The inability of the NEU and the GDST to reach a settlement is blindingly frustrating.  Parents are quickly and progressively losing faith in the GDST executives to manage the Trust during challenging times ahead, and are becoming angered by the NEUs timing of the industrial action, which seeks to amplify the pressures caused by the pandemic and upcoming exams.

The NEU appears to be dogmatically sticking to a legacy system, using tactics that force our children to cross a picket line to enter their schools, whilst the GDST is seemingly inflexible over financial amounts that equate to approximately 1.5p per day per student.  

It’s our children, especially the ones in Years 11 and 13 who are paying the price.  Parents are speaking more often of increased mental anguish and stress for their daughters.   Many are investing significant sums of money into tutors and outside support.  Some have decided to counter-strike and are refusing to pay fees for the days where a proper education is not being offered. The anger, frustration and discontent with the situation is palatable, notwithstanding the side of the argument that they fall on.

After several years of disruption in their education, the girls are now in the middle of a dispute between two parties who claim to have their best interests at heart, but whose actions are increasingly demonstrating the opposite.  And there is no end in sight.

By signing this petition, you are letting the GDST executives, the NEU, and our teachers know that we are fed up with this dispute and want it resolved immediately so that our children, in an increasingly uncertain world, can once again find their wonderful GDST schools a place of solace and learning.