Strikes threaten schools earmarked for academies

The indicative ballot at Clapton Girls’ Technology College showed 84 per cent of teachers in favour of industrial action if a decision is made to convert to an academy

Teachers from three secondary schools have voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action if a decision is made to convert their schools into academies.

Hackney National Union of Teachers (NUT) ran an indicative ballot at the three schools to see if its members would be prepared to strike. At Stoke Newington School, 97 per cent of teachers voted in favour of strikes, at Clapton Girls’ Technology College it was 84 per cent and at Haggerston School the result was 81 per cent in favour.

Asked for comment by the Citizen, Mark Lushington from Hackney NUT said: “Obviously the strike ballots have been very strong. Clearly staff at these schools are fundamentally opposed to becoming academies. We were very pleased, both by the substantial turnout and the number of people willing to take action.”

But schools say they have been left in a state of confusion after conflicting reports on education secretary Michael Gove’s plans for the future of education funding and whether there is a financial incentive for them to convert to an academy.

Commenting on the situation, Henry Stewart, chair of governors at Stoke Newington School, said: “Michael Gove seems to change his mind every day. First he said that all schools would be equally and directly funded, then he said that they won’t be. This seems typical of the government’s information on school funding generally.

“The potential attraction of becoming an academy would be the extra resources, but if this is not the case – and the current information is very confusing – then there is not much of an incentive for converting.”

Governors at Clapton Girls’ Technology College have decided to put the issue out to consultation, but the timings and extent of the consultation are not yet clear.

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