Brent school to close for 5 more days of strikes over 'draconian' order for it to become an academy
A North London primary school is set to close for a further five days over the next two weeks after staff agreed to take strike action against government plans to turn it into an academy. The decision came after the school was rated ‘inadequate’ by the education watchdog, but staff, parents, and local politicians are fighting against what they feel is a ‘draconian’ measure. A recent Ofsted report highlighted a ‘marked deterioration’ at Byron Court in Wembley after its rating plummeted from ‘outstanding’ in 2012 to ‘inadequate’ following inspections on November 28 and 29 last year. This triggered an automatic response from the Department for Education (DfE), with the school forced to come under the control of an academy, Harris Trust, to address the issues. After a number of protests staged outside the school - attended by staff, parents, pupils, and politicians - those staff who are members of the National Education Union (NEU) have now opted to strike in an effort to halt the proce...