‘Anxiety and uncertainty’: East London teachers could strike over redundancy threat

Staff at an East London school are currently deciding whether to take strike action over redundancy plans which could see some teaching assistants lose their jobs.

More than 20 per cent of teaching assistants at St. Luke’s Church of England Primary School in the Isle of Dogs are at risk of redundancy, according to GMB Union.

A spokesperson for the school said talks are currently taking place and they hope to reach a positive conclusion.

They also said in order to address their projected deficit, school governors have had to make some ‘difficult decisions’ bought on by falling birth rates and rising costs.

Under the plans, the number of teaching assistants would be reduced from 27 to 21, while a further two agency teaching assistants would not have their contracts renewed.

The union said a significant number of pupils have special education needs (SEND) at school, and said the plans ‘raise questions’ over how well those pupils would be supported if there are less staff in classrooms.

The two-form entry school has been around for more than 150 years and is currently attended by over 400 pupils, who are aged between 3 to 11 years old.

Jasmine Deans, a regional organiser at GMB, said: “Our members are dedicated to their jobs and the children they support.

“They deserve better than to face the anxiety and uncertainty of wondering if they will lose the job they love.”

Ms Deans added: “These proposed job cuts will leave remaining staff with even heavier workloads and have a direct impact of the quality of children’s education.”

The ballot opened on 14 February and is set to close on 4 March.

An indicative ballot that was carried out recently saw more than 90 per cent of GMB members at the school vote for strike action.

A spokesperson for the school said: “Like most schools across the country, we are having to manage the pressures of declining birth rates and rising costs. That is why governors at St. Luke’s have taken some difficult decisions in order to address our projected deficit and ensure that our school can thrive for generations to come.

“It is important to stress that we continue to work closely with Trade Unions as we work through proposed changes. While all our plans ensure that our school is well staffed and all needs of our children will be met, we are very conscious of the impact that any changes have on our colleagues and have continued to work positively with them throughout this period.”

They added: “That is why we were happy to accept Trade Unions’ request to extend the consultation period to allow for more discussion to take place.

“We will continue to work closely with our fantastic community and hope that our talks reach a positive and pragmatic conclusion, in the long-term interests of St. Luke’s.”