Teachers at a Greater Manchester high school have denied working to rule amid claims they're 'setting a really bad example' to pupils.
A photo of what appears to be staff standing in the grounds of St Monica's RC High in Prestwich, Bury, was shared with the MEN by a parent concerned over the impact on pupils' education. The parent said staff are staying in the car park until 8.10am with the pupils and leaving school as soon as the students leave.
However, the teachers union says no 'work to rule' has been implemented but staff are in discussion with school leaders over workloads and other issues.
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"The teachers are refusing to work any extra time in the normal working day as a protest over pay and conditions," said the parent, who didn't want to be identified. "At the end of the working day teachers are also leaving immediately alongside children."
They added: "Whilst the situation is understood, it creates a really bad example for the children who are still behind in their studies following the last years."
However, Peter Middleman, the National Education Union's north west regional secretary, said no such rule to work has been introduced, but staff are in 'positive discussions' with school leaders.
The concerns centre around workload and some behaviour policy issues, but both the union and the St Teresa of Calcutta Catholic Academy Trust, of which the school is part, have committed to working together to see the issues resolved.
“Recent positive discussions with the school leadership team have held out the promise of further work over the summer and the introduction of new school policies in time for the return of students in September," said Mr Middleman.
"We are committed to working alongside other unions and the Trust to achieve a sustainable outcome for all involved. Like educators across the country, staff at St Monica’s have endured another academic year of intolerable pressures.
"The toxic accountability regime driven by Ofsted frustrates education professionals who find ever-decreasing amounts of time can be dedicated to creating engaging lessons and a supportive environment for learners.
"This is known to create problems with pupil behaviour from time-to-time, which can then exacerbate the deterioration in teachers working conditions, which are of course, students learning conditions. We are confident that school leaders understand this and recognise the legitimacy of staff concerns.”
It's unclear how many staff are involved in the discussions, but the Manchester Evening News has been told the number is 'small' and 'there are no other issues across the Trust'.
Another parent, who didn't want to be named, said: "It's not great for children to be learning in the midst of a very visible dispute.
"Many staff at the school do give their time generously to support extracurricular activities and it would be a shame for these to be affected while this is going on."
A spokesperson for the Trust said: "Moving towards the new school year school leaders have been taking input from staff in terms of planning and timings. This input will ensure that staff are able to fulfil their responsibilities, and remain supported in their work of making lives better.
"The Trust will always be committed to finding the best solutions to internal matters, and as always, leaders at St Monica’s will continue to work with employees and professional associations to ensure that pupils at the school receive the best possible quality of education."
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