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College head ordered to quit as part of reshuffle
THE HEAD of Park College in Eastbourne has been told to stand down with immediate effect after a controversial reshuffle at Sussex Downs College.
Mike Dixon was forced to quit on Thursday as part of an overall re-shaping of college organisation and management, which includes courses to be 'reconfigured' between Park College and Eastbourne Vocational College sites.
Mr Dixon was replaced by senior manager Tim Whitmore but his treatment, along with changes to teachers' pay and conditions, has sparked outrage among staff and students, who have accused college management of intransigence in negotiations over the change in sixth form teachers' contracts at Park College to Sussex Downs' own lecturer contracts.
Sussex Downs College said Mr Dixon would be redeployed in a management role within the college but yesterday his former colleagues held a day of strike action and today students will be demonstrating after lessons.
In addition, more than 300 students have joined a Facebook group protesting at hefty wage rises being paid to top bosses while other staff are facing job losses and pay cuts.
One teacher told the Gazette they felt "anxious at how caring and professional staff are treated within the institution" and their jobs were "constantly on the line".
Another said, "They are trying to push through sweeping changes to teachers' pay and conditions of employment, changes to the range of subjects offered at Park and separating various learning areas to other parts of the Sussex Downs site.
Other plans are yet to be revealed but teaching staff are concerned over rumours of less popular or less successful courses being cut from the curriculum and cuts in the time allocation for teaching some courses.
"Teaching staff at Park are unsettled by this turn of events and are now waiting to see who will be next in the firing line.
"The students at Park are becoming more aware of the undercurrents of unrest among the staff."
Teachers are reluctant to be named for fear of reprisals but union officials at the NUT and NASUWT are more forthcoming.
Local NASUWT representative Shaun Redford said the way college bosses were handling things was unfair and unreasonable in the extreme and action was needed to defend the quality and standards of education.
"We only want what is fair and reasonable to us, our colleagues and for the education of our students," said Mr Redford.
Dave Brinson, secretary of East Sussex NUT, added, "NUT members, who are in dispute about plans to move them away from nationally-agreed teachers' contracts, have reacted angrily to developments at Park College, which have included the removal of the head of college Mike Dixon and announcements that courses are to be 'reconfigured' between the Park and EVoC sites.
"The removal of Mike Dixon, a hugely respected leader, has caused shock and dismay among my members.
"This, coupled with the management's announcement it is 'reconfiguring' courses between Park College and the EVoC site, seems to confirm our worst fears about the end of Park College as a distinct sixth form provider for the young people of Eastbourne.
"Hasty announcements, memos being circulated midweek, and senior staff being told to clear their desk with seemingly no warning does not suggest a well-thought- out strategic view for education in our town, rather a headless-chicken style of management at Sussex Downs College.
"Park College has delivered excellent academic results for many years, based on its identity as a distinct and recognised sixth form college. Parents value it, students value it, staff value it. It seems that the only people who don't are the Sussex Downs management."
A college spokesman said, "On April 28 Park College was fully operational and classes ran as normal. Only four employees out of 1,500 in the college as a whole took action.
"The college is currently in discussions with recognised teaching unions to ensure that pay and conditions for all staff are fair and affordable. For equality and pay legislation reasons, it is necessary for teachers to be appointed on the same terms and conditions, regardless of which part of the college they work in. However, Park College colleagues who joined Sussex Downs on merger in 2003 will have their contracts and pay protected under a scheme that has been offered to them.
"Sussex Downs College remains committed to providing an outstanding service to all its students and supporting its staff to deliver excellence in the classroom."
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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