Tendring Technology College: Parents 'hugely concerned' about restructure

While the coronavirus pandemic has made the past year in all schools unlike any other, one school in Essex has an added complication - strike action against a proposed restructuring which staff, parents and pupils claim will harm their school. What is it all about?

When Ofsted last visited the 1,800-pupil Tendring Technology College in 2019 they found a "good" school at risk of decline.

Parents say that decline is now in progress at the split-site school, which has one foot in Frinton-on-Sea and the other in nearby Thorpe-le-Soken.

Early on Tuesday, about 20 parents and children joined a similar number of teachers on a picket line outside the school on the first day of strike action.

The cause of the industrial action, which has closed the school, is a proposed restructuring by the London-based Academies Enterprise Trust (AET), which runs it.

The wide-ranging proposals include merging a number of departments and reducing middle management positions, a reduction in support staff and cutting the hours of the school's two nurses.

It would see the staff head count (currently 196.5 full time equivalent) reduced by 4%. While AET says it will avoid compulsory redundancies, the National Education Union (NEU), whose members are now on strike, says the proposals would cut £700,000 from the school's annual budget of nearly £10m.

Parents say they are hugely concerned about the loss of pastoral care for their children.

Since the start of the year, two pupils at the school have died. While it is understood both children took their own lives, inquests to determine the cause of the deaths have yet to be heard.

"We've lost two pupils in the past two months and then this week we found out they are going to be cutting a lot of the pastoral and support staff," says Natalia Carro-Dawson. "It is a real concern.

"We want to make sure our teachers are supported and that they are getting a fair deal and the pupils are as well.

"This is especially so now, given the past year, which has not been a normal year."

Mother-of-three Nichole Warren is worried about the future of the school.

"We are part of the local community and it really matters to us what has been happening here. We want the AET out to be honest.

"We are not happy at all with the way it has been managed with them at the helm. It is a feeling that has escalated over time," she says.

Her husband Ryan Warren is a former Tendring pupil.

"It is not a good situation," he says. "The pupils are not getting the support they need.

"Cutting funding is absolutely terrible after the lockdown and the whole pressure that has been put on children an teenagers. The support needs to be there."

"AET is a big organisation that is making cuts to the finances going into the school and the school is left in disrepair and the number of experienced teachers is on the decline," says mother-of-three Coral Homes-Gifford.

"They are letting the kids down and we want a change."

None of the teachers present on the picket line wanted their names to be used for this piece.

One, who spoke on condition of anonymity, accused AET of a "lack of will to negotiate".

"We want to do the best for our pupils," he says.

"When we went ahead with our decision to strike we were fearful of the parental reaction. The response has been fantastic and really supportive.

"We would like a bit more political support. I am a bit concerned at how long the strike will go on for. I hope this is a short, sharp shock to force people to listen to the staff, the parents and the pupils.

"By September, this school is going to be worse off. It is not going to be as good as it could be.

"A few of my colleagues are leaving on Friday and they will not be replaced. So after half term, there will be fewer teachers in the school. We want that resolved. We want those people replaced."

Jerry Glazier, of the NEU, says there is no justification for the restructure, which is planned for September.

"The staffing needs of the school are not being properly addressed at the moment and the consequences of cuts to the staffing will have a very detrimental effect on the education of the kids, both pastorally and academically.

"They really are very, very concerned that this restructuring should not go ahead."

He said the staff at risk of losing their jobs were "absolutely across the board".

"There's management posts, pastoral posts, there's academic posts - a whole range of staff are affected by this.

"The school had a surplus in its budget last year and was projected to have one this year so there's no justification for it happening other than AET wants to impose a model across its schools. But that does not reflect the particular needs of each school in their communities.

"The teachers would not be taking this action if they did not feel as strongly as they do that they are not being listened to. They feel the restructuring is being done to them and not with them."

An AET spokesperson says the industrial action is "deeply disappointing" given the year pupils are having "to contend with".

"The new structure will mean students have more time in their lessons, more options available in the sixth form, and additional pastoral support. Following discussions with the unions we had already agreed that there will be no compulsory redundancies and so we are at a loss as to why they want to press ahead," the spokesperson says.

"Our pupils will always come first for us, which is why we have engaged with ACAS [the government's Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service] to seek further talks with the unions to try and re-engage on the issues.

"We will continue to keep parents updated on any developments, but in the meantime we will be providing online learning for students to minimise any further disruption because of this action."

Further strikes are planned for Wednesday and Thursday.

Parent Jessica Davis says she is so concerned at the proposals that she plans to demonstrate every morning.

"I'm absolutely passionate about the plight of our teachers," she says. "They were called into a meeting and told there was excessive staffing."

"We've had two children who have lost their lives in our local community in the last nine weeks... and their response to those needs, unfortunately, is to cut the support.

"It is dangerous, it is really, really dangerous.

"If we've lost those children with those staff in situ, what is going to be the situation with those support staff cut? It is worrying me.

"The staff are clearly doing everything they can. I'm expecting this to go on until September.

"I will be here every single day and I will be making as much noise as I need to and I support every single one of these staff who are supporting our children."

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