Parents and pupils protests over staff-cuts plan

Campaigners have been protesting outside a high school over proposals to cut 25 members of staff there.

Parents turned out at Reepham High School and College (RHSC) on Wednesday after Synergy Multi-Academy Trust said it had restructuring plans there and at Litcham School, both in Norfolk, due to "financial challenges".

One of the protest organisers, Laura Marfell-Williams, said: "The prospect of losing a quarter of the teaching staff cannot be allowed to happen."

In a letter to parents, Louise Lee, Synergy's chief executive, said the trust faced an "in year financial deficit of £2.7m" and that action was being taken with a "heavy heart".

The BBC understands 16 teachers, one senior leadership employee and eight support staff could be made redundant at Reepham, and five posts could go at Litcham.

The protest from 08:00 to 09:00 GMT was held to show "support for the teachers and raise awareness among parents" said Mrs Marfell-Williams, who has two children at Reepham.

"It's an injustice that the trust seems to be looking at Reepham to solve its financial problems.

"It serves a huge catchment area; it's the heart of the community.

"It's not just about threatening the future education of children, but the job losses will be a massive blow."

Mrs Marfell-Williams, who has helped set up parent action group "Stand with RHSC Teachers and Staff", said it had notched up 500 Facebook followers in five days.

A petition set up by another parent has been signed by more than 1,000 people.

More than 1,000 children, aged between 11 and 18, attend the school, with 749 pupils on Litcham's roll.

In a letter to RHSC parents, Synergy said its school budgets were under "immense" pressure and government under-funding - as well as falling rolls due to the birth rate - meant not every school place was filled.

"At Reepham High School and College the finances for the previous year show a deficit of £646k. If no action is taken it is projected that the deficit for the current financial year will be £607k," Ms Lee said in the letter.

"With staffing a primary cost in the organisation, it is inevitable this will involve a reduction in staff numbers at several of the Trust's schools.

"The action we are undertaking is not something any of us would wish for and it is being undertaken with a heavy heart.

"We appreciate this a difficult and worrying time for staff, parents and pupils."

Ms Lee said the trust was also experiencing increased maintenance costs, "sustained central underfunding" of the sector and the trust's failure to restructure and minimise other operating costs at an earlier stage.

It insisted it would continue to provide a high standard of education.

Scott Lyons, district and branch secretary of the National Education Union (NEU), represents employees who could be directly affected by the changes.

He said he would attend Wednesday's protest on behalf of these members.

Mr Lyons said he had met with the trust and told them "not to under-estimate the strength of feeling in the community".

"The quality of Reepham and Litcham is second to none - they are beacons of best practice and if the proposed changes go ahead, the schools will be unrecognisable," he said.

Synergy is based at the Reepham site and runs 15 schools including the town's primary school, which had to undergo urgent repairs to its ceilings earlier this year.

In its most recently submitted accounts on October 2023, it was stated the "cash balance of the trust has been very healthy all year".

North Norfolk's Liberal Democrat MP Steffan Aquarone said he had arranged a meeting on Wednesday with the trust to address "serious concerns" raised about RHSC.

"Cutting close to 25% of teaching staff, alongside further cuts to non-teaching roles, has caused widespread anxiety about the impact on the quality of education and the school's future sustainability," he said.

Synergy said a staff consultation process would begin in January and those affected would not return for the new school year in September.

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