Union enters dispute with council over ‘systemic risks to most vulnerable’

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The National Education Union (NEU) has formally entered into the dispute with the council over what it calls a controversial “Action Plan” which relates to the potential removal of Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) requirements from Early Years Send advisory roles.

The NEU has raised concerns about the proposal and asked “what do children with complex Send gain from the removal of qualified teachers?”

The council says the authority is reviewing how the service is delivered, with the proposals put forward in a bid “to reflect national changes and to ensure all children and families receive consistent, year‑round support”.

However, the NEU claims the council is using “fire and rehire” tactics under the guise of a redundancy situation.

The union says the dispute focuses on the council's plan to delete current posts and recreate roles on a lower professional framework.

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The restructure coincides with the proposed closures to Send needs and disabilities nurseries – a move the NEU said is a “double hit” to Send.

It claims that combined, both create a “systemic risk where the most vulnerable children may have zero guaranteed access to a specialist teacher”.

In response, the county council noted that the early years and childcare team work with all providers across the county. If the proposals were to go ahead, the job roles for 14 staff would change to provide all year-round support to childcare settings and the children who attend.

However, the union said the proposal “singles out the county’s most vulnerable children” and creates a “clear professional disparity” between early years and older children in the Send system.

The NEU claims there is a lack of transparency with the proposals, adding “the council has provided no professional evidence base, no impact analysis on Send outcomes, and no transparent benchmarking with neighbouring authorities – many of whom continue to invest in teacher-led services”.

Ian Marrey, NEU senior regional officer, said: “Removing QTS from this service is akin to removing professional qualifications from any other specialist role – it is a dangerous precedent that undermines the safety, safeguarding, and educational outcomes of children during their most formative years.

“This is not a challenge to change: it is a challenge to the professional, legal, and ethical foundations of this proposal. Early years children are the least able to articulate their own needs. To position them as a group for whom reduced professional standards are acceptable is a failure of the council’s duty of care.”

A Leicestershire County Council spokesperson said: “We are reviewing how the service is delivered to reflect national changes and to ensure all children and families receive consistent, year‑round support. The proposals are intended to strengthen the service and improve the help available by moving away from the current term‑time model, so support is available throughout the full year.

“We are continuing to work closely with Trade Union representatives and will carefully consider any concerns they raise as part of this process.”

The NEU said it has informed that it intends to ballot its members for Industrial Action, calling on Leicestershire County Council to immediately withdraw the proposal and enter constructive negotiations.

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