Teachers at St Brendan’s Sixth Form College in Brislington are set to go on strike tomorrow (November 30) because of an ongoing dispute with the central government over pay. Staff members at the school who are members of the NEU (National Education Union) will join teachers at nearly 90 other colleges across the country in walking out over demands for an above-inflation pay increase.
The action comes in response to a government offer of a below-inflation pay increase that would see most sixth-form teachers receive a 5 per cent pay award, rising to 8.9 per cent for a minority. According to the NEU, since 2010, a decade of below-inflation pay increases now means that sixth-form college teachers, who have a different pay scale to standard secondary teachers, have seen a 20 per cent cut in real terms.
Although St Brendan's is a Catholic Sixth Form College catering to over 1,900 students aged 16 - 19 of all abilities, it welcomes students and staff from various religious backgrounds. With a wide catchment area, the school is the only specialist Sixth Form College in the Bristol, Bath, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset region. Many students travel considerable distances from rural areas to attend their classes.
