Academy trust’s caretaker cuts pose “serious risk”

Education unions have issued a warning over plans by Academies Enterprise Trust (AET) to slash £1.4 million from its schools’ estates budgets.

Some schools will face losing 50 per cent of caretaking staff under the new plans, according to the union, UNISON.

The AET is proposing to cut the number of buildings and estates staff in schools by over 25 per cent, resulting in at least 34 redundancies across its 66 primary, special and secondary academies.

Schools in London, Birmingham, Leeds, Bristol, Middlesbrough, Barnsley, Gloucester and Milton Keynes are expected to be affected.

According to UNISON, some schools would see the number of caretakers cut by 50 per cent, with one earmarked to lose two-thirds of its estates staff.

Eight education unions, which include GMB, Unite, the NUT, the ATL, the NAHT, the Association of School and College Leaders and the NASUWT, are warning of the impact the cuts will have on the safe running of schools.

In addition to this, the union states that the trust has not provided the unions with a health and safety risk assessment of its plans.

The unions are calling on AET to halt the plan immediately in favour of a proper period of genuine consultation with the schools, staff, and parents.

As part of its cuts plans, the trust is also proposing to take the management of site staff and estates budgets away from schools which Unison say “will undermine the ability of individual heads and principals to make urgent decisions in the best interests of their pupils and staff”.

Jon Richards, UNISON head of education, said: “This is the second academy chain in a matter of weeks to announce huge cuts and it won’t be the last, as government funding cuts bite.

“For schools to provide a safe environment for children, estates employees must be available on site around the clock. These cuts will mean lots of extra work for remaining staff, which will have a massive impact on what they are able to do. It will put pupils at risk.”