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Ashton Gate Primary School(Image: Google Maps)<\/p>\nThe dispute over back pay owed is affecting schools across the city<\/p>\n
12:40, 06 Oct 2025Updated 17:15, 06 Oct 2025<\/p>\n
Ashton Gate Primary School(Image: Google Maps)<\/p>\n
Teaching assistants, catering staff and school admin workers at schools across Bristol are to walk out for seven days over three weeks in November, in a dispute over back-dated pay. Support staff members of the National Education Union voted overwhelmingly to take industrial action<\/a> because they say Cathedral School Trust owes them five years worth of back-pay.<\/p>\n The NEU has announced that the first strike will take place on November 5 this year, with another six dates scheduled over the three weeks after that. The NEU said the strikes have been confirmed at seven schools in the Cathedral Schools multi-academy trust<\/a>, and a ballot is currently running in two more of those schools, but the trust itself said it had not been informed of the strike dates.<\/p>\n The NEU is representing teaching assistants, catering staff, admin officers, secretaries and caretakers at the 12 schools in the Cathedral Schools Trust.<\/a> The Trust started as an academy running Bristol Cathedral School in the city centre, and now has 12 schools in its umbrella trust, across Bristol and into North Somerset<\/a>.<\/p>\n The staff say that every time they were awarded an annual pay rise, Trust bosses added it to their pay packet from the start of the school year in September, when they say it should have taken effect at the start of the financial year in April, five months earlier.<\/p>\n After threatening industrial action over the issue, the Trust bosses agreed to start doing that for this year\u2019s national pay rise, but the NEU said there\u2019s five years of back-dated pay rises that they are owed, and claim the Cathedral Schools Trust has \u2018stolen\u2019 it from them.<\/p>\n \u201cThe trust have had opportunities to give us the back pay but to date have only paid us this year’s amount,\u201d said Roz Keir, the careers lead at Bristol Cathedral Choir School, and the school\u2019s NEU rep.<\/p>\n \u201cWe don’t want to strike but we need the money that is owed to us. Support staff are vital to keeping our schools running and are already underpaid for their incredible work,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n Sheila Caffrey, who is the Bristol rep for the NEU, said she hoped negotiations could sort out the dispute.<\/p>\n READ MORE: Strikes loom at Bristol schools as ‘more than 100’ staff take action<\/a>READ MORE: Bristol primary school cuts explained area by area as council outlines plan<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThe trust claims that all support staff are valued and essential to running successful schools, but having reserves of \u00a31.5 million, while your lowest-paid members of staff aren\u2019t receiving their full pay is dishonest and disrespectful,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe remain committed to negotiations to support our members and education at CST and hope that this can be rectified soon,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n A spokesperson for the Cathedral Schools Trust said they too want to reach a resolution, and had not been informed about the strike dates themselves.<\/p>\n \u201cWe highly value the crucial role of our support and professional service colleagues and have been working closely with the unions to reach a resolution that is in the best interest of our staff, schools and pupils,” a spokesperson said.<\/p>\n \u201cFollowing detailed discussions, our Board of Trustees was pleased to share that we will be aligning with the NJC pay scales and terms and conditions. In addition, whilst we have always carefully complied with all legal pay obligations and there is no outstanding back pay owed, the Board confirmed that as a gesture of goodwill, CST will implement the cost-of-living increases from 1st April moving forward, and as a further gesture of goodwill, will implement the current increase from 1st April 2025.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Trust has not been notified of any official strike dates through the required channels. We are continuing to liaise with the unions and hope these positive developments mean strike action can be avoided. We will continue to keep our parents and staff updated.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe are committed to providing the best possible education and support for our pupils and highly value the integral role that our support and professional service colleagues play in helping us to achieve this,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n The schools that Cathedral Schools Trust runs are:<\/p>\n\n