TEACHERS took part in the first of three days of strike action against plans to turn a council-run school into a company-run academy.

Members of the National Education Union (NEU) went on strike yesterday and will protest today and tomorrow against the proposed conversion of Peacehaven Community School into an academy.

Planned protests this week have brought the number of strikes at the school to ten over the last month.

Parent David Bos said East Sussex County Council, which will hand over control of the school to Swale Academy Trust soon, has shown “astounding” contempt for the community

He said: “It is downright dishonest of East Sussex County Council to say there is strong support for Swale taking over.

“The only evidence they cite is that from a school of more than 600 pupils, ten parents responded to them in an exercise carried out more than two years ago.

“Not only that they claim responses were all positive when we know this not to be true.

“The contempt being shown for the community is astounding.”

Lewes, Eastbourne, and Wealden NEU secretary Phil Clarke added opposition to the academy plans was overwhelming.

He said: “The staff are on strike, local MPs and town councillors across parties have weighed in against the plans, and in a single day over 300 local parents signed to oppose the transfer.

“All the council has to do to end the strikes is to pause and put back in place an elected governing body so decisions can be taken by the school community.”

An East Sussex County Council spokeswoman said: “The school has informed us that the formal responses to its own consultation in 2017 were all supportive of the proposal to convert to academy status.

“The decision to convert to an academy is not made by the county council, but by the Interim Executive Board.”

The secondary school does not currently have any parent or teacher representation on its board of governors as it is currently run by Swale’s interim executive board.

The company has had a role in running the school since 2015 but is set to take full control of the school at some point this year.

This would give Swale complete control over Peacehaven Community’s curriculum, staff hiring policy, and term time.

The school received a “good” rating from Ofsted in October 2018, two years after it was told it required improvement after an inspection.

Swale has already taken over five schools in East Sussex, only one of which has been rated by Ofsted since it converted.

The Eastbourne Academy was rated “good” by Ofsted after a short inspection in January 2017.

The news comes weeks after Brighton Kemptown MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle and Lewes MP Maria Caulfield signed a joint letter sent to East Sussex council leader Keith Glazier.

The MPs demanded a stop to Peacehaven Community’s academy plans.