Cottingham High School teacher strike ends after talks
A long-running strike over redundancies and working practices at a secondary school has come to an end.Teachers at Cottingham High School, near Hull, had been taking industrial action since January, with walkouts called by the National Education Union (NEU).Cottingham High School said it was "pleased" to confirm strike action had ended after "successful negotiations" with the union.The NEU said that a new policy written by the school meant teachers were "protected from unreasonable levels of monitoring and evaluation".
Concerns had been raised about redundancies in connection with the closure of the school's sixth form.However, the school said it had "consistently maintained" since October that "no more than two colleagues would be at risk of redundancy". Strike action "did not alter this position".In a letter sent to parents earlier, head teacher Jay Kerby said the end of the strike meant "we can confidently move forward in a positive and productive manner, working together with mutual respect for the benefit of our learners".The letter set out details of a recovery plan that had been put in place by the school, including increased homework support and workshops with parents.
'Round the table'
Steve Scott, the NEU branch secretary, said: "We are pleased that the trust and leadership at the school finally got round the table to write the policy which members had been asking for. "We are also glad that they issued a statement on the number of redundancies, which is significantly lower than it was when this began."The implementation of a teaching and learning policy and adherence to the trust quality assurance policy ensures that members are protected from the school becoming a panopticon and being subject to unreasonable levels of monitoring and evaluation."In a statement the school said it was "fully committed to always doing our best to avoid redundancies".An "instructional framework" would be "implemented as agreed through negotiations" to support "the school's vision for consistency and continuous educational improvement".
Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
05-06-2025
- BBC News
Surrey men fined after Lincolnshire hare coursing incident
Two men have been fined after they were found guilty of hare coursing in Connors, 24, and Jerry Connors, 19, both of Rectory Lane, Woodmansterne, Banstead, Surrey, were arrested and charged after an incident in Crowland in March pair, and two others, were found guilty of hunting a wild mammal with dogs and trespass during a trial in December for their arrests were later issued and they were sentenced at Lincoln Magistrates' Court on 29 May. Lincolnshire Police said officers had been called out on Sunday 12 March 2023 to reports of four men hare reported seeing the men walking across fields with one driving a blue Daihatsu Terios 4x4 through newly planted a short chase, the four members of the group were pair were both individually fined £875 and ordered to pay £4929.83 compensation and a £350 victim surcharge. What is hare coursing? Coursers will walk along a field to frighten the hare into the openThe dog catches the hare and kills it by "ragging" it - shaking the animal in its teethThe dogs - usually greyhounds, lurchers or salukis - are on a slip lead, threaded so it can be easily releasedThe dead hare is usually left in the field or thrown in a ditchHare coursing is illegal throughout the UK. The Hunting Act 2004, makes it an offence to hunt wild mammals with dogsSource: Lincolnshire Police Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
BBC News
05-06-2025
- BBC News
Two arrests and birds seized in Bradford in cockfighting probe
Two men have been arrested and several cockerels seized from six properties in Bradford in connection with an investigation into animal man was arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of causing an animal fight to take place and taking part in an animal fight, while another man was arrested on suspicion of being present at an animal fight, according to West Yorkshire RSPCA confirmed its officers had joined police as warrants were carried out at six addresses in Bradford and two addresses in Burton-upon-Trent and Warrington as part of the investigation.A "number" of cockerels were removed during those operations and placed into the care of the RSPCA, a spokesperson said. "The warrants are part of an ongoing investigation led by the police," they added. Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
The Independent
05-06-2025
- The Independent
Hundreds of thousands more children to access means-tested free school meals
The government has announced a major expansion of the free school meals policy in England, set to begin at the start of the 2026 school year. Every child whose household is on universal credit will be entitled to free school meals, a change from the 2018 eligibility criteria of a household income less than £7,400 per year. The Department for Education claims the expansion will lift 100,000 Children across England out of poverty and put an extra £500 in parents' pockets. Campaigners and unions have welcomed the move, with the Child Poverty Action Group calling it a 'game-changer' and the National Education Union describing it as a 'necessary and overdue first step'. The announcement follows The Independent's Feed the Future campaign, which called for free school meals to be extended to all schoolchildren in England from households on universal credit.
