'We don't want to strike but we need to do it'

Teachers involved in long-running strike action at an East Yorkshire secondary school have met parents to explain why they will stay on the picket lines.

Members of the National Education Union (NEU) have staged walkouts since January over redundancies and planned changes which they claim have workload implications.

Cottingham High School, near Hull, said it wanted to bring the dispute to an end and had "always acted transparently and in good faith".

Roseanne Plater, a maths teacher at the school who is taking industrial action, described it as a "horrible situation".

"Striking has been really hard. I'm pregnant and it's not a great time of year to be standing outside on a picket line," she said.

"We want to be in the classroom. We want to be teaching. I've got classes that I'm worried about because of the impact of these strikes. It's horrible.

"But we're doing this for the long-term future of the school and we wouldn't do it unnecessarily."

Ms Plater added she had "never seen a situation like it" during her 12-year career, and she claimed bosses at the school had ignored concerns when they were raised informally last year.

Parents who attended the meeting on Thursday said they had sympathy for those taking strike action but also concerns about the impact on their children.

Ben Harper-Longbone, who has two children at the school, said the row was "confusing", and said students were "not getting the care or education they need".

He said: "There are lots of allegations being made by both parties but they need to bang their heads together and crack on.

"Some of the children lost two years of school through Covid so I want everyone to just get around the table and talk."

Mr Harper-Longbone's thoughts were echoed by Vicky, who has one child at the school and another due to start in September.

"I'm very worried. I've heard the school point of view, I've heard what the teachers have had to say, and I'm really not bothered. We just need an end to the whole row," she said.

A spokesperson for Cottingham High School said: "We want this dispute to end. In our view the key to resolving it is a genuine willingness to talk, listen, and then to try to identify where compromise may be possible.

"We have done our best to achieve that, and have always acted transparently and in good faith, bringing in Acas to help us resolve the situation.

"We remain totally committed to keeping Cottingham High School open so that our learners' education can continue as normally as possible."

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