According to one teacher, who wishes to stay anonymous, the practice of ‘split classes’ which involves splitting a regular class up to join other classes in the absence of a teacher, has been vastly overused at Newbury Park Primary School
They claim headteacher Sebrina Dawes refuses to hire substitute teachers if a regular teacher is off work, forcing pupils to join other classes.
It is causing “significant” disruption to their education, they added.
The teacher said: “I called other schools in Redbridge to ask about split classes and the vast majority said they’ve had zero instances and some said they had three or four that were used in the case of genuine emergency.
Newbury Park has been led by Sebrina Dawes since April last year (Image: Google) “In our case, we have been teaching 40+ children all day but we don’t have enough resources, desks and chairs so the children will sit on the floor until they are sore.”
According to the teacher, the school has had 70 instances of split classes in 127 teaching days.
The first day of strikes was on December 17 and yesterday (Thursday, April 3) marked the 32nd strike day.
Another teacher, wishing to stay anonymous, told this paper: “None of us expected to be out for so long – we thought the threat of strike might be enough.
“It should have been resolved by now.”
They also claimed that operations at Newbury Park has “changed drastically” since Mrs Dawes joined in April last year.
In a letter to parents dated March 14, Mrs Dawes said three requests had been made to stop strike action during talks but claimed this had been blocked by the union.
She wrote: “While union banners and messaging prominently call to “end the strike”, their decision to reject this request suggests a determination to continue industrial action despite the impact on children’s learning.
“We have worked hard to keep the school open on some strike days, ensuring that previously scheduled trips proceed as planned and we have taken steps to minimise the impact on pupils wherever possible.
“We remain committed to finding a resolution and will continue working to ensure that your children’s education and wellbeing remain our top priorities.”
Teachers described the communication between Mrs Dawes, her staff and parents of pupils as “absolutely hellish”.
One of the teachers added: “In terms of communication between us and her – I think this says it all: we went three months of striking without any offer of a meeting or conversation and to this day, she has never called a staff meeting to ask how we’re feeling or to try sort this out.”
They claimed Mrs Dawes denies using split classes despite being confronted with data showing their use.
Bill Stockwell, assistant secretary of the National Education Union’s Redbridge branch, said: “I was asked to attend a meeting with teachers as they had serious concerns and I’ve never been to a meeting where so many concerns were raised and members were so animated in expressing these concerns.
“We then approached the headteacher with these concerns and when they weren’t addressed to the satisfaction of teachers, they felt they had no other choice but to take strike action.”
One parent, who is planning to move her daughter out of Newbury Park, claimed the school used to be “absolutely great” but now “not a pleasant place to be”.
“It’s a really sad situation that we’re having to move her but this is affecting her education.”
Newbury Park Primary School confirmed it has received our requests for comment but has not responded otherwise.
