UNISON and GMB make formal complaint about David Ross Education Trust to Health and Safety Executive
academy schools
UNISON urges Ormiston to pause process for full consultation
The UK’s largest academy chain faces a potential dispute with seven education unions over job cuts, low wages and outsourcing.

UNISON is organising meetings and support after Cheshire academy chain announced 43 redundancies at seven schools across the county
Some schools face losing 50% of caretaking staff under an academy chain’s ‘controversial’ plans released today (Tuesday). Education unions have issued a warning over plans by London-based Academies Enterprise Trust (AET) to slash £1.4 million from its schools’ estates budgets. Under the plan AET is proposing to cut the number of buildings and estates staff in […]
An academy chain with schools in the East Midlands and Yorkshire and Humberside has announced today (Thursday) that as many as 40 support staff could face redundancy over plans to cut budgets. The David Ross Education Trust launched a consultation exercise earlier today over proposals to cut nearly £1m in funding from its 32 primary […]
Friday 26 August 2016 For immediate release Responding to the Local Government Association call for councils to have oversight of academy school finances, UNISON national secretary for education Jon Richards said: “UNISON has raised cases of suspected financial irregularity with the Department for Education, Education Funding Agency and the National Audit Office, all of which […]
Commenting on the decision today (Thursday) by the Academies Transformation Trust (ATT) to announce jobs cuts and a major restructuring across its secondary and primary schools in the East and West Midlands, and the East of England, UNISON head of education Jon Richards said: “This decision has come as a bolt from the blue, and […]

Government plans to force all schools in England to become academies are just one issue facing support staff
More than 140,000 people have signed a petition against forcing all local authority schools to become academies – why not join them?

Government plans to force 17,000 schools in England to become academies opposed by unions, educators and politicians, including leading Conservative voices
Commenting on government proposals for all schools to become academies and have longer working days, UNISON General Secretary Dave Prentis said: “Forcing all schools to become academies will do little, if anything, to improve the quality of education. “Many schools want to keep their links with local authorities and not be forced into academy trusts. […]