Trust says Tendring Technology College is 'overly staffed'

Members of the National Education Union who work at Tendring Technology College will down tools for three days starting on Tuesday.

They will form a picket line outside the sixth form’s Frinton and Thorpe-le-Soken campus in response to a staffing restructure planned by the Academy Enterprise Trust, which runs the college.

The union’s members believe the shake-up will result in cuts to teaching and support staff jobs from September and impact students' education. 

They say they have been left with no choice but to declare the protest after many meetings with representatives from the trust failed to resolve the dispute.

There has also been claims the trust takes £1,250 per student to help run its multi-academy set-up.

Manningtree High School, on the other hand, is said to give just £200 per student of its £4,500 allowance to its academy trust.

Trust bosses, however, have denied the claim, saying they actually only take £575 per pupil.

They have also acknowledged they have reduced the teacher headcount by four per cent, but said the college is "significantly overly staffed" at senior management level in comparison to other schools.

A spokesman said: “After the year that our students have had to contend with, it is deeply disappointing the unions are determined to call their members out on strike.

“One day lost to learning is one day too many, and yet the unions are proposing an initial three-day strike with the threat of more after half term.

"Whilst schools across the country are focused on helping children catch-up, the unions are effectively forcing Tendring Technology College to drive with the handbrake on. 

Read More: Tendring teachers planning to stage three day strike

“The unions also advised us that their members who had elected to take voluntary redundancy did not really wish to do so, we therefore agreed to allow them to reconsider, yet only one employee has asked to rescind their request for voluntary redundancy which we have agreed to.

"Following the substantial revisions to the proposals that we have made, the total teacher headcount has been reduced by just 4%. 

“Overall, the changes will mean that TTC staffing is similar to the other AET academies in Essex to address the current structure which is significantly overly staffed at senior management level in comparison to other schools, both within AET and nationally."

Jerry Glazier, NEU Essex Branch Secretary, however says his members do not believe the school has enough staff members to meet the needs of its students.

He said: “We have done our utmost to resolve this dispute through negotiation with AET.

“Regrettably, inadequate progress has left us with no option but to take the strike action.

“Members are doing this because they care about having a school structure that meets the needs of all its students.

“Current AET plans simply will not do that.”