Full list of schools affected and dates when strikes will take place
The academy trust is based in St Katherine’s House in Mansfield Road(Image: Derbyshire Live)
Teachers at eight schools in a Derby-based Catholic academy trust are preparing to go on strike because of potential jobs cuts which they say will “decimate schools”.
Members of the National Education Union (NEU) across the schools in the St Ralph Sherwin Trust, headquartered in Mansfield Road, have announced eight days of strike action. Some support staff have already taken two days of action last month.
The trust, which has schools in Derby, Derbyshire, East Staffordshire and Nottinghamshire, has a reported deficit of over £10 million which is the largest of any trust in England, according to the NEU.
It has already been subject to intervention by the Department for Education which has led to some changes across senior management with a number of people leaving the trust.
The NEU says that teachers are being made redundant across multiple schools, removing responsibility payments, downgrading jobs, and slashing the pay, conditions, and jobs of the lowest-paid support staff.
It claims that this is being done in the face of opposition from staff, governors and the community and that parents have been left in the dark with many unaware of the crisis facing schools their children attend or will attend from September.
There are estimated to be job losses in 14 of the trust’s 25 schools with strike action initially taking place in eight, with a ninth school following in two weeks.
Strike action is set to take place Tuesday, April 21, Wednesday, April 22, Tuesday, May 5, Wednesday, May 6, Thursday, May 7, Tuesday, May 19, Wednesday, May 20 and Thursday, May 21.
The NEU spokesman added: “Despite receiving notification of strike action, no-one from St Ralph Sherwin Trust senior management has contacted the union to resolve matters and avoid disruption.
“These events have led to a serious deterioration of staff morale and relationships across several of the schools.
The strikes will begin next Tuesday (April 21) with picketing of all sites at 8am until 9am. NEU members will be joined by colleagues in UNISON.
Nick Raine, NEU senior regional officer East Midlands Region, said: “The situation at crisis-hit St Ralph Sherwin is dire and without precedent.
“Dedicated staff are now facing huge job losses due to a catastrophic failure of oversight and governance at the trust which has failed them over many years.
“The attempt to blame the recent pay award won’t wash as St Ralph Sherwin has run up the largest deficit in England, hiding it from staff then deciding to decimate jobs.
“The proposed cuts will lead to the loss of dozens of dedicated staff; roles being deleted that are vital to support pupils, and the destruction of pay and conditions which will mean that the most vulnerable pupils could miss out on the help they desperately need.”
Mr Raine claims that the trust has kept parents in the dark to limit damage to its reputation and that staff feel “angry and betrayed”.
He added: “We believe parents will be appalled at this as we enter exam season and schools across St Ralph Sherwin face a potentially long and protracted industrial dispute in several schools.
“The NEU remains resolute in its willingness to fight for the future of St Ralph Sherwin schools and we are willing to negotiate a resolution in the best interests of pupils, parents and the community.”
Derbyshire Live was given this statement by trust chief executive Kevin Gritton, who said: “We are deeply sorry for any distress caused around proposed staffing changes at some of our schools and we recognise the impact of strike action on pupils and families.
“We continue to pursue all possible options with union colleagues and with staff in each school but we do have to ensure that the budget is in a balanced position by September 1.
“We have already implemented and continue to focus on other areas where we can reduce costs and increase income.
“Ultimately, we have to ensure that all of our schools, and our central team, are spending in line with the income that we receive and that we are operating within DfE benchmarks.
“We will continue to hold discussions with union colleagues and will seek to avert any strike action.”
The schools where staff will be on strike are:Holy Rosary Catholic Voluntary Academy, BurtonPriory Catholic Voluntary Academy, EastwoodSt Benedict Catholic Academy, DerbySt Albans Catholic Academy, ChaddesdenSt Elizabeth’s Catholic Academy, BelperSt John Houghton Catholic Academy, IlkestonSt Joseph’s Catholic Academy, DerbySt Thomas More Catholic Voluntary Academy, Buxton
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