'Teachers' strike leaves fear over pupils' exams'
BBCWith staff at more than 20 schools across the West Midlands on strike, one parent says she is worried about students missing lessons and exam preparation.
Schools belonging to the Arthur Terry Learning Partnership (ATLP) are involved in the dispute over plans to cut jobs, initiated by the National Education Union (NEU), which confirmed on Wednesday the walkout would be extended.
Sarah, a parent, said there has been a lack of clear communication regarding the impact the dispute would have on students.
"My biggest fear is that we won't get the children back to school before their GCSEs," she said.
The ATLP's trust said it was committed to tackling the financial challenges so that it could "bring stability to the trust and schools".
The trust previously said the need to cut staff was the result of "significant overstaffing", which a spokesperson said had been caused by an accounting error in 2022-23.
Sarah said the dispute was causing a range of concerns for parents and pupils alike.
"The anxiety for parents of managing jobs, children at home, the anxiety of the children of knowing that they're in GCSE year, when are they going to catch up on the curriculum?," she asked.
"How will they be affected by their results and any sort of decisions made to help them get through their exams. I see teachers have the voices, but the children don't have that voice."
'Money being mismanaged'
Staff began a nine-day strike on 14 January, and are currently at the picket lines until Friday, with a further strike taking place from 26-29 January.
The extra strike dates are from 2-5 February and 9-13 February, and NEU members held a demonstration earlier, in Birmingham's Victoria Square.
Annie Ungeean, an NEU representative at the demonstration, said the dispute was the only way to stand up for the children and their education.
"Industrial action is an incredibly hard decision for us... [but] the strike will last as long as it's needed to make significant changes," she said.
"The cuts are not teacher cuts only, they face every single area of how we run these schools."
She said teaching assistants and support staff were also affected.
"Money being mismanaged [by] others outside the classroom is going to make a difference for those children who are most impacted by not having teachers in the classrooms," Ungeean added.
Staff at four ATLP schools not already on strike are to be re-balloted by the NEU.
The 20 schools already affected by the industrial action are:
- Anna Seward Primary, Lichfield
- Coton Green Primary, Tamworth
- Curdworth Primary, Sutton Coldfield
- Deykin Avenue Junior and Infant, Witton, Birmingham
- Hill West Primary, Sutton Coldfield
- Mere Green Primary, Four Oaks
- Osborne Primary, Erdington, Birmingham
- Paget Primary, Pype Hayes, Birmingham
- Scotch Orchard Primary, Lichfield
- Slade Primary, Erdington
- St Chad's CE Primary, Lichfield
- St Michael's C of E Primary, Lichfield
- William MacGregor Primary School, Tamworth
- Two Gates Primary School, Tamworth
- The Coleshill School, Warwickshire
- The Royal Sutton School, Sutton Coldfield
- Nether Stowe School, Lichfield, Staffordshire
- Stockland Green School, Erdington, Birmingham
- The Arthur Terry School, Sutton Coldfield
- West Coventry Academy, Coventry
The schools to be re-balloted are The Bridge Academy, Lichfield, Greysbrooke Primary in Shenstone, Brookvale Primary in Erdington and Dunstall Park Primary, Tamworth.
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