Teachers begin strike action at St Cuthbert’s High School over safety and staffing concerns

Members of NASUWT at St Cuthbert’s RC High School in Rochdale have begun nine days of strike action in a dispute over staffing levels, safety and working conditions.

The industrial action started this morning, Monday 24 February and is due to continue on 25 and 26 February, and on 3, 4, 5, 10, 11 and 12 March. Union members are picketing outside the school between 8am and 8.45am on each strike day.

The dispute centres on concerns raised by NASUWT about what it describes as a failure by St Teresa of Calcutta Academy Trust to provide adequate staffing and resources, and to implement effective systems to address violent and abusive behaviour by some pupils.

The union claims teachers have been hit, shoved, grabbed, sworn at and threatened. It also reports incidents in which pupils have smashed windows, overturned tables and kicked doors open. In some cases, teachers have required hospital treatment for injuries sustained at work.

NASUWT says the school has seen a reduction of more than 20 staff since joining the trust, leading to increased workloads and unfilled roles. Members report working weeks of between 60 and 70 hours. The union also claims there has been a shortage of basic classroom supplies, including books and pens.

Matt Wrack, General Secretary of NASUWT, said, “We first made the Trust aware of the serious health and safety risks in 2024 and at the time measures were put in place to address the concerns of staff. However, the situation at the school has subsequently deteriorated and despite repeated attempts to raise these issues with the Trust the threat to the safety and welfare of staff and pupils is continuing to escalate.

“The school has had four headteachers in the last 18 months. There is constant change with no stability or consistency in systems or procedures. Unsurprisingly this has led to high levels of staff turnover and staff absence. The health and wellbeing of our members is seriously suffering due to the way in which the school is being run, with some members reporting working 60-70 hour weeks.

“This situation cannot be allowed to continue. Presently both staff and students are being put at risk by the way in which the school is being run. The move to strike action must make the employer realise that it needs to put in place immediate measures to make the school safe, to reduce staff workloads and to arrest the decline in the school environment.”

Rachel Knight, NASUWT National Executive Member for Greater Manchester, said, “At present truancy is endemic within the school, with pupils roaming the site unsupervised, barging into classrooms and attacking and verbally abusing other pupils and staff.

“We believe violence, abuse and disruption from pupils has been normalised by school management, with incidents not being dealt with appropriately and a lack of consistent sanctions for pupils.

“Members do not feel safe when they go into work and have little confidence in the way in which they or the school are being managed.

“They have been forced into taking strike action to raise the alarm, not just for themselves, but for the pupils at St Cuthbert’s who are also being systematically failed by the employer.”

St Teresa of Calcutta Academy Trust confirmed that NASUWT members had proceeded with industrial action. A spokesperson said leaders had worked over a period of time to address concerns around safety while seeking to improve standards at the school.

The trust said decisive action had been taken to support staff and the wider school community, including stabilising leadership at senior level. It added that while it respected the right of union members to take industrial action, it believed more could have been achieved through continued dialogue. Trust leaders said they would continue to engage with union members in an effort to resolve the dispute.