Teachers were up and at ’em this morning, hitting the picket line to protest the closure of their schools. The first day of strike action saw staff and parents gathering outside Charlotte Sharman Primary School in St George’s Street, Elephant and Castle. They were armed with banners and placards, shouting for the council to do a U-turn on its decision.
Southwark council started talking about shutting down Charlotte Sharman last month, citing dwindling student numbers and a big ol’ budget deficit as the main reasons. By early May, a report confirmed that the school was gonna be shut down for good on August 31. The National Education Union (NEU), representing 24 out of 26 staff members at the school, was not having it. They were all like, “Nah, we’re not down with this plan to close the school, not today, not ever.”
An NEU official threw shade at the council, saying, “I mean, why are they picking on Charlotte Sharman? It’s doing just fine, filling up most of its spots. The council should be asking the government for more cash to keep schools open, not shutting them down left and right. Our peeps are hoping the council will wise up and keep the school running.”
The protest was just the beginning of five days of industrial action, scheduled for today and also on June 3, 4, and 5. Members of the Southwark Liberal Democrats, like cllr Maria Linforth-Hall and cllr Graham Neale, were also in the mix. They had previously written to the Cabinet Member for Education, urging them to reconsider. According to the Lib Dems, the council had agreed to close the school but hadn’t officially given the boot yet. So, there was still a glimmer of hope to save the day.
