Butt, asking for a response to their communications about the academisation of The Village School, in Kingsbury and alleged financial irregularities.

Brent North MP and Labour Shadow Minister, has written to government ministers about the NEU's concerns over the financial background to The Village's academisation move. The NEU had sent Butt and his fellow councillors the Brent NEU resolution on the issue, the resolution from The Village School NEU and the Brent Constituency Labour Party  motion of support and requested a meeting.

Butt has not responded.

The NEU write:

We attach for your information the letter from Barry Gardiner, MP for Brent North. We commend his continued commitment for The Village school and his support and actions to keep the school within the local authority.  Barry wrote to the Government Minister, despite the fact that he is obviously really busy in Parliament particularly with his role as Shadow Minister, and has written on more than one occasion to the Chair of Governors and the Headteacher of The Village over this time when the staff and community are campaigning to stop the academisation of the school. As you can see he references being contacted by Hank (President of Brent NEU).

We are therefore very disappointed that, despite reminders including copying you all in, both our letter and resolution from Brent NEU, the resolution from the Village NEU members and a request to meet, and the resolution passed at the Brent Central LP meeting, all asking for Cllr Muhammed Butt to act with regards to The Village or even just to respond to our communications, we have heard nothing.  Anything you can do to make this happen would be much appreciated.

Please, please Muhammed can you respond to us?

The Kilburn Times reports this week LINK that  the Executive headteacher of The Village has given a provisional date for academisation as February 2019 but quotes her as saying this is subject  to confirmation next term. According to the NEU academisation was delayed by an Education Funding Agency investigation into the accounts of Woodfield School which was to partner The Village in a multi-academy trust. LINK

Despite recent changes in Labour Party policy pledging to oppose any further academisation Cllr Butt appears to continue to support academy schools. He pushed for the academisation of Copland High School and sat on the successor Ark Elvin governing body. He has supported the extension  of Ark's empire in Brent through the new Ark Somerville Primary School which will be built in the car park of York House, near Wembley Stadium, next to a poor air quality main road. He removed a Labour councillor who had opposed planning permission for the school from the council's Planning Committee. LINK

Despite this and the Brent Central CLP's support for the staff's fight against academisation, Cllr Butt has remained unmoved and has supported the Labour Chief Whip, chair of governors at the school, who was a major force behind the acadmeisation bid.

Cllr Jumbo Chan, (Labour) himself a teacher in a neighbouring borough, in contrast has been vociferous in his support for the NEU and Labour Party position on academisation. In February, before the local elections,  many of his Labour councillor colleagues signed a letter oppoasing academisation and this was followed by another joint letter by the newly elected Labour councillors to the Kilburn Times in June. LINK

Barry Gardiner's letter to  Lord Agnew, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the School System: (Click on bottom right corner to enlarge):

NEU call for a halt to The Village School academy conversion. Butt fails to respond to meeting request.

Press release from Brent National Education Union

An investigation by the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) into financial irregularities related to the academy and Multi Academy Trust (MAT) conversion process between Woodfield academy school and The Village school in Brent has still not been published. This means, according to our source at the DfE, that the possible conversion date has been pushed back until February 2019 at the earliest.
 

This investigation was triggered by reports and whistleblowing from NEU members with regards to overpaid off-payroll consultants who were interfering with governance and HR matters at the Woodfield trust whilst receiving up to £240,000 for ‘services as defined by the school’. The financial due diligence process carried out by governors for any academy conversion, was led by one of these consultants working at the schools.

Since the MAT process was started, consultants have continued to be paid with funds intended for the education of SEND children in the borough. Restructure of the senior leadership teams has increased the funds at the top levels while vacancies remain unfilled and agency staffing increases in the classrooms.

NEU members at the school are seeking a further ballot for strike action, following their 13 days last year, to try to keep their school in the local authority. To this end, they wrote to the Leader of the Council Muhammed Butt on 20^th November requesting an urgent meeting. There has been no response. This follows Brent NEU sending him the resolution below* on 6^th November. There has been no response. Brent Central Labour Party passed a similar resolution at their meeting of 15^th November. There has been no response.

Councillor Jumbo Chan, who has been a vocal supporter of the campaign to stop the academisation said:

 I understand from Brent NEU as well as the NEU membership of teachers and support staff of The Village School that despite nearly a year since a majority of its governing body decided to form a multi-academy trust with Woodfield School, The Village School is in a state of legal limbo.

It was disappointing earlier in the year when the majority of the governing body of The Village School chose to go ahead with academisation despite overwhelming opposition from a coalition of parents, campaigners (including the Brent Labour Parties) and of course, the outstanding, passionate and dedicated teachers and support staff of The Village School. It is worrying now that issues into Woodfield School’s account are being investigated by the ESFA.

I urge the governing body of The Village School to listen to their staff, to rescind their application to become an academy as part of a MAT, and to stay with the Brent local community”

Hank Roberts, Brent NEU President said:

The terminally ill academies programme lurches from crisis to crisis and scandal to scandal with ever increasing frequency and severity. The tawdry plan to pilfer the jewel in the crown of Brent’s education service that is The Village school (costing Brent £29 million) by a rag bag of opportunist privateers has been further knocked back. Months after the school was supposed to be handed over and run privately by a group including the Brent Labour Whip Cllr Sandra Kabir the school remains with the Local Authority. We call on Cllr Muhammed Butt to write urgently to the Governors and the Secretary of State for Education as requested by the Brent NEU, Brent Central Labour Party and the staff at the school

 

*Resolution passed unanimously at Brent NEU General Meeting 6/11/18

Brent NEU note that The Village school is still an LA school and that Brent Labour Party policy is to urge LA schools to remain within the LA family of schools. We further note that the overwhelming majority of staff and the community have called for the school remain in the LA family of schools.

Brent NEU also note that the LP Conference in September 2018 agreed the following. That in government, the Labour Party will bring all schools back under local democratic control including academy and Multi Academy Trusts. Therefore, proposals to wind up MATs and turn over control and management of schools to local democratically controlled structures should be developed urgently.

Brent NEU therefore call on the leader of the council Muhammed Butt to urgently;

    Write to the Chair of Governors and the Governing Board at The Village urging them to withdraw their proposal to become an academy as part of a Multi Academy Trust and remain as an LA school.

    Write to the Secretary of State for Education to urge the Government not to proceed with the proposal due to the difficulties accompanying this proposal to join Woodfield in a MAT.

-->
-->