Rochdale, Greater Manchester – Two local councillors have intervened in the ongoing industrial dispute at St Cuthbert’s High School, writing to the school’s Catholic academy trust to demand urgent action regarding the deeply concerning impact of the strike on pupils and the wider community. Councillors Philip Massey and Daniel Meredith, who represent the Balderstone and Kirkholt ward, sent a formal letter to Chris Foley of the school’s related Catholic Trust regarding the industrial action being taken by members of the NASUWT teaching union. In their correspondence, the councillors outlined a series of serious allegations raised by staff and parents, including issues regarding behaviour management, staff resourcing, assaults on staff and pupils, rising truancy, and significant budget reductions. A central point of contention highlighted in the letter is the Trust’s. "9 percent top slice". of the school’s budget. The councillors questioned how such a deduction supports ...