Parents have voiced their “frustration and fear” after further strikes were announced at an outstanding London girls’ school which has been rocked by a bitter row.
Teachers who are members of the NEU at St Ursula’s Convent School in Greenwich will walk out for three days next week, taking the total strike days to 16.
The dispute centres on the suspension of the school’s long-standing NEU rep, named publicly as head of history Alex Turpie by the NEU.
But parents said the row has gone on so long their children’s mental health and academic success is being harmed. Some students have missed out on three weeks of learning, which is in addition to the five days of national teacher strikes over pay last year and months of school closures during the pandemic.
Briana Warsing, mother of a year 7 student, said: “I feel dispirited, frustrated, powerless, scared.”
She added: “Parents are in utter disbelief and don't understand how this is allowed. Is there no limit on strike days before there are consequences? They don't understand how this is continuing and no one is stepping in and stopping it.”
She added: “Parents are concerned about their daughters' mental health and education. Parents have said their daughters are in pieces, came home in tears, asked to be homeschooled. This is a lot of upheaval.”
Elizabeth, mother of a Year 10 student, said pupils are falling behind in their schoolwork. She said: “My daughter is incredibly stressed out, angry and scared. It’s too late for year 10 and 11 to transfer out of the school so we are stuck. Held hostage by their teachers all picking one teacher’s private employment dispute over the job they are paid to do. This is excessive, unjustifiable and an abuse of Union power.”
The school’s headteacher Ursula Norbert wrote to parents on Tuesday saying: “Yesterday we were given notice that the NEU intends to call its members to take part in further industrial action relating to an on-going dispute they have with St Ursula’s Convent School in relation to an employment natter.”
The strikes will take place next Tuesday (March 19), Wednesday and Friday.
In her message to parents Mrs Norbert added: “I wanted to let you know that the process is still ongoing and we are doing our best to resolve the matter.
“This is frustrating news for parents, carers and students. The school will continue to seek to engage with the union productively with the aim of averting the above strike action and any resulting disruption to school activities.”
The row started when NEU members went on strike after Mr Turpie was suspended, demanding an independent investigation, which was granted. It is believed the NEU now wants Mr Turpie to be reinstated while the investigation takes place.
The reasons for his suspension have not been made public. The NEU wrote on Twitter: “It's not possible to disclose information legally about the nature of the allegations against Mr Turpie. However the continued support for him and union backing clearly indicates our belief he has no case to answer. If there was any doubt this would not be the case.”
One parent told the Evening Standard: “Is one teacher’s suspension ever a good trade for the education of an entire secondary school?”
The schools’ exam schedule was affected by the strikes, the Christmas fair had to be rescheduled and catch-up days for GCSE students who missed lessons are also being impacted.
