Teachers at Tewkesbury Academy announce further strike dates after talks fail

Members of the National Education Union (NEU) at Tewkesbury Academy have announced nine further days of strike action following what the union described as a breakdown in negotiations with school management during talks held through ACAS this week.

The latest announcement comes after teachers took two days of strike action last week and began a further three days of strikes this week, amid an ongoing dispute centred on concerns about pupil behaviour and staff wellbeing.

Union representatives say the industrial action has been prompted by what they describe as a failure by school leadership to introduce an effective behaviour system that adequately protects both staff and pupils. According to the NEU, staff have raised concerns about a small group of students repeatedly refusing to attend lessons and moving around the school site during the day, alongside concerns about staffing levels to manage behaviour effectively.

The union also claims members have received strong backing from parts of the local community, with some parents writing to the school in support of the campaign.

During ACAS negotiations, the NEU and the NASUWT say they put forward 11 proposals aimed at addressing the issues at the centre of the dispute. However, union officials said they were disappointed by what they described as a lack of meaningful engagement from management.

Ted Powell, NEU regional officer, said: “Negotiations with ACAS this week were really frustrating as management failed to offer anything beyond vague assurances that members have no faith will be followed. The leadership of the school need to make concrete and firm proposals that they can then be held to account to by our members.”

School leaders have previously said they are committed to resolving the dispute and maintaining continuity of education for pupils, though no new agreement had been reached at the time of writing.

The newly announced strike dates are expected to cause further disruption for students and families unless a resolution can be reached in the coming weeks.

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