Action is being taken against the governing body’s plans to turn the school into an academyDan Haygarth Liverpool Daily Post Editor and Regeneration Reporter
17:24, 21 Oct 2025
Teaching staff at Pinehurt Primary School in Anfield will strike(Image: Google Maps)
Staff members at a Liverpool primary school will be taking strike action again this week. Members of the National Education Union (NEU) at Pinehurst Primary School in Anfield will take action against the governing body’s plans to turn the school into an academy.
This follows strike action on the same issue in July and September. NEU senior regional representation Officer, Jim Dye, acknowledged the impact this will have on pupils and parents which, he said, the union deeply regrets. He added: “However, despite our efforts to get the governing body to change course, they have so far chosen not to.
“There is a wealth of national data that shows that academisation does not benefit pupils, in fact it can destabilise a school and place it at unnecessary risk.
“Our members strongly believe that Pinehurst should remain in the local authority family of schools, and that this is in the best interests of the children they teach and care for.”
NEU Liverpool Joint assistant branch secretary, Jack Tyler added: “Our members are taking strike action as a last resort, but they do not have confidence in the proposed plan to turn their school into an academy, something that we believe will mean that the school could suffer financially as more money will be taken from its budget for the academy trust which could directly impact on the money available for teachers and support staff, and risks harming the education of children.”
The ECHO approached the school for a response.
Earlier this year, defending the move in its a statement to parents, the school said: “We also want to take this opportunity to reaffirm the reasoning behind the governing body’s decision to apply an academy order.
“This decision followed a period of consultation and has been made in what we believe to be in the best interests of our children, staff and wider school community.
“We are confident that joining a values-led trust will provide long-term benefits and support for Pinehurst.”
The NEU are commencing further discontinuous strike action at Pinehurst Primary School on the following dates:
• October 23
• November 4
• November 7
• November 10
• November 11
• November 14
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