Credit: Josh Jackman
More than 40 Hackney schools closed yesterday, as 11,000 teachers marched on London over pensions, pay and conditions.
A total of 44 schools across the borough were forced to shut for the day. Many parents were left angry and complained of double standards in light of controversial fines for parents who take their children out of school for the day.
Meanwhile, teachers rallied together to fight against changes made by Michael Gove, the Tory education secretary.
Followed by cries of ‘Get Gove Out’, staff and parents from dozens of local schools joined the march across London, with only a handful left open. It is estimated that 1,700 teachers in Hackney stood on the picket line.
Akhtar Chochar, a teacher at Urswick School, said: “At the end of the day, we are here to claim our students’ right to education. Students in our borough are already disadvantaged and now they’re further disadvantaged because of the curriculum. Plus, performance-related pay is an injustice for young teachers.”
Another Urswick School teacher added: “We’re striking for our pensions, yes, but also for the future of our school.”
Damien Greenwood, a disgruntled father of one from Hackney Wick, said: “I don’t want my son taught by undervalued, overworked people. I fully support the strike. My parents stepped up to have him for the day.”
A teacher from Tower Hamlets demanded that the government recognise that “different children progress at different speeds”.
But some residents expressed their anger at the strike, saying it was “ridiculous” and that teachers get holidays and generous pensions.
Andy Wirral, a parent from Hackney Central, complained bitterly at the “three months’ paid holiday” teachers get.
He added: “Teachers have nice fat pensions too, if only I was so lucky.”
Raymond Wilkes, from Homerton, said: “Teachers get long holidays, but parents get fined for taking kids on a few days holiday in term time.
“It’s ridiculous. I wonder if we could fine them instead for missing a day of school. What are people meant to do with their kids if they’re at work?”
60-hour working weeks and performance-related pay are just some of the NUT’s complaints, which Mr Chochar said left young teachers “out of pocket.”
More frequent examinations for younger children also came under fire, with parents saying they “branded children a failure”.
Charlotte Wilcock, from Hackney Downs, said that her four-year-old daughter did badly in school tests, leaving her “thinking she was stupid”.
She added: “I picked her up, and her teacher presented me with her test scores. I just didn’t care, she’s only four years old.”
Only four of the borough’s primary schools were unaffected yesterday. Hackney’s two free schools, the Olive School and Hackney New School, remained open.
Philippa De’Ath from Hackney New School said: “Our teachers care about education. The school is open and teachers are working. Those that are on strike have chosen to do so on their own grounds.”
Police say more than 11,000 supporters turned out at the protest organised by the National Union of Teachers, which ended with a rally in Westminster.
MP Jeremy Corbyn spoke at the rally and praised the teachers’ actions, saying Mr Gove is “trying to destroy education”.
Hackney’s NUT representative Jamie Duff also defended the strike.
He said: “This campaign is about defending teachers against Gove’s attacks on education, and the creeping privatisation of our education system.”
However, the Department for Education sided with families disgruntled by the closure. They said: “Parents will struggle to understand why the NUT is pressing ahead with strikes.”
A spokesperson for the department added: “They called for talks to avoid industrial action, we agreed to their request, and talks have been taking place weekly.”
Views from the playground were less clear cut. Lily Smith has three children at Haggerston’s Queensbridge Primary School, which was closed during the strike. She said teachers are “absolutely undervalued,” adding: “They don’t get paid as much as they should do for the hours they put in. They’re working to shape our children.
“Teachers are really dedicated. They should get paid more. They don’t just take a strike because they want a strike, they do it on good grounds. They don’t like forcing the headteacher to close the school, but they do what’s best for the children.”
Sonya Gates has one child at Queensbridge Primary School: “It was inconvenient because I’m a student as well as a mother, so I had to take a whole day off from university.
“Apart from that though, if they manage to challenge the system and change things for the better to get more support from the government, it was worth it. If they decided to strike again next week, I’d support them.”
Additional reporting by Josh Jackman.
