Staff at a special educational needs school in North London are preparing for a further seven days of strike action this month, after overwhelmingly rejecting a proposal that would cut their working hours and pay.
Dispute Over Hours and Pay Escalates
National Education Union (NEU) members at Woodfield School in Kingsbury, Brent, have already held nine days of strike action before Christmas, forcing the school to close. The dispute centres on plans by the school's academy trust, Compass Learning Partnership, to reduce the working hours of learning support assistants.
During negotiations at the end of 2025, the Trust put forward an offer to cut teaching assistants' working time by one and a half hours per week. While this was a reduction from the originally proposed three and a half-hour cut, union members voted to reject it. The NEU states that the current reduction equates to an annual pay cut of between £2,000 and £4,000 for already low-paid staff.
Union Warns of "Unlawful Action" by Trust
The conflict has intensified following the offer's rejection. The NEU claims the Trust has informed parents it has "secured an alternative activities offer" for pupils on the January strike days, to be delivered by existing agency staff.
The union has issued a strong warning, stating that using agency workers to cover the duties of striking staff could contravene employment regulations. Cian Galea, NEU Regional Officer, said the union believes this would represent "unlawful action" and that they would be "forced to contact the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate with a view to prosecuting those businesses" if the Trust proceeds.
Call for Meaningful Negotiations
Ms Galea expressed the members' deep disappointment, arguing that money being diverted to fund alternative activities could instead be used to restore staff hours. "Our members remain open to a further offer from the school and Trust that is superior to the one they overwhelmingly rejected," she stated.
The union indicated that proposed strike dates could be suspended if a better offer is made. However, with no new agreement, seven further days of industrial action are scheduled throughout January 2026, risking more disruption for the school's pupils, who are aged 11 to 19 and have special educational needs including physical disabilities and autism.
The Compass Learning Partnership was approached for comment but did not respond prior to publication.
