York Southbank Academy Trust, Millthorpe School pay dispute

The Press has been contacted by a group of teaching assistants (TAs) who don't want to be named, but work at six York schools in the Southbank Multi-Academy Trust - Millthorpe, York High, Carr Juniors, Knavesmire, Scarcroft and Woodthorpe.

The group, some of whom work with SEND (special educational needs and disability) pupils, claim the trust is attempting to change their contracts from 52 weeks to term time only, which would mean a pay cut from £18,000 to about £15,000 a year.

A trust spokesman - whose CEO is Mark Hassack - said the schools are facing huge budget pressures and are trying to balance their books, and they are not alone in addressing the issue of paid working weeks.

But a spokesman for the National Education Union, which is representing some of the workers, said the academy system is at fault with the lowest paid workers being hit rather than higher paid non-teaching roles.

READ MORE: York High School faces £130,000 gas and electricity bill

One of the TAs, who works at Millthorpe where Gemma Greenhalgh is head, said: "They are drastically cutting the pay of higher level teaching assistants, and some other support staff, and in effect, not pay the nationally agreed support staff pay rise and are actively cutting the current salary of some of the lowest paid staff."

Gemma Greenhalgh, head at Millthorpe

Another said: "In the midst of a cost of living crisis the school has targeted these poorly paid and dedicated staff members causing very considerable distress. It also suggests that the education of the trust's most vulnerable SEND students, who these committed staff support, is a very low priority for the MAT. 

"The pay decrease for a TA3 (the top level of teaching assistant) on a salary of £18,000 pa will be cut instead of being uplifted by approximately 10 per cent as the national pay award decrees. As I'm sure you can appreciate, this will have a devastating effect on our finances and we are now looking for new jobs."

And another said: "It's deeply hurtful. I won't be turning my heating on at home this year - I won't be able to afford to if this goes ahead."

READ MORE: York school sets up foodbank in bid to combat cost of living crisis

A spokesperson for SBMAT said: “Like all schools, academies and Multi-Academy Trusts nationally, we are facing significant challenges with our budgets following increases to energy costs and the recently agreed unfunded pay increases.

"Whilst we absolutely agree with the pay increases, and are implementing them in full, we are also of the opinion that they should have been properly funded by the government, which unfortunately they are not.

“Therefore, we are faced with making some difficult decisions to ensure that we maintain a sustainable financial position for the benefit of our children.

"This remains our absolute priority. Some of these measures include, where this is possible, temporarily pausing recruitment for teaching and non-teaching staff, and reorganising some areas of our trust so that we remain efficient and effective in educating our children.

“In addition, we are also addressing a long-term issue around paid working weeks for some staff, who are paid for 52 weeks per year, but work term time only.

"We are currently consulting on a proposal which will ensure that staff are paid for the weeks that they work, plus, of course, their holiday entitlement. Whilst we understand that this is extremely difficult for the staff who are affected by this proposal, it will ensure fairness and equity for all of our staff, in that they will be paid for the hours and weeks that they work.

"Support for our children with SEND and those who are vulnerable is unaffected and remains a priority for the trust. The level of support from our skilled Teaching Assistants and other support staff remains the same and we are committed to ensuring that this continues to be the case.
“This is not an easy process but we are keen to ensure that we support our staff during this time.”

Michael Kearney, district Secretary, of City of York NEU, said: "Schools both nationally and locally are under incredible budgetary pressures which are not being covered by central government. Both inflation and energy costs are wreaking havoc upon our schools and are contributing to a widescale lowering of frontline pay and loss of essential jobs. The restructure taking place at South Bank is symptomatic of these funding cuts and, as always, the lowest paid workers are bearing the brunt of this.

"In the short term, the NEU would like to see an immediate funding boost to schools to stop these harmful cuts, but in the longer-term, we would like to see education moving in the opposite direction to the privatising academisation agenda.

"Just in York, millions of pounds are wasted on academising schools and funding duplicate jobs within the different academies that neither existed before nor benefit children."