School strike called off after 'constructive' talks

Strike action at a Liverpool Catholic school has been called off after controversial plans to convert it into an academy trust will be revisited by the Archdiocese.

Members of the National Education Union (NEU) were set to walk out of St Anthony of Padua primary school on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday in an ongoing dispute over plans to move it into the St Joseph Catholic Multi-Academy Trust.

However, the union has now said following "constructive" negotiations, it believed that enough progress had been made to suspend the action.

The union and school reached an agreement to make representations to the Archdiocese over the plans.

The Catholic Archdiocese - which has been contacted by the BBC for comment - wants about 230 schools to move into three academy trusts.

Announcing the plans in April, it said "the education model will reflect the emerging structures of parish life, after families of parishes were introduced across the archdiocese and are now flourishing".

Academies have more flexibility than schools operating under a council umbrella – including an option to deviate from the national curriculum in some areas and to set their own admission arrangements and term times.

Some members of the union at the primary school walked out for three days earlier this month.

The union has previously said the strike action was due to the employer's failure to "meaningfully consult" staff on the planned change.

On Wednesday, the union said: "The likelihood of further days of strike action will now depend on the response from the Archdiocese to the representations made to them, and any subsequent decisions made by our governors regarding academisation.

The union would "continue to campaign" against the proposal and will hold a public meeting at 19:00 GMT on 7 October at Adelphi Hotel.

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