THE head teacher of a school at the centre of a bitter industrial dispute has issued a fiery statement after proposals to make all the school’s dinner ladies redundant were withdrawn bringing the saga to an end.
Ladywood Primary in Grimethorpe had outlined proposals to tackle a budget shortfall which would have seen the nine dinner ladies face redundancy.
After a total of 36 days of strikes, Ladywood last week withdrew the plans saying that ‘natural staff turnover’ meant the dinner ladies could keep their jobs. and they returned to work last Thursday.
Head teacher Clare Grainger this week issued a statement after months of maintaining what she called a ‘dignified silence’ throughout the industrial action.
“The truth of the matter is that Ladywood had projected deficit budgets for 2019/20 and for 2020/21,” she said.
“The reason for this is that, like all schools in the country, Ladywood’s income has stayed relatively consistent over the last five years whereas expenditure has risen.
“Alongside staff increments and inflation the government has increased employers’ contributions for both National Insurance and pensions.
“The overall effect of this on Ladywood’s budget has been approximately £100,000 over five years and around £25,000 in the last financial year. Cuts had to be made.
“The leadership team and the governing body at the school were faced with the need to reduce expenditure and yet maintain the high level of provision that enables pupils to achieve in line with national expectations. Previous cuts had been made to budget areas such as consumable resources and there was no option but to review the staffing structure.
“Such a task is never easy but the school leaders approached this task supported by the council’s human resources and legal teams with one outcome in mind; the children’s education.
“It was absolutely crucial to the leadership of the school that the children continued to ‘make good progress’ and to ‘thrive and flourish’ as acknowledged by Ofsted in January 2018. As a direct consequence it was decided that the support staff, who work alongside the class teachers to meet individual pupil needs, were paramount to enable the school to maintain a good quality of education at the school. The leadership team and governing body stand by this decision. It was the right one and we will not apologise for it.
“This does not mean the decision to start redundancy consultations with the SMSAs was an easy one taken lightly; it was not.”
She also revealed the level of disruption the pupils and staff faced whilst the strikes were taking place outside the school, claiming that the school gate padlocks were super glued, dog faeces were smeared on the locks, there were threats and intimidation made to staff and parents, and noise disruption to the children.
She added: “They (the press) have also failed to praise the majority of staff who out of love and loyalty to the school and, more importantly, to the children put themselves in hostile situations day in day out to educate the children of Grimethorpe.
“The industrial action has been likened to the miners’ strike what an insult to the struggle of a previous generation. Miners did not get full pay from their Union whilst standing on a picket line enjoying a party atmosphere with music, loud speakers and air horns.
“The miners’ struggle was just that a struggle. Families faced hardship and genuinely wondered where their next meal would come from and how the bills would be paid. This was not the case during the industrial action at Ladywood.
“The circus that had become the strike outside Ladywood Primary School has thankfully ended. This has only been possible due to a full time UNISON member, an HLTA (Higher Level Teaching Assistant), gaining employment elsewhere.
“The budget for 2019/20 can now, as a result be balanced. The same cannot be said for 2020/21 at this stage.
“The anticlimax that ended the industrial action has been hailed as a victory by UNISON but in truth there is only one victory worth reporting; the pupils at Ladywood, despite horrendous disruptions to their education this term are on track to achieve in line with their potential.
“A UNISON spokesman said: “The strength of feeling and support for striking staff was shown by many parents, and the vote of no confidence in the head teacher signed by the vast majority of parents should not be ignored.
“Furthermore, UNISON is deeply concerned that the head teacher appears to suggest our members were intimidating and carrying out criminal acts.
“These allegations are false and despite the school requesting police attend the picket line, at no point has South Yorkshire Police contacted UNISON or its members to formally investigate or present evidence of wrongdoing. UNISON views potentially libellous public comments very seriously and we are considering taking legal action.”
