Educators at Lammas, Leytonstone, and Willowfield schools were on strike on 27th February, 4th and 5th March, and will go on strike again next week, reports Marco Marcelline
Teachers at three Waltham Forest secondary schools are taking strike action amid concern about the “continuation” of performance-related pay (PRP).
Educators at Lammas, Leytonstone, and Willowfield schools were on strike on 27th February, 4th and 5th March, and will go on strike again on 11th, 12th, and 13th March.
PRP was introduced in 2013 by the coalition government in a bid to improve performance and retain teachers in schools. It means that a teacher’s pay is linked to their performance during the year.
The Labour government scrapped the “bureaucratic requirement” of performance-related pay in school in September 2024, though local authorities were allowed to keep it if preferred.
The decision followed a review by the workload reduction task-force in 2024 that expressed concerns that PRP “works poorly in practice and does not have a commensurate positive impact on teaching and learning”.
The National Education Union (NEU) says the scheme has seen an “increase in workload and reduction in professional creativity and innovation”, adding: “PRP compounds the recruitment and retention crisis and systemic inequalities.”
Robin Talbot, NEU Waltham Forest assistant secretary told the Echo that despite Waltham Forest Council’s decision to abolish PRP following government guidance, wording in the council’s official policy is “unclear” on whether progression is automatic and annual for all scales.
The NEU has a particular issue with the wording in the council’s pay policy statement – which states: “All eligible teachers and leaders should receive pay progression, unless they are subject to capability procedures.”
Talbot recommends that the council change the wording to explicitly state that pay progression is “automatic and annual” for all teachers regardless of seniority.
He said: “The LBWF policy unfortunately is a pay policy which retains PRP due to the reference to appraisals and subjective and potentially discriminatory decision making.”
A council spokesperson said: “In line with national guidance in relation to teachers’ pay and conditions, Waltham Forest has already abolished PRP for teachers in the borough. At a positive meeting with the unions on Tuesday (4th March), it was agreed that a small working party of unions and local government officers would work together to clarify the wording of the guidance in relation to teachers’ pay progression, in accordance with the national terms and conditions for teachers. The council is committed to resolving this matter at pace.”
They added: “We are aware that some of the strike action is also related to specific issues in individual schools, and we are working with school leaders and unions to resolve these matters with support from the Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS).”
Parents on Facebook have publicly criticised the strikes, with one writing: “Just received a message from Leytonstone School. They will be striking during year eleven mock exams. I’m sorry, I think that’s very unfair on the year elevens.”
One Willowfield School parent who asked to remain anonymous told the Echo that the strikes had been disruptive to her children’s education.
She said the strike on Tuesday (4th March), meant her children didn’t have any of their normal teachers, had long breaks, and an extended assembly.
She explained: “They’re keeping the school open but not much is getting done. One of my kids was sent home after lunch and told their last lesson of the day would be online. I know that online learning just isn’t as effective.”
A letter to Willowfield School parents from headteacher Rebecca Linden that was seen by the Echo accuses striking NEU staff of taking the school’s management by surprise.
She wrote: “I am very sorry to relay to you that we have received a notification of a ballot for strike action from the NEU. The notification was a complete surprise and listed issues that have never been raised before, removing the opportunity to resolve them in a positive manner.
“My priority will always be the safeguarding of the education and wellbeing of the children and staff at Willowfield and I am extremely disappointed that the NEU are choosing to put this at risk.”
Talbot said that NEU Waltham Forest members were taking action because of a “range of issues” in schools. These include members seeing “unfair practices by management” and “unfair workload”.
When asked what the NEU would say to parents who were frustrated by disruption, Talbot said: “It’s unfortunate that there are [parents] who believe it is disruptive, but at the at the end of the day, they would agree we need properly paid staff, as otherwise we’ll have a race to the bottom in the education sector.”
He added: “Strikes are always the last resort.”
A spokesperson from Lammas School said: “The school remains hopeful that the call for industrial action will be resolved so that pupils will not be disadvantaged. [Lammas] has been working with union representatives and are always keen to resolve the need for strikes.”
Leytonstone School and Willowfield School did not respond to requests for comment.
No news is bad news
Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts.
The audiences they serve know less, understand less, and can do less.
If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, yearly or one-off donation.
Choose the news. Don’t lose the news.
Monthly direct debit
Annual direct debit
£5 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else, £10 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else and a print copy posted to them each month. £50 annual supporters get a digital copy of each month's paper before anyone else.
More information on supporting us monthly or annually
More Information about donations
