Teachers at Outwood Grange Academies Trust have extended planned strike action for an extra month over concerns that a longer school day will increase their workload.

Previously, strikes were planned to run across six days this month, with 19 June being the last planned day of action.

However, the NEU teaching union said today that members are not willing to stop strike action until a “clear picture emerges of how workload will be reduced”.

NEU members at 14 OGAT secondary schools could strike on 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 16 and 17 July.

Talks through the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) are scheduled for 10 July, the NEU said.

NASUWT action paused

A spokesperson for OGAT said that the NASUWT teaching union, whose members had also been on strike in June, has been amenable to refined proposals, and has agreed to pause strike action.

However, talks with the NEU had made less progress.

The spokesperson added that Outwood contacted ACAS to facilitate further talks with the NEU and had requested the union pause strike action.

The NEU has said it will not pause strike action, OGAT said.

The spokesperson said: “We firmly believe that strike action should always be a last resort, only deployed when talks have broken down and there is little sign of progress. The involvement of a third party, with both sides committing to it, clearly indicates that talks are not breaking down and that there is a desire, on all sides, to continue constructive dialogue.

“Outwood is very disappointed with the NEU’s stance on continuing strikes while mediation is being arranged. We hoped the NEU would want to signal their positive intent by pausing action as a result. We will do all we can to minimise the impact during any industrial action.”

OGAT, which has 40 schools, is proposing to increase the length of the secondary school day and teaching contact by 30 minutes per day so the day ends at 3pm rather than 2.30pm.

The trust previously defended the plans, saying the school day currently falls short of the government’s 32.5-hour weekly minimum.

‘Lack of judgement’

Unions have said the plans will increase both teacher workload and working time.

NEU general secretary Daniel Kebede said that members have not taken industrial action lightly, but any move leading to an increase in teacher workload is “clearly unacceptable”.

NEU and NASUWT members at the trust initially both took strike action in June. The NASUWT said earlier this month that any changes to lengthen the school day should focus on extending lunch breaks rather than teaching contact, adding that OGAT schools currently have five one-hour lessons a day.

Mr Kebede added the proposal “shows a serious lack of judgement and understanding of the day-to-day pressures which teachers are facing.

“The trust must listen to its workforce and resolve this dispute to ensure teacher workload does not escalate, for the benefit of both school staff and the children they teach.”

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