School's teachers take step towards strike action

Staff at one of Cornwall's largest secondary schools have taken a step towards going on strike after voting in favour of a formal ballot.

According to a spokesperson for the National Education Union (NEU), teachers at Newquay Tretherras School have voted 98% in favour of a formal strike ballot.

The union said staff had "lost patience" with Cornwall Education Learning Trust (CELT), which it said was "not respecting many aspects of the school teachers pay and conditions document".

The Trust said it was "working to resolve any issues".

The NEU said: "The last thing that National Education Union members want to do is to be striking, but they are determined to create a safe, happy, creative and enriching environment for all the children at Newquay Tretherras.

"Perhaps a New Year's resolution for CELT might be to listen to, respect and care for the pupils and teachers in the multi academy trust?"

A spokesperson for CELT said: "Striking is the right of every teacher who is part of a union and is a personal choice which we respect as an academy and Trust.

"However, this indicative vote - rather than a formal strike ballot - was undertaken prior to several meetings we have held with staff and leadership teams across the Trust."

They added they were committed to "ensuring staff feel supported, motivated and rewarded" and had been engaging with them to "address concerns raised".

"We will continue this constructive dialogue into the New Year to enable us to resolve any issues and ensure we continue meeting the best possible outcomes for our schools, employees and pupils", the spokesperson said.

Newquay Tretherras had 1,729 pupils, 221 of which were in the sixth form, when inspected by Ofsted in January.

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