Five further strikes planned at school as threat of redundancies remains

Twm Owen, Local democracy reporter

Five further strikes, including on consecutive days, are planned at a school that has refused to rule out compulsory redundancies.

King Henry VIII school, in Abergavenny, is grappling with a budget that is millions in the red and working with Monmouthshire County Council on a recovery plan that includes a review of its teaching staff and curriculum.

A teachers’ strike closed the school on Thursday, March 5 other than for sixth form students in years 12 and 13 and meant its World Book Day celebrations had to be postponed.

The NEU National Education Union has told the school its members also intend to take strike action on Wednesday, March 11 and Thursday, March 12.

Teachers then plan to close the school for three consecutive days from Tuesday, March 24 to Thursday, March 26.

Headteacher Jonathan Watson has written to parents and said the NEU is taking strike action “due to the employer’s failure to agree there will be no compulsory redundancies in an ongoing staff restructure process.”

His letter stated: “The school and Monmouthshire County Council continues to do everything possible to try and avert this strike action.”

The school, which is Monmouthshire’s first for children aged three to 19, moved into a purpose built £70m building on the site of the former Comprehensive last spring.

But the school, which was established by merging the former King Henry Comp with the Deri View Primary and which operated from the existing buildings when the new school was created in September 2023, has been bestet by financial troubles.

The county’s 34 schools, and its pupil referral unit, have a combined deficit budget of £7.5m pounds, as around half of the schools combined have spent more than their budgets have allowed.

Senior councillors have previously said a large part of the £7.5m figure is due to King Henry School.

At the county council’s March meeting leader of the Conservative opposition group Richard John asked for an update on the strike action.

The Mitchell Troy and Trellech councillor said he was concerned at the impact on the education of pupils who faced disruption during the construction phase and previously the Covid pandemic.

He said: “It was empty other than for sixth formers. We didn’t spend £70m on a brand new school for that.”

Labour’s Laura Wright, the cabinet member for education, said it was “clearly regrettable” NEU members had reached the point of industrial action.

She said the school is facing a “significant budget deficit” and as a result the council is working with it and the governing body to develop a “responsible and sustainable” deficit reduction plan which she said is intended to restore the budget to a balance position over eight years.

The Abergavenny councillor said: “The council has commissioned an independent, external review of school staffing and curriculum structure so that decisions around the school’s future can be informed by clear and objective evidence.

“We’ve also agreed a deficit recovery period of eight years for the school which gives it the flexibility to and space to address those challenges.”

She added: “That recover plan does involve changes to the staffing structure, and that unfortunately is a reality facing many schools across the country. The key point is the school has entered a formal consultation which is intended to be open, transparent and and be meaningful. “

Cllr Wright said staff “are committed” and “care deeply about their school” and it is important they are listened to and the process should be allowed to take place and added: “Ultimately it is my responsibility as cabinet member to support the school and staff to resolve this situation as soon as possible.”