Trade unions in joint campaign to prevent loss of teaching support staff at two local schools

Unite, Unison, the GMB and the National Education Union are campaigning to prevent plans to cut support staff roles at two east London primary schools.

The Soaring Skies Federation, which runs Colvestone Primary and Thomas Fairchild Community schools, is planning to shrink its workforce in response to a fall in pupil numbers of around a quarter.

The Town Hall has pointed out that this has a direct effect on government funding for the schools, with the numbers of pupils entitled to special educational needs funding and disadvantaged pupils also falling, though unions have said that the plans will result in a corresponding fall in the time spent with each child.

Unite regional officer Onay Kasab said: “One of the major areas of concern during the pandemic has been the impact on children and their education – and this has been at the centre of intense national debate.

“Yet now, we are in a position where our members employed as teaching assistants at the Soaring Skies Federation face losing their jobs.

“The irony is that in these schools, based on the federation’s own figures, staff now have more time to spend with the children.

“What kind of a system is it which means that because staff now have more time to spend with children, staff numbers need to be cut?

“Somewhere along the line, somebody has clearly forgotten what schools exist for – supporting often vulnerable children through education and the life chances that they provide.”

Unite has ten members at Colvestone and Thomas Fairchild, who will be balloted for strike action between tomorrow and 8 January over the plans, which include changes to terms and conditions and redundancies.

Soaring Skies educates over 600 kids, with Unite claiming that potentially there are eighteen jobs at risk through the plans out of around 30 teaching support staff.

Caroline King, executive headteacher of Colvestone and Thomas Fairchild schools, said: “The Soaring Skies Federation has made proposals to reduce some support staff roles at Colvestone Primary School and Thomas Fairchild Primary School as a result of numbers of pupils falling by around 25 per cent, and the subsequent drop in funding from the government.

“The decline in the pupil roll is in line with wider trends across Hackney. Management are currently in consultation with staff and unions regarding the proposals. “We are committed to continuing to provide a high quality education for our children, and our proposed new staffing model will ensure that the ratio of staff to students remains consistent.”