A leading public service union has expressed its “dismay” after the entire governing body of a York primary school resigned over a row with the academy trust to which the school belongs.

As The Press revealed yesterday, governors at Scarcroft Primary School resigned following what they branded an "irreparable breakdown in trust and communication" with the South Bank Multi-Academy Trust.

Former governors stress they have no problems with the leadership at Scarcroft itself, which they describe as "exemplary".

But they claim the relationship with the South Bank Multi-Academy Trust broke down completely, to the point where any attempts by Scarcroft governors to question decisions made by the academy chain’s trustees were deemed "hostile".

The academy trust hit back saying governors had made a number of allegations which did not reflect the reality in Scarcroft or in any school within the Trust. 

Following the news of the resignations, a spokesperson for public service union UNISON said: “York City UNISON would like to express its dismay that Scarcroft Governors have been forced into a position where they felt they had no choice but to resign.

“It is a governing body’s role to provide scrutiny of the decisions made by the leadership of the school.

“Governors at Scarcroft rightly questioned the fire and rehire of school support staff.

“What happened to these staff was never explained fully, nor accepted as reasonable.”

Read next:

York’s branch of the National Education Union (NEU) added that it was “deeply concerned” over the news.

An NEU spokesperson said: “The NEU in York is deeply concerned by this turn of events in the long-running saga of diminishing support staff terms and conditions within South Bank MAT.

“The governors of Scarcroft brought a wealth and depth of experience in the oversight of a school where they have helped to continue high-standards and positive results for students and staff.

“To be a school governor is to have the interests of the students and staff as your motivating factor, and governors should be able to speak openly in pursuing the best outcomes for them.”

The spokesperson continued: “Academy chains should welcome a variety of opinions from governing bodies, the local community and staff, but unfortunately, this is often not the case.”

South Bank Multi-Academy Trust chair Ian Wiggins yesterday said the academy trust “greatly values the service and dedication of the large number of governors who serve across our schools and we certainly value debate across our community”.

He continued: “The former governors have made a number of allegations within their resignation letters which do not reflect the reality in Scarcroft or in any school within the Trust.

“The trust board is taking the opportunity to further strengthen the governance arrangements for Scarcroft to make sure they can provide the best support and challenge for the headteacher, staff and children. We will write to parents in due course with further details.”