National Strike Action Set For Brighton As Part of 23 School Movement

Teachers at Brighton Girls GDST are among those who will strike to defend their pensions tomorrow (Thursday).

The Brighton and Hove based faculty is an independent day school for girls aged 3–18 which was founded in 1876 are currently boasts around 600 pupils.

Six days of nationally co-ordinated strike action have been announced across the Girls’ Day School Trust’s 23 independent schools in England and Wales.

Further strike action is planned on February 23 and 24, and from March 1 to 3.

A single formal ballot, which closed in January, resulted in 95% of teacher members at the 23 schools voting in favour of discontinuous strike action on a turnout of 84%.

The strike action will be the first in the Trust’s entire 149-year history.

The Girls’ Day School Trust proposes to remove its teaching staff from the Teachers’ Pension Scheme.

If this were to go ahead, teachers will be at least 20% worse off on average in terms of the annual amount they receive in pension payments. 

Regional Secretary, Maria Fawcett, said:

“We call on the Council of the Girls’ Day School Trust to withdraw the damaging proposal to leave the Teachers’ Pension Scheme at Brighton Girls, Oxford High School and Portsmouth High School.

"Teachers are concerned that not only is this unfair, but it will make the schools less desirable places to work, with valued staff leaving to join other local schools that aren't attacking their staff terms and conditions

“The Trust should reflect on just how a large body of committed and hard-working staff have reached the point where they feel forced to take strike action at Brighton, Oxford and Portsmouth for the first time in the Trust’s 149-year history."