UNISON has welcomed a decision by governors at South Tyneside’s Boldon School to reject academy status.
UNISON members at the school stood shoulder to shoulder with colleagues in teaching unions NASUWT and the NUT, as well as the South Tyneside Public Services Alliance, to see off an attempt to turn the school into an academy.
After a decisive ballot result, the joint unions had a mandate for sustained strike action in protest at plans to give the school academy status. And they staged a protest outside the school to publicise their campaign.
The joint unions then made a presentation to the school governors last night and presented them with the facts they needed to convince them not to proceed with the consultation process.
UNISON organiser Gemma Taylor said: “We are delighted with this decision. We are against schools moving to academy status because it is taking them away from local authority control.”
Northern regional convenor Clare Williams, a leading figure in the Northern Public Services Alliance added: “What I think was critical was a united front from the unions and the threat of sustained strike action following a great ballot result.”
She hailed this as “a model for the future”.