Striking teachers at Loughborough Grammar School pick litter in Southfields park

They are on their fourth day of a nine day strike over pension changes.

Striking teachers at Loughborough Grammar School have carried out a socially distanced clean up of Southfields Park this morning instead of a picket line. They were joined by supportive parents as they sought to give something back to the community they serve.

Members of NASUWT are not currently doing picket lines due to Covid so the litter pick was seen as a safe way to demonstrate their strength of feeling. Around 60 striking staff and parents cleaned the park in small groups.

Luke Akhurst, Secretary of Leicestershire NASUWT said "Teachers at the Grammar School do not want to take action like this, but do want to show the parents and community they serve how strongly they feel about how they have been treated.

"We believe that the Foundation can offer a flexible scheme where teachers currently in the Teachers Pension Scheme can remain in it but so far management have refused to negotiate with us.

"We are concerned that parents know the real reasons for the strike, and that it is management intransigence which has caused this strike. Only negotiations between management and the union can end it. If parents are concerned about the strike, we would encourage them to write to the Chair of Governors expressing their desire that the school meet with NASUWT to resolve this."

Regarding the strike, Loughborough Schools Foundation said, "The Union claims members felt there only option left was to strike, due to the loss in pay reportedly caused by the decision of the Schools Governors to withdraw from the Teachers Pension Scheme and replace it with an inferior private scheme.

"Staff have been offered an alternative pension that compares very favourably to that offered in other industries.

"We are very confident that boys’ learning will not suffer as a result of this action. Boys are taking their end-of-year school exams today as planned. The School leadership remains committed to open communication with all staff, so that we can move forward constructively following this difficult but necessary financial decision."