Teachers to strike for six days at schools in Preston and Fleetwood as Catholic academy row escalates

Staff at four Lancashire schools are set to strike for six days before the end of the year over plans by the Catholic Church to turn them into academies, the Lancashire Post can reveal.

The move, involving members of the National Education Union (NEU), marks an escalation in - and spread of - a dispute which began earlier this year.

Two of the schools - Corpus Christi Catholic High, in the Fulwood area of Preston, and Cardinal Allen Catholic High in Fleetwood - were hit by 48-hour walkouts in September, with the latter having already seen a one-day stoppage back in July.

For the latest round of action, the pair will be joined by two other Preston schools - Our Lady's Catholic High, also in Fulwood, and English Martyrs Catholic Primary - after a vote amongst their NEU memberships.

Across all four establishments, those members - including both teaching and non-teaching staff - are now planning to strike on 24th November, 1st-2nd December and 8th-10th December.

During the September strikes, staff belonging to the NASUWT union also downed tools, forcing both of the then affected schools to close. The NASUWT has not yet said whether it will be mirroring the NEU’s forthcoming stoppages.

As the governing bodies of the four schools were notified of the latest scheduled action only on Friday afternoon, it is not yet known whether any or all of them will have to close their gates for the duration of the walkouts.

The Post understands the Diocese of Lancaster - which is responsible for most of Lancashire’s Catholic schools - has agreed to an NEU request for a meeting ahead of the next set of strikes to discuss the issue at the heart of the dispute and see if the action can be avoided.

The Bishop of Lancaster, the Right Reverend Paul Swarbrick, wants all of his Diocese's schools to join a church-run multi-academy trust (MAT) - meaning they would no longer fall under the umbrella of Lancashire County Council or Blackpool Council.

The majority have already made the switch - but the unions are opposed to the remaining schools being compelled to follow suit.

They have also expressed concern about the financial implications of the change for individual schools, on the basis that academies within MATs have their budgets top-sliced to contribute towards the cost of central support services that would previously have been provided by the relevant council. NEU representatives at Corpus Christi and Cardinal Allen have previously said the arrangement would cost them teaching staff.

Speaking to the Post about the next, expanded wave of strikes, Lancashire NEU branch secretary Ian Watkinson said adopting academy status should be “a matter of choice for the school community”.

He added: “These are outstanding ballot results and an unmistakable message to the Diocese. Every single member who voted in both schools has supported strike action against forced academisation.

“The Bishop and Diocese now have an opportunity to listen, engage meaningfully with the unions and respect the wishes of school communities. They should take it before further industrial action becomes necessary.”

Turnout amongst NEU members for the latest ballots was 81 percent at English Martyrs Primary and 71 percent at Our Lady’s High. The previous strike mandates for Corpus Christi and Cardinal Allen remain intact.

An indicative ballot testing willingness for strike action has also been taken at Our Lady's Catholic College in Lancaster, where 98 percent were in favour on an 84 percent turnout. An official vote will now be staged, with any approved action to take place on dates yet to be decided.

The Post approached the Diocese for comment on the planned strikes – and on a letter sent to the Bishop from the NEU last week, calling for school autonomy over whether or not to adopt academy status – but had not received a response by the time of publication.

The NEU has arranged a public meeting about the academisation of Catholic schools at Preston North End’s Deepdale ground at 7pm on 3rd December.

Bishop Swarbrick has previously said he is pursuing blanket academisation “to protect, secure and develop the Church’s mission in education through greater collaboration and support between our school communities and parishes”.

Academies have more flexibility than schools operating under local authority control – including an option to deviate from the national curriculum in some areas and to set their own admission arrangements and term times.

The NEU’s letter to Bishop Swarbrick, seen by the Post, warned that the Diocese was creating “an entirely avoidable dispute”.

In addition to the now agreed-to meeting, the correspondence requested “a clear commitment” that no Catholic school within the Diocese would be forced to “academise against the wishes of its school community - and that schools wishing to retain their existing status will be permitted to do so”.

It also highlighted “the longstanding commitment of Catholic social teaching to the dignity of work, solidarity, social dialogue and the legitimate role of trade unions”.

In a statement issued at the time of the September walkouts, a spokesperson for the Diocese of Lancaster expressed “sympathy” with pupils and families affected by the strikes, adding:

“It is our belief that academy trusts will guarantee high-quality Catholic education throughout the Diocese. We know this to be true from experience, because the majority of our schools in this area have already joined their Trust family and are flourishing.

“We are conscious that some unions are opposed to the creation of academies in principle, whether forced or voluntary. Nevertheless, the conversion of schools into academies is both the policy of the government and that of the Diocese of Lancaster.

“We sincerely hope that staff will reconsider their position.”

The Catholic Archdiocese of Liverpool is also aiming to academise all of the schools in its patch, which includes South Ribble and Chorley. The policy has met with similar union resistance to that encountered in the Lancaster Diocese, as well as growing political opposition.

The South Ribble and Ribble Valley MPs, Paul Foster and Maya Ellis, were amongst eight parliamentarians to sign a recent letter to the Archbishop of Liverpool, the Most Reverend John Sherrington, expressing concerns.