Teachers on strike at Ipswich School in dispute over pensions
Teachers at the independent school have walked out
Teachers are on strike at Ipswich School over plans to change their pension scheme.
This strike started as a result of the government announcing potential changes to the Teachers' Pension Scheme, including the amount of money contributed by employers.
Ipswich School has inidicated that it would pull out of the scheme if the government insists it pay more - and has sent out new contracts for teachers to sign.
Craig Tournay-Godfrey who is the Ipswich and South Suffolk National Education Union District (NEU) Secretary. He told us:
"In November 2021, the teachers were first made aware of this when the governors sent what's known as a HR1 form.
"(It) is effectively a redundancy form sent to the insolvency service saying that they intended on August the 22nd to dismiss a 123 members of staff at their school unless they were prepared to accept a variation of their contract or a contract change
"This is known as fire and rehire."
"Our members are being forced out if they're not prepared to sign a variation of their contract."
"If the staff are not prepared to accept fire and rehire then they would be dismissed by August 31st 2022."
"The school would give notice during the lent term which we are now in."
"They have just begun that process. Sending letters to all staff telling them that they have to sign by Friday this week the 11th of March stating if they are going to accept their new proposals that were put forward."
"That still takes them out of the teachers pension scheme should certain trigger points happen."
Craig also said that striking is a last resort for teachers and that they have "tried themselves to get the governors to change their mind."
"They have tried all they ways they can as a profession to get the governors to change their mind without the need for strike action."
"But until the strike action was announced, they just weren't listening."
Craig told us that since the strike action has been announced, Ipswich School "have come back with what they consider are proposals but they still take teachers out of the teachers pension scheme."
They feel that the school has made this decision without knowing the outcome of the changes. They have said "The governors are basing this decision off figures and information that have not yet been released" and that "nobody knows what's going to happen."
"All the staff are saying... why now, why not wait until the government publishes statuary report on the teachers pension scheme on what may or may not happen with employer contributions."
Craig told us Ipswich School was concerned about the time they would have to act after the announcement however he believes " there will more than enough time to sort, to negotiate on what's the best solution for Ipswich school and for the staff and our members."
He also said "if this school was in a desperate situation we wouldn't be pushing to force them to do something that would put them into even more difficulty and more debt. This school is a wealthy school. Its accounts are published online. "
Craig hopes that the school "will listen to their staff, will listen to their representatives, and change tack, get teachers back in the classroom where they belong. Work with us and we can have a good solution for what is I have to say a fantastic institution."
Keith Anderson the Regional Organiser at NASWUT Teachers Union told us that this isn't an issue that's contained to Ipswich and teachers across the country are facing this issue, many of which are also on strike.
He also said that the teachers had become "demoralised with their employer." and that "they want to be teaching the children but they feel strongly that they should have a right to the teachers pension scheme and they should not fear this dismissal reengagement."
In a statement, Ipswich School told us:
"The teaching unions, NEU and NASUWT, at Ipswich School took strike action on, Tuesday 1 March."
"This was in relation to a dispute that they have with the school over a consultation launched with teaching staff over their membership of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS)."
Headmaster Nicholas Weaver said: “Ipswich School was open as normal yesterday for all pupils in both the Prep and Senior Schools. We delivered a meaningful education for pupils, providing continuity of learning for them.
“It is really important to us as a school that our children’s education doesn’t suffer, and so we continue to be open to dialogue with our teachers and their representatives in order to swiftly resolve this situation.”
"At present Ipswich School will be maintaining our membership of the TPS, but there are a number of risks to the school of continued membership of the scheme, which we need to manage now."
"Ipswich School is not the only independent school to be consulting with teachers over the future of the scheme."