Teacher strike ends after 'successful' talks

A long-running strike over redundancies and working practices at a secondary school has come to an end.

Teachers at Cottingham High School, near Hull, had been taking industrial action since January, with walkouts called by the National Education Union (NEU).

Cottingham High School said it was "pleased" to confirm strike action had ended after "successful negotiations" with the union.

The NEU said that a new policy written by the school meant teachers were "protected from unreasonable levels of monitoring and evaluation".

Concerns had been raised about redundancies in connection with the closure of the school's sixth form.

However, the school said it had "consistently maintained" since October that "no more than two colleagues would be at risk of redundancy". Strike action "did not alter this position".

In a letter sent to parents earlier, head teacher Jay Kerby said the end of the strike meant "we can confidently move forward in a positive and productive manner, working together with mutual respect for the benefit of our learners".

The letter set out details of a recovery plan that had been put in place by the school, including increased homework support and workshops with parents.

Steve Scott, the NEU branch secretary, said: "We are pleased that the trust and leadership at the school finally got round the table to write the policy which members had been asking for.

"We are also glad that they issued a statement on the number of redundancies, which is significantly lower than it was when this began.

"The implementation of a teaching and learning policy and adherence to the trust quality assurance policy ensures that members are protected from the school becoming a panopticon and being subject to unreasonable levels of monitoring and evaluation."

In a statement the school said it was "fully committed to always doing our best to avoid redundancies".

An "instructional framework" would be "implemented as agreed through negotiations" to support "the school's vision for consistency and continuous educational improvement".

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