Sixth form strike set to continue

The headteacher of a Preston sixth form college hit by strike action says he can understand why staff have resorted to walking out.

A group of teachers at Cardinal Newman College took part in a nationwide stoppage on Friday (13th December) in an ongoing dispute over pay.

It is the fourth time in less than three weeks that members of the National Education Union (NEU) at 32 colleges across the country have been standing on picket lines rather than in classrooms.

The union says teaching staff at sixth forms that have not become academies have been denied a guaranteed pay rise because of government funding decisions.

An escalation in the dispute is due in the new year, with a three-day walkout planned between 7th and 9th January unless a resolution is reached in the meantime.

Cardinal Newman remained open during Friday’s strike, but principal Nick Burnham revealed around a quarter of lessons at the Manchester Road sixth form had been affected.

While he said he regretted “the impact this has had on our students”, he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service he could appreciate why teachers had opted to down tools.

“The college does understand the reasons staff feel it is necessary to take this action. The government has made the iniquitous decision to fund a pay rise for some sixth form college teachers and not others.

“We are working closely with the Sixth Form Colleges Association to address this blatant unfairness,” Mr. Burnham added.

The NEU says the source of the dispute lies in the fact sixth form colleges that have academy status have been given funding for a 5.5 percent pay rise – in-line with that awarded to all teachers – through the post-16 schools budget grant.

However, the dozens of other, non-academised sixth form colleges are “excluded” from that pot – and so do not have any money ringfenced for the wage increase.

Ian Watkinson, chair of the Preston branch of the NEU described it as an “astonishing” disparity which he said the government was ignoring.

“How can it be right that those teaching in academised colleges and schools are getting the 5.5 percent pay rise and those in non-academised sixth form colleges, like Cardinal Newman, aren’t?

“The failure to address this egregious anomaly has forced members to strike. The fact that they are going into Christmas without the pay award that everybody else has received, is a shocking state of affairs. They deserve the 5.5 percent like everyone else,” Mr. Watkinson said.

The government says it neither sets nor recommends pay in the further education sector.

A spokesperson for the Department for Education said:  “Ensuring people have the skills they need for the future is crucial to this government’s number one mission to grow the economy. We recognise the vital role that further education, including sixth form colleges, play in this.

“Sixth form colleges are responsible for the setting of appropriate pay for their workforce and for managing their own industrial relations.

“The October budget provided an additional £300m revenue funding for further education to ensure young people are developing the skills this country needs. The department will set out in due course how this funding will be distributed.”