School strike sparks counter protest from parents

Staff strikes led to parents staging their own rival protest at the school gates on Wednesday morning.

The SEND school, Venturers' Academy in the Withywood area of Bristol, has been particularly affected because pupils require all their staff to provide the support they need.

Charlotte, whose daughter attends the school, said: "It's absolutely heartbreaking when I've got to watch my daughter, who is non verbal, cry."

The strikes from support staff took place at seven of Bristol's E-ACT Trust schools over pay issues. Nathan Wagstaff at the NEU union said: "I think we share the frustrations of the parents and we have tried to keep them in the loop."

At the start of the school day, parents started to pin messages to the school gates describing the impact of the strikes on their children.

They gathered at one end of the premises, while a group of teaching assistants stood at the other.

Some parents said their children have missed more than 16 days of school over recent months, with some attending only two or three days a week this term.

One mum, Lauryn, said the disruption was having a devastating effect on families, with some children experiencing increased distress and self-harm as a result of uncertainty around school routines and interrupted therapies.

She said that the pupils should to be able to return to school full-time and receive the support and social experiences they rely on.

Another mum, Layla, whose daughter goes to Venturers' Academy, said: "It's devastating to see just how much of an impact it's having on her."

E-ACT said it is not responsible for the pay shortfall, which dates back to disputes between staff and the school's previous trust, Venturers' Trust.

Wagstaff added: "It's incredibly disappointing that it's had to come to having these strikes, I've never come across a multi-academy trust who has allowed something like this to go on for so long."

However, a statement from E-ACT said: "We cannot make a settlement payment from public funds without government approval. We have requested that approval, but it has been refused."

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