TEACHERS at a Shaftesbury school walked out again today in protest at changes which have seen some roles combined with nearby Sturminster Newton High School.
The controversial move has been implemented by the Sherborne Area Schools Trust (SAST), which runs the establishments, aimed at cutting costs.
However, some parents and staff have warned the changes – which union chiefs claim includes merging some roles across the two schools – will have a damaging impact on pupils’ education.
Recently, members of NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union walked out in action against the changes, and did so again this morning – with another strike set to take place on Thursday (July 10).
The union claims SAST has refused to come back to the negotiating table after previous talks broke down.
SAST has not responded to our requests for comment, only to claim they had not received one previously – despite your New Blackmore Vale providing evidence of the request.
NASUWT says a number of teachers have been made redundant as a result of the “cost-cutting exercise”, and said it now expects heads of department to be shared between Shaftesbury School and Sturminster Newton High.
The latest walkout by Shaftesbury staff comes after a TikTok video featuring teacher Rachel Sammons went viral over the weekend.
READ MORE: The Blandford School reassures parents over potential SAST move
READ MORE: Shaftesbury School staff walkout over Sturminster Newton ‘merger’ claims
In the video, which has gained almost a million views on the social media site, Ms Sammons explained the “traumatic” impact of losing her job as head of English after working at the school for 25 years.
Matt Wrack, acting general secretary of NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union, said: “The brutal restructure at Shaftesbury School mirrors a worrying trend in education: when schools need to save money, experienced teachers are often the first to go.
“Experienced teachers bring a wealth of irreplaceable wisdom and skill to their classrooms. Not only are they subject experts, but they are essential as mentors for early career teachers, and the long term relationships they build with local communities are worth their weight in gold. It is unacceptable that academy trusts continue to discard such valuable teachers when their CEOs often earn more than the Prime Minister.
“We are asking SAST to get back around the table as a matter of urgency. Consigning expert teachers to the scrap heap is detrimental to the education of pupils and to the teaching profession as a whole.”
Mike Leigh, National Executive member for Dorset, added: “SAST is trying to split Head of Department teachers across two schools when they are nine miles apart. This is a logistical nightmare.
“When one teacher has to cover two jobs, other teachers will be expected to absorb extra workload. This is unacceptable when the average teacher already works around fifty hours per week. This restructure appears to prioritise cost cutting over teachers’ wellbeing and pupils’ education.
“We had meetings with SAST, but suddenly they pulled back. All we’re asking is that they reopen negotiations so we can try to find a solution that works for everyone. We are The Teachers’ Union – we won’t give in.”
The issues come as other schools in the region contemplate joining SAST, including the likes of The Blandford School, which recently reassured parents no final decision had been made over the move.
READ MORE: Education news from your New Blackmore Vale
Loved being a member of SAST core staff. I got paid really well and a great pay off when I left. Teachers need to stop moaning.
Absolutely nothing good will come from this for the students or teachers.
Clearly you didn’t teach at the schools SAST run – glad to hear you made a packet out of taxpayers money allocated for education. We moan because we care.
Easy to say when you’re not being affected by this. What about the teachers and students that are? Oh but you had a nice payoff so I guess that makes what they are doing ok so “teachers should stop moaning”. They aren’t moaning, they are doing their best to stand up for the students that they teach, and for colleagues who already shoulder so much additional work with such little resource. Perhaps the students whose future careers depend on good quality teaching from highly experienced staff should get a payoff too so they can’t “moan” about the injustice of this either…….
Selfish actions by selfish individuals – no mention of the detrimental impact the strike action has already had by depriving children of an education
To the anonymous caller, tell me what exactly has been gained so far by the strike actions…
Teachers sat in their gardens or at the beach, because I’ve been to the school on multiple occassions and not seen anyone on the picket line since the first outing.
All that’s happened is this so called high quality teaching that makes such a difference to the students that they’re standing up for is not being delivered, those children are suffering.
No sympathy at all, if you don’t like the trust go elsewhere rather than make my child suffer.