Teaching Assistant Suspended, Strike Threatens Special Needs School

It's March 30th. Welcome in. This is Lester News today, where local news meets AI.

Staff at Ashfield Academy, a special needs school in Lester's Evington area,

are gearing up for a possible strike after the Easter holidays, unless.

A suspended teaching assistant gets reinstated. Tom Barker has been off the job since last

October, right after he helped push for action on unsafe staffing levels. The school trust running

the place, Discovery School's Academy Trust, insists the suspension stems from a separate

confidential issue, not his union. Work. Union leaders with unison say this has dragged on too

long without clear allegations against them, calling it retaliation for being an effective rep.

They've demanded the school lay out the charges so Barker can respond and return to work.

Without a quick fix, support staff plan to walk out during the summer term.

Among the school's 152 staff, 98, are unison members, and in a recent vote, 48 back the strike,

seven opposed, and 50 sat it out. Colleeds feel his suspension silences their voice

and their standing firm behind him. One anonymous worker put it simply, their vote shows solid

support. No exact strike dates are set yet for technicians, caterers, and cleaners. Back in 2022,

a paystrike kept some kids home and the trust promises to update parents as things unfold.

They stress their top priority as pupil safety and education in this complex needs environment.

Meanwhile, the trust maintains they follow all procedures without targeting union activity,

keeping the investigation private. Eyes are on whether talks heat up before Easter to avoid disrupting

these vulnerable students even more.