A strike at The Deepings School will be followed by talks with The Anthem Schools Trust

Striking teachers will be involved in new talks with a school trust next week.

Union members formed a picket line outside The Deepings School on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, calling for greater consultation on policy changes that affect staff and pupils.

According to The Teachers’ Union (NASUWT) and the National Education Union (NEU) communication has been inadequate from The Anthem Schools Trust, which is based in Reading, Berkshire but runs The Deepings School in Deeping St James.

The trust is also accused of providing inadequate staff training and support, and creating an unmanageable workload.

Dozens of staff members have left the school in the past 18 months.

The school has been part of The Anthem Schools Trust since 2012 and since 2017 it has been judged by Ofsted inspectors to ‘require improvement’.

The trust was issued with a ‘termination warning notice’ by the Department for Education in February, which could withdraw funding if it is thought to be ‘coasting’ and not making the necessary improvements. The trust has been told to submit termly updates on what it is doing to improve from April next year.

In September the school withdrew its sixth form intake at the last minute after only 10 pupils applied to join the lower sixth form.

Spencer Bannister, a teacher and NEU workplace representative at The Deepings School, said: “We have had two days of very strongly supported strike action and lots of support from parents and members of the local community.

“We think there is a widespread appreciation that we are desperate to bring about positive changes at the school. We hope that the trust will now take the opportunity to work with us to bring those changes about."

Kirstie Johnson, headteacher at The Deepings School, said: “We were pleased that disruption for pupils and their families was kept to a minimum on Tuesday and Wednesday, and that the school remained open to all year groups.

“This was due in no small part to our dedicated staff and members of the wider Anthem Schools Trust team, who ensured that lessons continued, making sure that pupils’ education remained our top priority.

“The unions’ decision to take strike action stems from concerns over new ways of working related to adjustments to our teaching framework and our behaviour policy.

“We understand the unions’ concerns and we continue to engage in constructive discussions with them.

“We remain fully committed to working with them to find a resolution that supports both staff and the leadership team, while maintaining our focus on raising educational standards for our pupils.”