NEU members strike at St Neots based Academy
The National Education Union say it's over 'Adverse Management Practices'
Last updated 10th Jul 2024
Members of the National Education Union at an academy in St Neots are striking for a second morning today, over Adverse Management Practices.
NEU Cambridgeshire say members at the Astrea Longsands Academy have "reached a point where they feel decisions being made are not in the best interests of staff or students and their voices are not being heard."
Staff are on the picket line from 7am until 9:30am this morning, with the school still opening as usual.
It's the second morning of strike action at the Longsands entrance, but the NEU say the decision to strike "is not one they've taken lightly."
In a post on NEU Cambridgeshire's Facebook page, they say:
"A strike is not what anyone wants but sadly due to the current situation, over 50 teachers have left the school since July 23 to July 24 - 40 this academic year. We want to resolve matters so that staff will remain and pupils will have consistent, high quality teaching and support.
"Striking is the result of a breakdown in attempts by the Union to negotiate for changes to the adverse management practices that have led to this unhappy state of affairs."
What does the Academy say?
A spokesperson for Longsands Academy said:
“We have written to parents to confirm that we will be open as normal on Tuesday and Wednesday this week, despite the NEU’s plans to strike.
“It is deeply disappointing that industrial action is going ahead, and particularly so when it is based on one last substantive issue. We have made many compromises throughout our discussions, but we will not compromise on holding the Morning Welcome.
“This is such an important part of our school day, giving us the opportunity to welcome the students every morning and getting everyone off to a calm start to the day ahead. This is particularly important given the behaviour issues identified in the recent Ofsted report that we are all still working to improve.
“Lasting for five minutes, Morning Welcome gives us the opportunity to share any messages with the whole school – for instance about our values, or something that is happening in school that day. This is a far more efficient way of sharing messages consistently rather than asking all of our 50 different tutors to deliver that message during tutor time.
“More importantly, it gives us a brilliant opportunity to celebrate our students and their achievements, such as celebrating students of the week, sporting successes and how welcoming the older students had been to the Year 6 students who will be joining us in September as our new Year 7s. Recognising and appreciating our students is so important, particularly those who are modelling the right behaviours and attitudes. It is great for everyone to start the day in such an uplifting and positive way.
“The NEU want this time to be spent on internal departmental meetings, rather than on time with the students. And unfortunately, despite our best efforts to make a number of alternative suggestions about when departmental meetings could take place, the NEU have rejected all of these.
“It is truly saddening that the strike is going ahead on the basis of this single issue, when we know that removing Morning Welcome would set us back and slow the pace of improvement at Longsands.”