Education round up: Parents join picket lines in Springfield

Workers at Springfield School in Birmingham are continuing to hold three-day strikes every week in a dispute over the threat of redundancies.

Over 50 parents have repeatedly supported the picket lines. A solidarity petition launched by parents received over 1,000 local signatures within a few days.

And more workers in the school have joined the NEU union—meaning the strike is getting bigger. It is vital that strikers receive more messages of support from schools and workplaces.

And the NEU is asking people to visit pickets to show their support and to encourage strikers to speak about the dispute.

The union is also asking supporters to take selfies with banners or signs saying, “We support the Springfield strikers”.

Doug Morgan, Birmingham NEU (NUT section) assistant secretary

Send messages of support and selfie shots to [email protected] or via text/Whatsapp to 07506 894 825

Vote for all out walkout at east London school 

Teachers at Langdon Park School in Tower Hamlets, east London, are set to strike next Wednesday and Thursday.

The NEU union has called a further six strike days against an £800,000 cuts package.

But NEU members voted unanimously last week to press the union for an indefinite strike.

School support staff—Unison union members—are also balloting for strikes.

Paul McGarr

Strikes set to sweep across Sussex 

Teachers in seven schools across East Sussex are set to strike over pay on 27 June.

The NEU union members are in dispute after East Sussex county council refused to give a 2 percent pay rise to newer and lower paid workers.

The rise was recommended by the School Teachers’ Pay Review Body.

NEU members plan a further strike on 3, 4 and 5 July. They struck over the issue in April and May.

Campaigners debate fight against academies 

Activists from across England gathered in central London last Saturday to discuss the campaign against academisation of schools.

Professor Anne West, Academies, the school system in England and a vision for the future co-author, gave an introduction to the conference.

One workshop looked at how to change the direction of the Labour Party education policy. They have committed to a national education service, but not taking schools back into local authority control.

Another workshop looked at the current campaigns, including at John Roan school in south east London.

NEU union members there are set to take seven days of strikes from this Wednesday. The school has just been rated inadequate by school inspectorate Ofsted, which is seen as a deliberate tactic to turn it into an academy.

Sara Tomlinson