Wembley: Further strikes due at school set to become academy

A north London primary school is set to close for a further three days next month after staff belonging to a union agreed to take strike action.

Byron Court Primary School, in Wembley, is set to become an academy school after it was given an "inadequate" rating in its last Ofsted inspection.

The National Education Union (NEU) has announced strikes on 4, 5 and 6 June.

The Department for Education (DfE) said strike action was "damaging to pupils' learning and disruptive for parents".

It follows earlier action by NEU members at the school on 17, 21 and 22 May.

A number of protests, attended by some staff, parents, pupils, and politicians, have also been held outside the school.

The Ofsted report, which followed an inspection in November, highlighted a "marked deterioration" at the school and its rating plummeted from "outstanding" in 2012.

This triggered an automatic response from the DfE, with the school forced to come under the control of the Harris Federation multi-academy trust as early as September.

A statement from the NEU claimed the Ofsted inspection was "intimidating" and said staff were left "fearing for their mental health and their futures".

The union added: "Many of these long-serving staff served the school's community throughout the pandemic, and face uncertainty in their jobs, pay and conditions as they face a takeover."

The NEU emphasised its industrial action was aimed specifically at the DfE and not Brent Council, which has publicly backed calls for the "academisation" process to stop and the school to be re-inspected after it put "extensive support" in place.

The council's cabinet member for children, young people and schools, councillor Gwen Grahl, called the DfE decision "draconian" and has written to the DfE and Education Secretary Gillian Keegan to oppose the plan.

Ms Grahl has requested a meeting with the minister for the school system and student finance, Baroness Diana Barran, over the issue.

She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service "academisation" remained "deeply unpopular among families and staff" at the school and "giving Byron Court the opportunity for re-inspection, prior to proceeding with academisation proposals, is likely to resolve the current industrial dispute and provide reassurance".

She added: "It is clear that legislation surrounding forced academisation is disenfranchising communities and removing the valuable oversight of local authorities."

The NEU's Brent secretary, Jenny Cooper, said: "We will not be stopping this fight any time soon as there is too much at stake here and we know we have the support of the community.

"Gillian Keegan knows what she can do: commission a reinspection and pause the academy order. This could resolve our dispute."

A DfE spokesperson said: "Strike action is damaging to pupils' learning and disruptive for parents.

"As with any school that receives an overall judgement of inadequate, Byron Court Primary School will become an academy and be transferred to a strong trust - with a strong track record of ensuring pupils receive the highest standard of education."

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