School strike: teachers, support staff, some parents and children outside Christ Church Primary in Purley this morning. The governors say the school is open as normal
Strike action by teachers and support staff at Purley’s Christ Church Primary School has gone ahead today – despite the governors having written to parents last week encouraging them to ignore the industrial action and to send their children into the largely unstaffed school.
“Maybe the head is planning to have all the kids in the hall all day,” one cynic among the National Education Union members suggested.
Around 25 people joined the NEU picket line outside the school gates on Montpelier Road this morning.
In February, the school’s teachers voted by a 93% majority to take strike action against proposed staffing changes that are proposed from September, which a union official says, “will have a catastrophic effect on the education of all current and future pupils”.
The school’s management has proposed a drastic restructure, including “significant” cuts to staff levels, to deal with an unprecedented budget overspend, considerably worse than other schools in the area.
The school already had a £231,000 deficit at the start of this year, with a projected overspend of £100,000 for 2024-2025.
The governing body’s proposals would see the loss of six full-time or equivalent posts, including one assistant headteacher and four admin staff, from the school’s overall teaching and admin staff of almost 70.
School’s out: Christ Church Primary’s overspend has seen management respond by threatening redundancy to teaching posts
On Thursday last week, parents and carers of children at the school received a message from Theo Turner, the chair of governors, which spoke of “significant progress” having been made towards resolving the dispute, which led to the cancellation of a strike day last week.
“However,” Turner wrote, “disappointingly it is our understanding that strike action is scheduled for Tuesday April 1.
“The governors remain dedicated to resolving this matter swiftly, ensuring that out pupils’ education and welbeing are always at the forefront of our decisions,” Turner, a teacher at a fee-paying prep school, told parents.
“For this reason, I am pleased to confirm that the school witll remain open for all pupils next week.”
Turner used bold type and capitals to emphasise the words “open” and “all”.
In a further note from the school’s headteacher, Jo Richardson, parents were told “all pupils will be expected onsite”. The word “all” was again capped and in bold.
Parents were told that their children could expect “an enrichment activity day”, whatever that is supposed to mean.
There’s now a simmering war of words between Christ Church’s staff and the school’s managers.
A leaflet from the NEU was distributed at the school gates last week: “We have been consulting about the possible changes in the hope of agreeing the best possible outcomes for our children and staff.
“Unfortunately, we believe that the final proposal does not allow us as staff to deliver the education and experiences your children rightly deserve.”
The leaflet itemised the staffing cuts and compulsory redundancies, and pay cuts for some members of staff.
“We believe that these changes will affect the support, curriculum and opportunities we are able to give your children,” the NEU leaflet stated, confirming today’s strike action, and inviting parents to join the teachers’ picket line.
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