Schools round up: Strikers at John Roan vow to keep up fight

Workers at The John Roan School are refusing to give in to plans to turn their school into a privately-run academy.

NEU union members at the south east London school struck against the plan on Thursday of last week.

It was the 17th strike by workers to defend their community school.

They planned a further strike on Thursday of this week, and a two-day walkout from Tuesday of next week.

Parents, students and campaigners in the local area are backing the strikers. The John Roan Resists group said, “John Roan teachers and parents cannot give up on their children’s school.

“We have seen what happens at academies. We’ve seen Halley Academy, our nearest secondary, where almost all the support staff have been removed.

Support

“We’ve seen Brooklands, our nearby primary school, where support staff are being removed.

“Parents who are trying to stop this have been issued with legal letters. We won’t give up. We can’t give up.

Children’s education is too important to leave to politicians.”

Labour-run Greenwich council voted to go ahead with academisation at a meeting last month.

Parents have branded the decision “disgraceful” and said that Labour must represent ordinary people if it wants their votes.

The United Learning Trust is set to take over officially from September. It has already axed classes for students and threatened job cuts.

Join march in Brighton to stop a school selloff scam

Anti-academy campaigners have called a “March for Moulescoomb” in Brighton on Saturday.

School workers, parents and others are fighting to stop Moulescoomb Primary School from being turned into an academy.

There is widespread opposition to the plan.

GMB union members at the school have voted unanimously for strikes against it in indicative ballots.

NEU union members have also voted overwhelmingly for strikes, and Unison union members are balloting.

A school parent governor has resigned in protest and parents have set up the Hands off Moulescoomb Primary Campaign.

The Department for Education issued an academy order after schools inspectorate Ofsted rated the school as inadequate.

Governor Warren Carter said the school had “been put on the naughty step for being poor, inclusive and for trying to do the right thing”.

“Just because you are not academic doesn’t mean you are stupid,” he added.

Labour, Green and Tory councillors have all opposed the academy plan.

They voted last month for a ballot of parents and carers at the school on whether they support or oppose the school becoming an academy.

Strike against Swale academy bosses

Workers at Peacehaven Community School (PCS) struck on Thursday of last week. It marked the NEU union members’ tenth day of action as part of their ongoing campaign to stop their school becoming a privately-run academy.

Over 30 teachers assembled outside the East Sussex County Council offices to vent their wrath at the Tory administration. They were joined by teachers and parents, who raised feats of an exodus of teachers if Swale Academy Trust takes over the school.

The strikers were very upbeat and were joined by parents and students.

And before dispersing teachers held a mass meeting which discussed when to hold their next set of strike days, most likely at the beginning of the autumn term.

Steve Guy

Workers at Roe Green Strathcona school in west London were set to strike on Wednesday. It will be the NEU union members’ second walkout in their battle to stop the closure of the school.

Labour-run Brent council has begun a formal consultation on the plan.

It’s first “informal” consultation saw 99.4 percent of respondents oppose the closure.

NEU union members at Ilford County High School in east London began a two-day strike on Tuesday. Cuts have led to bigger class sizes and workloads.

NEU rep Venda said, “We are not prepared to see our members driven into the ground, nor see children’s education suffer.”

GMB and Unison union members at five Plymouth schools struck on Tuesday of this week against a 1 percent pay offer.

The action hit Woodford, Chaddlewood, Glen Park, Boringdon and Plympton St Maurice primary schools—members of the Plym Academy Trust.