School staff strike over jobs and pay cuts

Members of teaching union NASUWT along with Unison members are picketing for two days (March 24-25) outside Our Lady of Good Counsel Primary School in Sleaford over the cuts which they believe would seriously affect the quality of education and support provided to pupils.

The Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Multi Academy Trust, which runs the school, is planning to reduce the number of teaching and support staff jobs across the trust.

The proposed staffing cuts equate to 2.5 members of staff at Our Lady of Good Counsel. This is on top of planned cuts to teaching assistant posts and some voluntary staff redundancies.

The Trust has cited financial pressures as the reason for proposing these staffing cuts, however the unions quote financial data showing that in August 2025 the Trust had reserves of £5.69 million.

NASUWT believes any savings should be focused on cutting costs in central services, not at the frontline.

Anne Thompson, NASUWT National Executive Member for Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire, said: “Teachers believe that these plans will undermine the progress and attainment of students and undermine the strong community ethos which is so important to staff, parents and pupils.

“Cuts to staffing will inevitably drive up teachers’ workloads, reducing the amount of time they have to focus on meeting pupils’ needs, particularly those children with SEND.”

She urged the Trust to recognise the damaging impact the plans would have to avoid further strike action.

Unison says support workers including teaching assistants, administrative staff and chaplaincy teams could lose more than a fifth of their income or are at risk of redundancy.

Staff say fewer support workers in classrooms and around school grounds means children could lose access to essential support and supervision.

Some Unison staff members said teaching assistants’ hours are to be cut and classes will be merged into mixed year groups, meaning children with special needs may lose out or become more disruptive due to lack of teaching support. They also feared about safeguarding issues that may be missed.

They said: “This is due to financial mismanagement by the trust.

"The needs of the children will not be met. The Trust has wasted so much money and not worked to market the school to get more pupils in.”

Parent and former member of staff Danielle Ross described the proposals as “a disgrace”. “This used to be a great school but it has gone further and further downhill because of the way it is being run.”

A spokesperson for Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Multi‑Academy Trust said its priority is to deliver high‑quality Catholic education and care while continuing to ensure the long-term financial sustainability of all its 36 schools.

“Our aim is to find savings through voluntary options wherever possible, with compulsory redundancies only considered if no alternative remains.”