Willenhall E-ACT Academy to close as teachers walk out again
A crisis-hit school will be closed tomorrow due to strike action by teachers.
NUT and NASUWT teachers at Willenhall E-ACT Academy are set to strike as negotiations between staff and bosses rumble on.
A letter sent to parents from headteacher Kirsty Jones said that the school will be closed to pupils in years seven to 10 and Year 12, however the Year 11 prom will still go ahead.
The academy has more than 1,300 pupils and was put in special measures earlier this year following a damning Ofsted inspection.
Ms Jones said: "We are of course very disappointed that colleagues have decided on this course of action given that the areas of concern raised by union members are being addressed at pace and with urgency."
She also highlighted "a raft of changes and improvements" underway at the academy following Ofsted's visit in March, which saw inspectors pelted with food and ended with the school being ranked inadequate across the board.
Ms Jones added: "We have continued to engage with the NUT and NASUWT to discuss the concerns their members raise and hope they will recognise the progress that is being made."
Russ Bragger, Walsall NUT Secretary, said: "Unfortunately we thought we were making good progress and were negotiating in good faith, but the things we agreed haven't been carried out."
Around 40 teachers took strike action last month due to their belief that E-Act bosses weren't listening to them in their efforts to improve the school. On that occasion the school stayed open when bosses brought staff in from elsewhere
Two strikes planned for Tuesday and Wednesday of this week were postponed following talks between union and school bosses, however the two groups failed to reach an agreement to stop Thursday's walk-out.
Union bosses said teachers were taking action because the school "hadn't been listening" despite more than a year of talks regarding behaviour management, staff safety and 'unreasonable' management practices.
In 2015 and 2016 around 70 per cent of staff left the school, while Ofsted found that more than a third of pupils in Years 7 to 11 were persistently absent.
The academy is due to break up for the summer next Friday.
