NATIONAL Education Union members at Great Torrington Bluecoat Primary School took strike action on Monday, October 5 as they remain in dispute with Devon County Council.

Proposed plans will see the number of classroom support staff halved, from one per class, to one per year group.

The school is being forced to take this drastic action because of a deficit in the budget.

Placards on display on the NEU picket line outside Great Torrington Bluecoat Primary School.
Placards on display on the NEU picket line outside Great Torrington Bluecoat Primary School. (NEU)

However Devon County should have been managing the budget. It should never have been allowed to get to this point.

Some of these staffing structures are already in place and staff at the school are hugely concerned - a lack of support in the classroom will have a negative educational impact on children, particularly those with SEND and SEMH needs. (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, Social, Emotional, and Mental Health). The impact on wellbeing and workload will be huge.

Although promised, no Health and Safety Risk Assessment has yet been carried out.

Staff believe that a lack of support in the classroom will mean that staff and pupils will be less safe under these proposals.

Staff voted overwhelmingly to take industrial action. They see this as necessary action to protect the education of children in the school.

National Education Union representatives served 10 days notice under trade union laws and in an attempt to suspend strike action, met with Devon County Council on Wednesday, September 30.

During this meeting, some concessions were offered, however members do not feel that these go far enough to fully address their concerns or to provide the staffing, conditions and support that they believe are in the best interests of the children in the school.

The school has closed for the day to pupils, with five further days of strike action planned during weeks commencing October 12 and 19.

The NEU welcome the chance to continue negotiations with Devon County Council and says it remains committed to reaching a resolution through meaningful discussions in order to pause further action.

NEU members will be mounting a picket line at the school on the days of strike action.

Branch Secretary Mike Gurney says: "So many schools are in crisis with less teaching and support staff and ever increasing SEND need.

“This is happening across Devon with school budgets that are getting tighter year on year.

“We have reports of class sizes of 35 plus becoming common. This is not good for the education of the children that are in schools and is enormously difficult and stressful for staff.

“Union members across Devon are upset and angry at what is happening in their schools. Staff at Great Torrington Bluecoat are making a stand against the cuts and should be applauded.

“The Government is planning to cut billions from school budgets as a result of the revaluation of the Teachers Pension Scheme and falling pupil numbers. Keeping that money in schools could give every child the good local school that they need."