Shut school teachers face uncertainty over payouts
LDRSIt is unclear whether teachers at a private school which went into administration will receive their full redundancy payouts, a union has warned.
Last week Durham High School confirmed it would be shutting, with administrators saying the majority of staff had been made redundant.
The National Education Union (NEU) said the school's financial position meant teachers would be unlikely to receive their full contractual notice pay through payroll and instead would have to claim through the government's redundancy payments service (RPS).
Galaxy Global Education (GGE), which owns the school, said "no single factor" had been responsible for the site's failure.
The union also said it was concerned no formal redundancy consultation had taken place before the closure was announced, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
Its regional secretary Beth Farhat said the union's immediate priority was supporting members through what she described as an "incredibly distressing situation".
"We are deeply concerned by the absence of meaningful consultation and are seeking urgent assurances regarding redundancy payments, notice pay, pensions and employment support," said Farhat.
"We will continue to work with members to ensure their legal rights are fully protected."
GCE said the school had faced "significant and sustained financial challenges", including falling pupil numbers, rising employment costs and wider pressures on the independent school sector, including VAT on school fees.
It said a combination of pressures meant the school was "no longer financially sustainable".
