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Teachers at a strict school are going on strike after being told to smarten up and limit meetings.
Staff at St Ivo Academy in St Ives, Cambridgeshire, are taking industrial action after the school trust introduced “draconian” policies, the NASUWT teaching union said.
The union said that it was in dispute over the enforcement of a dress code for staff, which asks them to wear “professional attire” and “maintain high standards of modesty, style and taste” as well as an instruction limiting the number of after school meetings to one per week.
The union has also complained about behaviour policies, which it said included pupils who do not have a pen receiving an automatic detention.
All pupils have to line up in rows on the tennis courts for their morning address, while silence must be maintained at all times in the corridor and in classrooms unless children are given permission to speak, the union added.
Astrea Academy Trust, which runs the school, said that pupils only receive a detention if they repeatedly fail to bring a pen to lessons. Pupils lining up for a morning welcome is a “normal part of school life in many schools”, it said.
The trust said that in lesson time, “students are expected to work silently for independent work and when they need to listen to the teacher, but anyone visiting the school will see that our classrooms are interactive, purposeful places of learning”.
‘Questionable rules’
NASUWT members are due to begin five days of strike action on Wednesday after talks broke down.
Astrea said St Ivo will stay open on strike days and will do “everything we can” to limit disruption to pupils.
Dr Patrick Roach, NASUWT general secretary, said: “No behaviour policy can operate effectively without the support of teachers and school staff who are expected to apply it.
“Employers need to respect teachers’ professional judgement and autonomy.
“Behaviour policies must encourage positive behaviours and not detract from effective teaching and learning.
“Yet members at St Ivo’s Academy feel that the draconian nature of Astrea’s behaviour policies limits their ability to teach.
“Teachers need policies that empower them, but instead they are being asked to enforce questionable rules that undermine their authority in the classroom.
“We once again ask Astrea to review its behaviour policies in consultation with the NASUWT and to discontinue the imposition of procedures that are damaging and unworkable.”
‘Further consultation and engagement’
A spokesman for Astrea said: “Obviously it’s disappointing news that the strike action is going ahead.
“We believed there were three remaining issues of contention, covering staff development, a dress code for staff and limiting the number of after-school meetings to one per week.
“Last Friday, we agreed to further consultation and engagement on the three outstanding areas raised by the unions.
“Our doors remain open for further discussion, as was agreed last week.”
Astrea said its behaviour policy “very much aligns with the NASUWT’s published guidance, which focuses on the importance of children being able to learn free from disruption, and we will continue to work to ensure this is the case”.