College classes under threat (From Prestwich and Whitefield Guide)

College classes under threat

9:19am Thursday 9th July 2009

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A ROW between teachers and school bosses over timetables is threatening classes at Prestwich Arts College.

Headteacher Geoff Barlow and National Union of Teachers (NUT) Bury division secretary Helen Andrews have been locked in talks to resolve the issue.

Matters came to a head last Thursday when Mr Barlow wrote to parents of all 841 pupils to say the school would be shut on Tuesday this week because the teachers would be on strike.

Further discussions took place on July 3 and the strike was reduced from a full day to just one hour, starting from 9am, so parents were told to send in their children at 10.15am.

Both parties told the Guide that progress had been made, but they have not reached an agreement.

“The union always strives to resolve matters like this in the least disruptive way possible and we are trying to do that in this case,” said Ms Andrews.

She added: “We reduced the hours of Tuesday’s strike as a goodwill gesture.

“However, we cannot rule out any further industrial action. If members were to strike, we would have to give the school seven days’ notice, so parents would be kept informed well in advance.”

In a statement, Mr Barlow said: “The school is working very closely with the NUT to try to reach a satisfactory outcome.”

The disagreement centres around new conditions that say teachers should only have to deliver absent colleagues’ lessons rarely, so they should be free for five periods a fortnight.

Prestwich Arts College wants them to teach one extra lesson a fortnight when the new school year begins on September 2.

But the teachers say that is unacceptable because they want to use that time to plan lessons and mark work.

The school closes for the summer break on July 17, so the NUT would have to announce any strike action by tomorrow in order to give the school the required notice.

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