Sophie Walker, an NEU member and committed science teacher at Westbourne Academy. Recently, she started facing some major challenges with student behavior in her classroom. The Academy is under siege with issues affecting teacher morale. Many teachers, like Walker, are considering leaving the profession for good. Following negotiations between the NEU and NASUWT, teachers have agreed to defer their planned strike action. This ruling is a small but significant step toward righting decades of wrongs.
Darren Smith, senior regional officer for the NEU expressed his optimism. He is confident that the trust responsible for Westbourne Academy will move quickly to resolve these concerns. “We’ll see that happen,” Smith said about the new regulations taking effect. A spokesperson for the trust acknowledged the existence of a “small but significant minority” of students whose behavior did not meet the institution’s high standards. They emphasized their dedication to improving the situation: “We believe these changes will help restore the calm, safe learning environment that our students and staff deserve.”
Walker, who graduated and started teaching a decade ago, was excited to take on her new position at Westbourne Academy. The continued disciplinary problems have taken an enormous toll on her mental well-being. “The trust seems fairly confident that we’re going to make this work,” she noted, reflecting on the recent developments and the support from her colleagues.
The trust recently declared that it’s adopting a new behavior system jointly created with staff. This fledgling system is now being rolled out to students and their parents for reactions and comments. A representative from the trust stated, “Staff are very much on board and, as we do with everything, we’ll give it our best shot to make this work. Only time will tell.”
Both the NEU and NASUWT are engaging with the trust on how we make the trust’s promises result in tangible change. In doing so they hope to improve the general mood of students at Westbourne Academy. Smith is encouraged to see if these changes take root for the long haul.
Moving forward, through the trials and the challenges, teachers and administrators are dedicated to nurturing an improved learning experience. Union leadership’s willingness to pause strike action is indicative of a desire to work together. Working in partnership, we can address the important challenges that lie ahead for Westbourne Academy.
