Teachers at The Orchard School in Oldbury will begin the first of four days of strike action tomorrow. The Orchard School is a SEND school run by Sandwell Local Authority.
Teachers at The Orchard have serious concerns about the numbers of pupils on roll and the impact overcrowding has on their workload, and the safety of both staff and pupils.
Matt Wrack, General Secretary of NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union, said:
“At any SEND school, getting staff to pupil ratios right is essential for everyone’s safety. NASUWT believes that not only is The Orchard School already over capacity, but that yet more pupils are due to join in September, despite the fact that the school has neither the staff or the space to meet their needs. There are serious questions to be answered as to how this situation came to pass.
“Teachers at the school have been raising concerns since last September, and though some negotiations have taken place, no meaningful solutions have been found. We’re running out of time to make sure that The Orchard remains safe as a school and as a workplace.
“We’re asking leaders at the school and local authority to work with us to put things right as a matter of urgency. The school cannot continue to take on new pupils without staff and current pupils paying the price.”
Alan Jones, National Executive Member for Sandwell, said:
“Many pupils at The Orchard School have severe disabilities and high level medical needs. It is downright dangerous to throw staff to pupil ratios out of the window in this situation, but this is what we believe is happening at The Orchard, which is why the teachers feel they have to go on strike.
“When staff ratios go down and pupil numbers go up, there are a whole host of negative consequences. Teachers’ workloads quickly become intolerable, which takes a physical and mental toll on their wellbeing. There is an impact on the pupils – in this case, we’re seeing a rise in the number of pupils who are biting and pinching staff. That needs to stop immediately.
“Teachers at The Orchard need better communication from their leaders so that they feel involved in important decisions. They need meaningful workload impact assessments before big changes take place.
“If the local authority wants The Orchard to take more pupils, they have to provide the resources to support this – that means more funding, more staff, and more space. None of that is going to materialise overnight.”
