Clarification: A previous version of this story referred to a Bishop-led investigation. The Bishop of Middlesbrough appointed two new board members to co-ordinate the investigation into complaints against the trust. He did not carry out his own investigation.
CLOSE to 100 teachers and support staff are set to go on strike at two schools in York.
Staff at All Saints RC secondary school in South Bank and St George's RC primary in Fishergate who are National Education Union (NEU) members will go out on strike on Wednesday next week (April 30) with further strikes planned on Tuesday and Wednesday June 24 and 25.
They say it is over issues they have with financial management at the Middlesbrough academy chain to which the schools now belong - Nicholas Postgate Catholic Academy Trust (NPCAT).
The move follows planned strike action at All Saints RC in October last year being called off.
The trust say a restructured board, new directors and a new chair, Karen Siedle, has been appointed and they have asked to meet with the union to discuss concerns.
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Michael Kearney, NEU secretary for city of York, said that chief among the issues is the trust refusing to make their finances more transparent and accountable to York schools.
Mr Kearney said: "Huge amounts of money are still being taken from York schools for services which we deem to be inadequate or more expensive than local options, the York community cannot have its voice heard, and CEO pay has increased to a whopping minimum of £245,000 – a 75 per cent increase in four years.
"Unfortunately, the academy directors refuse to budge and are steadfastly backing this unacceptable CEO pay rise which means less money for York children.
"We believe a small York-based MAT with the local community at its heart would bring significant benefits to our schools, children and community.
"This is not an impossible task and we urge the bishop to take immediate steps to bring York schools back to York for the benefit of York children."
Ahead of the first strike date York NEU will be holding a public meeting on Wednesday, April 23 from 7pm at the Friargate Meeting House in the city and all are welcome to attend.
The NEU has submitted several demands to NPCAT which start with the formation of a York-based MAT.
They also include an end to GAG (general annual grant) pooling which allows schools within a multi-academy trust to group funding from each school into one central budget and a maximum top-slice of four per cent. A top slice is where the MAT takes a percentage of a schools' budgets to pay for central services.
In addition they want to see the jurisdiction of the school budget to be returned to head teachers and CEO pay to be re-benchmarked.
A spokesperson for NPCAT said: "The Bishop of Middlesbrough, the Rt Rev Terence Patrick Drainey, has recently restructured the NPCAT board, appointing new directors and a new chair, Karen Siedle.
"Mrs Siedle has already contacted the union to introduce herself and our new directors to them. The trust has asked for a meeting and looks forward to receiving a response to that invitation.
"Mrs Siedle has also visited some of the headteachers in our York schools to meet them and listen to their concerns.
"The new board is aware of the latest representations that have been made via the union and we look forward to continuing negotiations in the hope of finding a satisfactory outcome."
