Teachers strike at Walsall school over plans to join an academy trust

Staff at a Walsall special school have picked up their placards this morning in opposition to being taken over by an academy trust - a move that could see them lose £700 of funding per pupil.

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Workers from Elmwood School in Rushall began their three-day peaceful protest on Tuesday morning (March 11) protected by the National Educational Union (NEU) following plans for the King George Crescent secondary school to join the Matrix Academy Trust.

At Elmwood School, staff are on a picket line over the school planning to join the Matrix Academy Trust. Orange barriers and tape were deemed necessary by the school to stop staff standing on the grass. — At Elmwood School, staff are on a picket line over the school planning to join the Matrix Academy Trust.

The academy trust runs a number of schools in Walsall including Barr Beacon School and Bloxwich Academy.

Staff were on the picket line early on Tuesday morning as pupils were arriving to school, emphasising that they are taking the drastic action because 'they care'.

Orange fencing had been placed around the school field to prevent staff from protesting there.

School representative Dan Whittaker said: "We care about our pupils, and we we know that this is going to be a massive change for our pupils if this was to go through.

"Parents say their children have several mothers and fathers here, because we care about them."

Matthew Raine, NEU officer, said their ultimate aim is to stop the academisation of the school for a number of reasons - mostly because they want to remain 'dedicated' to their pupils.

WALSALL COPYRIGHT NATIONAL WORLD STEVE LEATH 11/03/25Pic at Elmswood School, in Rushall, Walsall, and Staff are on a picket line over the school planning to join a trust. All the orange barriers and tape were deemed nessecary by the school to0 stop staff standing on the grass. They were also told by the school not to chant and to discourage anybody from papping there car horn which they were sticking to. At the front is: Maathew Raine (Regional officer for NEU, National Education Union), Dan Whittaker (School Rep for NEU and teacher here), Sharon Guy (General Sec, NEU Walsall). — At Elmwood School, staff are on a picket line over the school planning to join the Matrix Academy Trust. Orange barriers and tape were deemed necessary by the school to stop staff standing on the grass. Matthew Raine (Regional officer for NEU, National Education Union), Dan Whittaker (School Rep for NEU and teacher), Sharon Guy (General Sec, NEU Walsall).

"We need to keep this school as Elmwood, as a local authority school with its own governing body that is dedicated to its pupils," he said, "not being taken over by a very large, corporate academy trust."

Mr Raine worries that the school will suffer cuts to funding as a result of the takeover.

"We know that academy trusts such as Matrix charge more for services than the local authority do. So we are looking at about a 2 per cent funding cut per year," he said.

"That's about £700 per pupil that will be lost."

At Elmwood School, staff are on a picket line over the school planning to join the Matrix Academy Trust.

Other members of staff on the picket line said that they have tried to ask the Matrix Academy Trust for the new teaching policy but have had their requests ignored.

Sharon Guy, general secretary for Walsall, fears teaching conditions will get worse under the authority of an academy trust.

"The staff really feel that the local authority serves the pupils here much better than an academy trust could," she said.

"Academy trusts don't necessarily follow national terms and conditions for teaching staff and teaching assistants. Terms and conditions and working conditions could get worse under an academy trust.

"It is a good school. The parents love it, the teachers love it - if it ain't broke, why try and fix it?"

Workers believe that the idea to join the trust has been agreed to on the back of promises, and claim that the Matrix trust is interested in 'getting into the market' of Special Educational Needs institutions.

"It's not about the pupils [to them], we think they want to get another school into their portfolio, as it were. It is corporate empire building on the part of Matrix" added Mr Raine.

Staff will continue their strikes on Wednesday and Thursday morning.

Efforts have been made to contact the Matrix Academy Trust.