Industrial Action in the Sixth Form Sector
Dear Students, Parents and Carers
You may be aware that teaching staff (NEU) at Hills Road Sixth Form, along with many other colleges, will be taking industrial strike action starting this Thursday.
This is not the case at Long Road.
As well as reassuring you that teaching will be unaffected here, it is worth highlighting the circumstances that have led to this situation...
Long Road converted to become an Academy on 1st September this year, joining with The Sixth Form College, Colchester as the Sixth Form Colleges Trust. This means that we are treated more like schools by the Government and so received the additional funding for the agreed teacher pay rises. Sixth Form Colleges that have not academised, such as Hills Road, do not receive the funding. Consequently, the teachers’ union (NEU) is now in dispute over pay in the sixth form college sector. Full details of the funding impact can be found on the Hills Road website: https://www.hillsroad.ac.uk/latest-news/pay-disparity-impact#important-information
Because of this ongoing dispute, we have not been allowed to pay Long Road staff the much-needed pay rise, either, as we are still part of the Sixth Form Colleges national pay negotiations. NEU members here have not been balloted over strike action, because we have the funding. It is a frustrating and illogical situation. Both Cambridge colleges have campaigned for many years to fight against the erosion of post-16 funding and to protect the excellent offer we have in this city. Hills Road have been encouraging parents and students to contact local MPs regarding the situation, and I would encourage any of you who also think that this is an unfair system, to contact yours.
If you do feel motivated to contact your MP, I would also ask you to raise the issue of the removal of BTEC (Applied General Qualifications), which here could include Applied Business, Applied Psychology, Health and Social Care, Criminology and Applied Science. We are currently waiting until the end of term to see if we can still offer those subjects in the future. 54% of students in England study at least one qualification under review. These subjects are hugely successful at Long Road and have helped many students to get ahead in life. https://www.protectstudentchoice.org/
Yours,
Steve Dann
Principal
Long Road Sixth Form College
Cambridge
01223 631100
