North London council deputy leader backs school strikes against ‘deeply punitive’ fire and rehire ‘plan’

Strikes are scheduled to take place on days throughout June and July

National Education Union (NEU) members at a SEND school in North London have begun their latest round of industrial action, with 23 days planned during the exam season. The strikes are taking place due to claims the school plans to ‘fire and rehire’ support staff, which the deputy leader of the council has described as a “deeply punitive practice”.

Woodfield School is a mixed secondary school in Kingsbury , Brent, catering for pupils aged 11 to 19 with a range of special educational needs including physical disabilities and autism. Part of the Compass Learning Partnership academy trust, the school already had to close numerous times in December and January after NEU members walked out .

There have been on-going disputes about cuts to pay and hours but the NEU has now said that the trust has “refused to negotiate further”. Instead, the union claims it has been told that they will “resort to a tactic of fire and rehire” – an employment practice where an employer terminates an employee’s contract and immediately offers to rehire them on new, often less favourable terms – a practice set to be made illegal.

Staff at the school believe their pay should not be cut “whilst high executive salaries have been maintained”, according to the NEU. The union hopes that a series of strike days over the exam season will help persuade the trust to come back to the negotiating table.

Local NEU Branch Secretary, Jenny Cooper, said: “We have the support of several local politicians including Barry Gardiner MP and we believe parents would prefer that the Trust negotiate their way out of this dispute. No one wants to see this level of strike action.”

The strike action has received support from the Deputy Leader of Brent Council, Cllr Gwen Grahl, who has described the fire and rehire proposals as “deeply punitive” and is urging Compass Learning Partnership to “re-enter negotiation with the NEU”.

In a statement, the council’s former Cabinet member for schools said: “I was shocked and saddened to hear that Woodfield School has announced proposals to subject 47 teaching assistants to fire and rehire following a protracted breakdown in industrial relations.”

Cllr Grahl added: “The dispute […] could still be resolved through meaningful negotiations with staff and their recognised union, the NEU. Teaching assistants are central to delivering high-quality SEND provision, and their pay and conditions should reflect the skill, care and consistency their work requires.”

She also hit out at the school’s approach to negotiations, accusing them of not being “sufficiently constructive”. Cllr Grahl pointed to the school’s “reported reserves of nearly £4m”, which she claimed would “more than cover the difference in pay being sought by staff”.

She added: “Meanwhile, pupils and families have already experienced considerable disruption during 11 days of strike action, and I am concerned about the further impact continued escalation could have on the school community.”

Strikes took place over nine days before Christmas, forcing the school to close, with a further seven days of strikes in January after members rejected an offer from the Trust. The NEU members will now take further industrial action across June and July after members likened the Trusts’ previous offer to “throwing scraps to the dogs”.

Compass Learning has been informed of the plans for a series of strike days – with action set to take place on three days every week in June, starting on June 2, and on four days each week in July.

Compass Learning Partnership were approached for comment but did not respond ahead of publication.

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