Special needs school staff strike after reaching ‘breaking point’ over pay
Staff from schools in Chelmsford and Basildon walked out, saying years of below-inflation pay rises have left them struggling
Staff at a special needs school are set to strike after claiming they are at “breaking point” after years of “not being given the correct pay rises”. More than 100 support staff from Columbus School and College in Chelmsford and Pioneer School in Basildon formed picket lines on Wednesday, January 28 in the pay row.
The “disappointed and sad” workers have slammed their employer the Lift Academy Trust, claiming the trust has been ignoring their pay demands and calls for support. There was a large picket line outside the school in Ghyllgrove in Basildon on Wednesday, with large banners, placards and signs.
The staff are asking for an allowance for dealing with special needs children £2,800. The schools trust says it’s offered a “significant increase in pay.”
One worker from the school in Basildon said: “I think what’s happened is for years, we’ve not been given the correct payrises, so now the staff are at breaking point because our wages just haven’t caught up with the cost of living. So you’re asking people to work for roughly £12,000, £14,000 a year, it’s just unsustainable.
“Lots of people are leaving, so the children don’t have the consistent staff they absolutely need for their day to day stability in class, so this is why we’re getting more extreme behaviours. This is a company which is there to make money, it’s not about the children.
“The staff have such a big turn over. The staff here are the ones who are doing it because they love their job and the company has taken their love and passion for weakness and just not paid them the correct amount of money for years.”
It comes as children across Essex waiting for assessments for special education needs are continuing to face long delays, with Essex County Council missing its targets. Last August, it was announced the county council would be spending around £3million to improve the issues and waiting lists.
A spokesperson for Lift Schools said: “We have been in discussion with Unison about pay for our support staff at these schools. While we have not been able to agree to the specific proposal they put forward, we have been able to offer a significant increase in pay to all of our teaching assistants at these schools, which means that the majority of support staff will receive a pay rise, backdated to September 2025.
“All of our support staff are incredibly valued and we want to take meaningful action to recognise their work. We are disappointed that union members are striking, but we are hopeful that Unison will reconsider their position. We have now reached out to ACAS to help resolve the dispute. “Our priority is always the stability, wellbeing and continuity of education for our pupils and families.”