NUT: Children, parents and staff to gather at DfE as part of protest
On Tuesday, between 10:30 – 11am, the children, parents and staff at Downhills Primary School, Haringey will gather at the Department for Education, Sanctuary Buildings in Great Smith Street to hand in a giant memo inviting Michael Gove to visit Downhills.
NUT members at Downhills School are taking joint strike action with Unison members tomorrow (Tuesday 19 June) over the proposal by the DfE to force the school to become a sponsored academy. The strike follows a successful day of action by the NUT on 22 May 2012.
Members taking action have not taken the decision to strike lightly but feel they have no alternative in the face of continued attempts to force an unwanted change of employer upon them. Education Secretary Michael Gove has said that he wants the school to be run by the Harris Federation.
This is a school that is popular with pupils and parents. There has been an active campaign involving parents, teachers, the local community and local MP David Lammy to keep Downhills as a local authority maintained school.
Christine Blower, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, the largest teachers’ union, said: “This is another example of the Education Secretary forcing his will and vision for education upon communities who do not want to see their schools handed over to unaccountable sponsors. This has nothing whatsoever to do with standards but everything to do with the break up of our education system. The free schools and academies programme is a costly experiment which is neither wanted nor needed.”
END pr103-2012
For further details please contact London Regional Secretary Tim Harrison on 07811357118 or Caroline Cowie at the NUT Press Office on 0207 380 4706/
Caroline Cowie
NUT Press Officer
Hamilton House, Mabledon Place,
London WC1H 9BD
0207 380 4706 or 07879480061
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