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UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea is to visit Ipswich later this week as council and school support staff vote on whether to strike over pay. Christina McAnea will speak at a rally on Friday outside Suffolk County Council headquarters Endeavour House as local government workers call for a pay rise of 2% above inflation. Staff […]

Some cleaners in schools in eastern England are still having to work without protective kit and not given the ‘deep-clean’ training needed to keep people safe, says a survey published today by UNISON. The union is calling on the government to provide schools with money to hire extra cleaners. Figures released by UNISON show that more than a quarter (26%) of […]

Nearly three in four school support staff in the East of England have been anxious about the return to classrooms this week, with many fearing measures to keep them safe are inadequate, according to a survey published today by UNISON. The findings provide a snapshot of the concerns of staff as schools in England reopen […]

UNISON is advising its members in primary schools, special schools, SEND and early years settings in England that it is unsafe to return to the workplace if it is fully open to all pupils. Please see the advice page on our national website for the latest information. Schools advice This includes a model letter to send […]

Nearly half of teaching assistants at Pot Kiln Primary School in Suffolk face the sack, UNISON reveals today. The Sudbury school plans to lay off up to 15 of its 36 classroom assistants and midday supervisors, blaming an “unforeseen” budget shortfall of £75,000 and flagging student numbers. Pot Kiln claims it has more teaching assistants […]

Striking Suffolk primary school staff will take their jobs fight directly to county councillors next week as they hand in a 600-strong petition at the council’s HQ. Hundreds of parents and Sudbury residents have signed the petition urging Pot Kiln Primary leaders and the council to abandon plans to sack classroom assistants and midday supervisors. […]

More than two in five (42%) teaching assistants, caretakers, cleaners and other school support staff in the east of England are actively looking for better paid jobs because of the rising cost of living and persistent low pay in education, according to a UNISON survey released today. The survey responses paint a bleak picture of […]

With many schools across the UK reopening classrooms this week, UNISON Eastern acting regional secretary talked to activists in Thurrock about going back to school for his latest blog post. The government’s rush to reopen classrooms has been the main front in UNISON’s battle against coronavirus in recent weeks. Many schools have encouraged extra students […]

Staff in schools run by Hertfordshire County Council were having their pay stopped for two days when they were too ill to work after the council changed its contractual sick pay […]

Staff at scandal-struck Aspire Academy in Harlow are voting on industrial action over concerns for their health and safety, UNISON announces today. The school for students outside mainstream education, part of the TBAP multi-academy trust, was the subject of a BBC Panorama investigation in March after the head teacher blew the whistle on serious financial […]

UNISON Suffolk County has helped launch the Music Matters Coalition today to campaign to make music a priority for children and young people. The six-union coalition is conducting a survey asking school staff, music educators, parents, carers, pupils and the wider Suffolk community about which aspects of music education are important to them, particularly in […]

Schools should avoid opening the floodgates to a new wave of Covid infections by staggering the full return to the classroom, UNISON says today. Schools across the east of England are due to fully reopen on Monday, with an enhanced testing regime and face coverings for secondary school pupils. But UNISON warns that this may […]

UNISON Eastern has welcomed the Fire Brigades Union Eastern Region’s backing for education workers opposing the reopening of schools. Nine unions representing teachers, support staff and heads issued a joint statement this month urging the government not to push on with increasing pupil numbers until it is safe to do so. In a letter to local […]

Tim Roberts looks at the shocking results of new TUC survey on the job retention scheme in his latest blog post

Regional convenor Becky Tye takes over the blog this week to take encourage school support staff to stand up for safety