TEACHERS at Outwood Academy Shafton were out on strike on Tuesday following concerns around workload and additional lessons added to the school day - and there’s plans for five further days of action in the next two weeks.
The strike, led by the National Education Union, meant that only year 11 pupils were taught on the day, with the rest of the children provided with online tools.
The majority of the secondary academies across the Outwood Grange Academies Trust (OGAT) do not currently meet the Department for Education’s (DfE) minimum expectation of a 32.5-hour week.
As such, many UK schools have already made changes and extended their school day in accordance with the government guidance.
The Chronicle understands that the current working day for staff at the Shafton site is 8.25am to 2.30pm - which amounts to 30.4 hours every week meaning an addition 2.1 hours is needed each week.
But teachers have hit out at the plans due to an additional lesson being added to their timetable.
Andrew Greenwood, the senior regional officer for the National Education Union, told the Chronicle: “OGAT are essentially trying to put in an additional lesson into the working day.
“We’ve consulted our members and they aren’t happy with the impact that this will have on them.
“It’ll increase the workload for staff and it’s not acceptable.
“Members aren’t in agreement that this is a good move.
“Other schools have changed the working day but they’ve just extended the break times and we think that’s what should be done here.
“The timetable is already so tight.”
The union were due to meet with the school trust yesterday but they have warned that if something doesn’t change, there will be further industrial action taken at a total of 14 schools.
“At the moment we’re planning to have two days of action next week and then three days the week after,” he added.
“The action will take place at the same schools on June 10, 11, 17, 18 and 19.
“But we don’t want it to go that far.
“Strike action is a last resort.
“Our members would much rather be at work.
“But there needs to be some shift from the current proposals.”
OGAT has expressed its disappointment at the trade union response to the plans to extend the school day.
A spokesperson for the Trust told the Chronicle: “We believe every minute in school counts, and increasing our students’ learning time is vital for their academic success and personal development.
“Our pupils have told us they want to develop life skills such as financial literacy, more careers education and more time to debate issues they experience in their lives, and our remodelled week will mean we can deliver this and more for them.
“We understand that changes to the school day can have an impact on our colleagues and families.
“That’s why we underwent a thorough 12-week consultation with our trade union partners and colleagues.
“We are grateful for the constructive feedback we received, which has been instrumental in shaping our final plans.
“The original proposal has been significantly adapted based on this feedback.
“We have also made a commitment to continue to meet regularly with the trade unions to identify any unnecessary workload so that the new school week is overall ‘workload neutral’.
“Despite this genuine consultation and the changes made to the proposal, we are surprised and exceptionally disappointed that our trade union partners have chosen to take strike action over this matter.
“This disappointment is heightened by the fact that industrial action has been called during the crucial exam season, a time our students have worked incredibly hard for and deserve a stable and supportive environment to demonstrate their learning.
“We respect the right of our colleagues to express their views and remain open to constructive dialogue and collaborative working, but we also want to ensure our students are prioritised and provided with the best possible education, particularly during their exams.”
