A SCHOOL proposing to make nine dinner ladies redundant has spent more than £2,000 training its head teacher’s pet as the ‘school dog’, trade unionists claimed this week.
Ladywood Primary, Grimethorpe, is facing a budget shortfall, and strike action has been taking place since September after the dinner ladies’ jobs were identified as being at risk.
A Freedom of Information request was submitted by Unison, reveals that since the school dog, George, was introduced in June 2017, £2,170 has been spent on training the dog, which is owned by the head teacher, Claire Grainger.
The school dog policy states that training could take two years, which would see the cost of training rise to more than £4,000 based on the cost of the last 12 months of training.
Unison area organiser Jordan Stapleton said: “It’s an insult to the dinner ladies that have worked there for generations to be told they are losing their jobs while the school spends thousands of pounds training the head teacher Claire Grainger’s pet dog.
“If the budget is being squeezed the head teacher needs to look where she is spending the school’s money and I think her own dog is a waste of money when most parents would rather see the school keep its dinner ladies.
“I think what this actually reveals is this has never been about budget problems, but about a lack of respect for dinner ladies at the school.”
The dinner ladies planned to continue strike action last week after a proposal submitted by Unison was rejected.
A spokesperson from Barnsley Council said: “With regards to the industrial dispute and consultation we are in discussions with trade unions and we have nothing further to add at this stage.
“In respect of the school dog, George is a school dog in training. Whilst there is a slight cost, school dogs have proven therapeutic benefits with vulnerable children and several schools within the borough utilise school dogs.”
