Councillors raise concerns over strike dispute at St Cuthbert’s High School in Rochdale

Two Rochdale councillors have written to a Catholic academy trust raising concerns about an ongoing strike at St Cuthbert’s High School. They say the dispute is affecting pupils, families and the wider community.

Councillors Philip Massey and Daniel Meredith have written to Chris Foley of St Teresa of Calcutta Catholic Academy Trust about industrial action by members of the NASUWT teaching union.

The councillors represent the Balderstone and Kirkholt ward. In their letter, they say they remain concerned about the situation at the school and the effect it may be having locally.

They wrote:

“We are writing to you regarding the ongoing NASUWT strike at St Cuthbert's High School in Rochdale. As local councillors for Balderstone and Kirkholt, we remain deeply concerned about the issues raised by staff and the impact this dispute is having on pupils, families and the wider community.

Serious matters have been raised around behaviour management, staff resourcing, assaults on staff and pupil, significant budget reductions and rising truancy. We also continue to seek an explanation for the Trust's 9 percent top slice at a time when schools are under immense financial pressure. Staff and parents are questioning how such a deduction supports the school's ability to meet the needs of pupils, particularly when behaviour, attendance and staffing concerns are escalating.

We have been informed that further strike action is anticipated as a direct result of the Trust's decision to implement an immediate restructure in response to the concerns raised by staff. This approach appears to be intensifying the dispute rather than resolving it.

We have additionally been told that senior leadership have been subjected to ridicule in public meetings by the trust and asked staff to rate their performance. If accurate, these practices are wholly inappropriate, undermine professional dignity, and damaging morale and trust within the school community.

We must also address concerns brought to us by governors and parish priests. We have been informed that individuals who scrutinise decisions or raise legitimate questions about the direction of the schools in the Trust are being removed from governing bodies. If accurate, this is profoundly troubling. Effective governance relies on challenge, transparency and a diversity of voices. Removing governors for fulfilling their duty to scrutinise decisions undermines confidence in the Trust's leadership and raises questions about accountability.

Your values emphasise aspiration, ambition and the flourishing of children and staff. Yet the current situation at St Cuthbert's suggests a widening gap between those values and the lived reality within the school. The strike, the governance concerns, the rise in truancy and the pressures on staff all point to systemic issues that require urgent attention.”

The councillors have asked the trust to provide a response explaining how the concerns will be addressed and how a resolution to the dispute could be reached.

They requested that any reply be sent directly to them by email.

Mrs E Keenan, executive headteacher at St Cuthbert’s RC High School, told parents in a letter yesterday that talks with NASUWT officials had discussed all 31 concerns raised by the union and that more than 90 percent of their negotiation requests had been agreed in principle.

However, she said the union has indicated it intends to carry out a further nine days of strike action across March and early April while the school awaits a formal response to the proposals.

We are awaiting a response from the NASUWT on the school's letter to parents. 

The St Teresa of Calcutta Catholic Academy Trust told us on Thursday morning:

"The NASUWT has recently provided us with the legally required notification to the employer of further days of strike action. These potential strike days start next week, therefore although these will be withdrawn if resolution is reached, it has been necessary to inform parents to give them sufficient notice.

We remain committed to negotiating and working in partnership over the coming days to avert this potential action and we are grateful to the NASUWT and its members for continuing to engage in this process. 

During the period of dispute Year 11 pupils who are close to their GCSE examinations have remained on site. Their upcoming examinations are a key focus and will remain so as together we seek to resolve all issues raised."

Roch Valley Radio has contacted St Teresa of Calcutta Catholic Academy Trust for further comment, following the letter from the two local councillors.