THERE were chaotic scenes this morning as around 100 teachers formed a picket line outside Winterbourne International Academy in unprecedented strike action over a ‘culture of fear’ said to have been created by its new leader.

Ninety staff carried flags and banners bearing the words ‘Hope not Fear’ and ‘Standing up for Standards’ as they handed out leaflets to members of the community, pupils and parents. Car drivers tooted their horns in support of the industrial action, the first in six planned strike days, which follows months of complaints about new executive principal Beverley Martin’s ‘rule by fear’ approach.

Staff, all members of the National Union of Teachers (NUT) or National Association of Schoolmasters/Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT), feel changes introduced by Ms Martin since her takeover in April are impacting negatively on students. They are protesting over increased workloads, the scrapping of administrative support and students facing up to 100 tests a year in a culture they say is dominated by statistics.

Several teachers on today’s picket line told the Gazette that unless the situation at Winterbourne, once one of the most highly-respected schools in South Gloucestershire, improved rapidly they would be leaving.

“If things don’t change I will not be staying here,” said one senior member of staff, who wished to remain anonymous.

“There was a higher than average turnover of staff last year. We are losing our best staff and cannot replace them.”

Another said the head of maths had been relocated to Winterbourne’s federated academy in Yate but had not been replaced.

“We are drowning,” said the teacher. “Yate now has two heads of maths and we have none. Teachers in the maths department are thinking of leaving and that is the same across all subjects.”

Past students also joined the picket line in support of their former teachers.

Patrick McMinn, 18, who finished his A-levels at Winterbourne earlier this year and is now due to start at university, said: “We would not have got into universities without teachers’ support.

“We want to show our appreciation and that we believe teachers are fully justified in striking.”

Will Hardie-Brown, also 18, said: “We have come to give back to the teachers after all their hard work.

“We were only here for a few weeks when the new executive principal took over but rules were already becoming stricter.”

Current students watched from across the road on Flaxpits Lane.

Mollie Woodman, a Year 11 student, said: “We are aware of the problems going on.

“In every lesson we now have to do a baseline test. A lot of people are nervous and it is added pressure.”

She added: “The teachers have been really good. A lot of kids come to school with issues as it is so to come to school in this environment is not very good.”

The academy had insisted it would be open as normal to all its 1,805 pupils, sparking fears for the safety of children with only 25 teaching staff left on site, but at 4.30pm on Wednesday (September 9) it announced the school would be closed to Years 7, 8 and 9. Years 10 and 11 were instructed to bring in PE kits.

One parent, with a son and daughter in Year 10 and 11, said: “We had an email at 4pm saying the school would be open and one at 4.30pm saying it would be partially closed. Not a lot of information has been given to parents, it is ridiculous.

“I have asked if my children will be safe in school today and was assured they will be but I am not sure whether to go to work or not.”

Ann Lemon, national executive member of the NUT, said their last meeting with Ms Martin had for the first time included two members of the board of trustees and had reached some agreement.

Falling short of calling for the executive principal’s resignation, she said: “We are beginning to see some light but Ms Martin needs to be influenced by the trustees.”

So far the academy has declined to comment directly on the strike action or any of the concerns raised by union members.

A statement on its website said: “At The Ridings’ Federation of Academies, we are proud of all staff who work in our schools and value their professionalism and commitment.

“Whilst we are surprised that some of the teaching staff have chosen to take industrial action at this early stage in the new academic year, we are working tirelessly with union representatives and are confident that we will be able to find a solution.”

The strike was the first to be taken at a single school and not part of national industrial action in South Gloucestershire since the district was formed in 1994.

If no resolution is found, teachers will again walk out on Wednesday and Thursday next week (September 16 and 17) and September 22, 23 and 24.