Teachers’ strike at Pimlico Academy may be called off, as school accepts case for staff governor

Pupil protest at Pimlico Academy before Easter

Teachers who went on strike at an academy trust’s flagship school earlier this month have drawn a key concession out of it, with a member of staff now to be allowed onto the governing body.

Pimlico Academy, in Westminster, central London, has agreed to have a staff governor, among other items raised in negotiations following strike action two weeks ago.

The move would represent some democratisation of the power structures within the trust running Pimlico – Future Academies – which is essentially controlled by the Tory peer and former academies minister, Lord John Nash, and his wife, Lady Caroline Nash.

Staggeringly – though perhaps your correspondent should no longer be “staggered” by goings-on within organisations close to government – Pimlico’s “local” governing body seems entirely non-local, with no grassroots members of the school community represented.