A special school in North London has been forced to close as members of the National Education Union (NEU) took strike action over disputes about cuts to pay and hours. Strikes have already taken place over six days, with three more planned before Christmas.
Woodfield School is a mixed secondary school in Kingsbury, Brent, catering for pupils aged 11 to 19 with a range of special educational needs including physical disabilities and autism. Part of the Compass Learning Partnership academy trust, the school has had to close numerous times recently after NEU members walked out.
The union has said members are striking “in a fight to retain their pay”, as learning support assistants at the school “face pay cuts resulting from forced change in hours”. The Local Branch Secretary at the NEU, Jenny Cooper, claimed the staff are having their weekly hours reduced from 36 to 32.5 – which equates to a £250 per month loss in income.
Ms Cooper said: “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.”
The NEU claimed that its representatives have tried reaching out to the trust in an attempt to resolve the issues and prevent the need for strike action. However, this approach appears to have failed so far.
On top of the six strike days that have already taken place, there are three more planned for next week – Wednesday 17, Thursday 18, and Friday 19. Ms Cooper explained that these will go ahead unless the school “comes back with a reasonable offer before then”.
Woodfield School was approached for comment but did not respond ahead of publication.
Earlier in the year, the same Trust faced three days of strike action at its other school in the borough – The Village School – which also caters to pupils with special educational needs. Staff and teachers were “angry they have lost pay protections”, including for pregnant and disabled workers, according to the NEU.
At the time, the union claimed school policy was changed without consultation and resulted in “pay cuts for staff needing hospital appointments, ante-natal appointments and carers’ leave”.
Grant Williams is a journalist and Local Democracy Reporter (LDR) for Reach PLC, reporting on local government, politics and community issues across London. As part of the Local Democracy Reporting Service, he has contributed to Harrow Online, covering council decisions, housing developments, transport, planning matters and stories affecting local communities across Harrow and Brent.
