Teachers set to strike over workload and behaviour

Teachers and support staff at a south Lincolnshire secondary school are set to strike for two days over concerns about pupil behaviour and excessive workload.

Staff at The Deepings School, a mixed 11-18 comprehensive in Deeping St James, will walk out on Tuesday and Wednesday, The National Education Union (NEU) said.

The union said staff were “left with no choice” but to take action after receiving no response from management to an offer of further talks to attempt to resolve issues.

The Anthems School Trust, which runs the school, said the site would be open to all year groups on strike days and it was "fully committed to working with the unions".

The NEU said meetings were held with the trust in June and July, with a further meeting last Wednesday, but it had since had no further communication.

Both the NEU and the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT) that represent teachers and support staff at the school said they had made a significant effort to reach a resolution over summer.

Their members said pupil behaviour had led to safety issues, with communication with management over the problems described as "poor".

They accused management of constantly changing practices without consultation, leading to a high turnover of staff and recruitment difficulties.

Anthems School Trust runs 16 non-selective primary and secondary schools across the East Midlands, London and the Thames Valley.

The Deepings School was inspected by Ofsted in September 2023, with an overall rating of "requires improvement" recorded.

Gareth Jones, from the NEU, said: “Education staff only take strike action as a last resort.

"Teachers at the school said the beginning of the new year had been chaotic, with timetables swapped and changed and provision for students cancelled."

A spokesperson for Anthem Schools Trust said: “We understand the concerns of both the NEU and NASUWT and we continue to engage in constructive discussions with them.

“We remain fully committed to working with the unions and we are striving to find a resolution that supports both staff and the leadership team, while maintaining our focus on raising educational standards for our students."

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