Dear Lewisham NASUWT Member You will aware of the attack on Lewisham Education Service prompted by the Coalitions misguided policy of encouraging and forcing schools into academy status. Until now Lewisham has been protected from the semi privatisation of our schools by the diligent efforts by the NASUWT and other trade unions in resisting this government policy and also, to a certain extent by a Local Authority that did not want to lose Lewisham Education Service as an area for which they are responsible. We now have a large group of schools under imminent danger of moving to academy status: Bonus Pastor, Prendergast ,(and all the schools in that Leathersellars Federation, ) and Sedgehill. All the schools under threat are in different circumstances. Sedgehill is being forced, others have Heads who are driving the change for various reasons. I have met with all the NASUWT memberships in these threatened schools and none of our members are in favour of their school becoming an academy. NASUWT members know that academy status often leads to job losses, detrimental changes to pay and conditions of service, a less inclusive education provision for our children and young people. NASUWT fundamentally opposes academies. We oppose academies as a matter of principle whilst continuing to represent and work on behalf of NASUWT members working in all settings including academies our members will never be without representation and support from us. I have had clear indications from NASUWT members that they would want to be formally balloted to take strike action in order to oppose a change in their change in their working lives which will come about should their school take academy status or make a formal request to take academy status. NASUWT will ballot our members in these schools to take strike action. We will do this in accordance with the law on industrial disputes. Kind regards Kathy Duggan NASUWT Lewisham Secretary and National Executive Member for Inner London
Posted on: Sun, 11 Jan 2015 23:21:04 +0000