Officers of the Brent Association of Teachers and Lecturers and National Union of Teachers met with Ian Phillips the new Chair of Governors of Sudbury Primary Academy School yesterday. They said that they looked forward to a positive working relationship with him and the new governing body.
Staff at the school have voted for strike action if the suspended headteacher returns. The unions anticipate that the imminent Ofsted report will criticise the management of the school but give it a 'Good' grade in other areas.
The unions said:
The governing body will have up to two months to resolve the situation before any action would have to be taken. The Headteacher been suspended since early November. We are confident that staff and unions working together with the Governing body will mean that the school will thrive and continue to give the children the excellent teaching that Ofsted recognises in their report. In the interests of the staff and pupils, the matter needs to be resolved as speedily as possible to remove this uncertainty about the future.Staff and the unions wish to make it clear to parents, the public and Ofsted that strike action will only happen if absolutely necessary to protect staff and children. Further, neither staff nor their unions have any complaint or concerns about any other members of the senior leadership team (SLT). They have done and are continuing to do an excellent job. SLT are now able to work well with all the staff and there is a new purpose and direction, ably led by Kamini Mistry the acting headteacher.