School staff on strike over increasing workloads

Students at a Coventry school are facing a second day of strike action, amid staff concerns over increasing workloads.

Members of the National Education Union (NEU) at Bishop Ullathorne Catholic School on Leasowes Avenue, Coventry, have been on strike for two days.

In a letter to parents on 6 January, the school said students should attend lessons as normal if their teachers were not participating in the strikes and others would study remotely.

The BBC has approached Bishop Ullathorne Catholic School for a comment.

Several days of industrial action were postponed at the end of last year, following an agreement between the NEU and the Multi Academy Company - the trust Bishop Ullathorne is under.

In the letter to parents, seen by the BBC, the school said it would continue to work closely with the NEU to find a resolution to the strike action.

"There have been productive conversations between union leaders and school representatives, however these have not resulted in the outcome we all would hope for," it said.

Werede, whose daughter is at the school, said he some sympathy towards teachers.

He said by Friday, his daughter would have missed a total of six school days due to the strike, since starting in Year 7 in September.

"The teachers they are on strike for a reason, because we know everyone feels that life is tough, hard. The bills are going high from day to day," he said.

"It is really hard for us - when the children are at home, you have to stay at home off from work to look after them or to help them."

Jemma, who has two children at Bishop Ullathorne, said as a supply teacher herself, she was aware of how the strikes would affect her children's education but that "no teacher wants to strike".

"No teacher is looking for more money, we're looking for more support for the children in school," she said.

Last year, Chris Denson, joint secretary for Coventry's NEU, said there had been "no concessions" over the workload issues its members had raised.

"Just over a year ago, all of the teachers had their teaching hours put up, there were promises all through the year that that wouldn't happen again and then two days before the end of the summer term, it happened again," he said.

"What our members are saying is every time you take an additional hour away from them, in terms of their time to be able to plan, prepare, assess... It means that we can do less for the children."

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