A teacher at a special educational needs provision in the west end of Newcastle has said 19 members of its staff are taking strike action after thirteen years of government underfunding has left them relying on charity or to fork out themselves for learning resources.
Hadrian School, which caters for the needs of pupils aged between two and eleven years with a range of additional needs including complex, severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties, will close today (Wednesday February 1) for the first of four strike days, if an agreement is not reached with Government.
19 of the school's teaching staff are members of the National Education Union (NEU), which is taking strike action for seven days across the UK, though each school involved will only be affected by four. The NEU's members voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action "as a result of failure by the Secretary of State in England and the employers in Wales to ensure enough money is available to pay a fully-funded increase in pay for teachers which at least matches inflation, and which begins to restore lost pay."
One teacher at Hadrian School says that the strike is not solely about pay. Teachers have got an average of a 5% pay rise, though this is less than half the rate of inflation at roughly 12%.
Scott Marshall, Art and Design Technology Co-ordinator at Hadrian School said: "For me personally, as my wages should be going up, I'm starting to feel the pinch more. I know my colleagues are really feeling the squeeze too with bills going up.
"I don't think the issue of workload and retention have been addressed either, lots of teachers leave within their first few years in the job. We're really lucky at Hadrian that we've got a really supportive leadership team and it's a good team to work in.
"The expectations are so high, you're expected to do a lot more with less time and less resources and you're starting to see a big difference getting resources into schools."
The 32-year-old says that an important part of education in SEN schools is getting children out into the wider community. But that's happening less often due to issues around fuel costs and financial things that "shouldn't really apply".
Hadrian School is at times forced to rely on charity to make up for shortfalls in government funding, a breakfast club is run with donations and there is an Amazon wish list where members of the public can buy resources that teachers need.
He continued: "Back in the day, we didn't really have a problem if we wanted to buy resources for the class, but now you've got to try and really thing about what you need and bid for it - and you might not get it. We also can't get the kids out onto the minibuses anymore because of issues around petrol and other financial pressures.
"There should be a pot of money that can be accessed to meet all the children's needs. But it's been thirteen years of Conservative government consistently underfunding schools and I think that's all come to a head now."
Scott told ChronicleLive that it's been an extremely difficult decision for Hadrian's teachers to go on strike knowing the impact that it will have on the children. Some are eligible for free school meals and could miss out on breakfast club and lunch on strike days, while they also won't be coming into a warm building.
He continued: "The children who come to our school have a wide range of needs both medical and emotional, some struggle with behaviour at home so it's going to be a massive impact on the parents. It's a complete last resort for us and it's not a thing we've taken lightly.
"We were open during the pandemic because our kids were classed as vulnerable, so they were coming in when mainstream schools were shut. The head never ever takes the decision lightly to shut the school, he wants to keep it open as much as possible, even on weekends and evenings for the use of the community.
"It's a huge impact on everyone, routines will be broken, parents may have to take days off, but it's the only way we can get the Government to listen."
And Scott fears for what the future could look like for the pupils of Hadrian School if things carry on as they are now. Due to the children's needs, there is a high staff to children ratio, with many class sizes in single figures.
He finished: "What we do, how we teach, if you've got stressed and overworked workers it's not going to be very productive. Even if you think from a business point of view, you want your staff to be happy and motivated.
"If you're stressed and are having to spin 50 million plates you're not going to get the best out of the children because you're not at your best yourself."
In a letter to parents outlining the school's closures during strikes, headteacher Chris Rollings wrote: "We hope you appreciate how hard our Teaching staff work and the demands we are having recruiting and retaining staff due to the pay and working demands that they are working under. If you are willing to support our staff we would ask that you address your concerns to the Secretary of State for Education and demand that the Government reach a mutual understanding with our amazing staff."
The Department of Education was asked by ChronicleLive if talks were planned ahead of Wednesday's strike, more information on where teacher's pay rises had come from, and if guidance for special needs provisions remaining opened differed to that of mainstream schools.
They responded with a statement from Gillian Keegan, which read: "It is hugely disappointing the NEU is continuing with strike action. These strikes will have a significant impact on children’s education, especially following the disruption of the past two years, and are creating huge uncertainly for parents.
"With talks ongoing on a range of issues, including around future pay, workload, behaviour and recruitment and retention, it is clear that strikes are not being used as a last resort. I have been clear today that unions do not need to strike to meet with me.
"I also reiterated my call to union leaders to ask their members to let head teachers know if they intend to strike, helping schools to minimise the impact on children. I will continue doing everything possible to protect children’s education."
Hadrian School will be closed on Wednesday February 1, Tuesday February 28, Wednesday March 15 and Thursday March 16.
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