Unison welcomes reassurance for jobs at Ormiston Academies Trust after chain scraps staff restructuring proposals

The withdrawal of proposals for a staff restructuring process at an academy chain, which includes Ormiston Sudbury Academy, has been welcomed by trade unionists, who say it provides relief for those who had feared for their jobs.

Ormiston Academies Trust announced last week that it had decided not to proceed with proposed changes to its current staffing and operational structures, after receiving feedback from a consultation period.

The plans had attracted heavy criticism from Unison, due to concerns that they could result in significant cuts, redundancies and difficult working conditions for maintenance, caretaking and ICT roles across the chain’s 38 schools nationwide, including four located in Suffolk.

Following the decision to halt the proposals, Unison’s head of education, Jon Richards, said: “It’s welcome news that Ormiston Academies Trust has listened to staff and unions.

“The proposal to cut back on caretakers and other staff would have had a terrible impact on the health and safety of pupils and staff.

“We will continue to work with Ormiston Academies Trust to improve services without affecting children’s education by cutting jobs and resources.

“This decision sends a clear signal to those in government championing cuts and centralisation of support staff that the risks to pupils simply aren’t acceptable.”

A spokesman for Ormiston Academies Trust said: “We have been pleased with the level of engagement with the consultation.

“We were always clear that we wanted to hear the views of all interested parties and that no decisions had been made.

“As a result, we have decided not to proceed with the proposals.

“As a well-run and financially responsible organisation privileged to serve 29,000 pupils, many from disadvantaged backgrounds, we will continue to invest in school improvement, teaching and learning, and our wider team, while being as efficient as ever.”