Special needs school staff take to picket lines over pay dispute
By Matthew Critchell LDRS 28th Jan 2026
STAFF at special needs schools are set to strike after claiming they are at "breaking point" after years of "not being given the correct pay rises".
More than 100 support staff from Columbus School and College in Chelmsford and Pioneer School in Basildon formed picket lines today, Wednesday, 28 January, in the pay row.
The "disappointed and sad" workers have slammed their employer the Lift Academy Trust, claiming the trust has been ignoring their pay demands and calls for support. There was a large picket line outside the school in Ghyllgrove in Basildon on Wednesday, with large banners, placards and signs.
The staff are asking for an allowance for dealing with special needs children of £2,800. The schools trust says it's offered a "significant increase in pay."
One worker from the school in Basildon said: "I think what's happened is for years, we've not been given the correct payrises, so now the staff are at breaking point because our wages just haven't caught up with the cost of living. So you're asking people to work for roughly £12,000, £14,000 a year, it's just unsustainable.
"Lots of people are leaving, so the children don't have the consistent staff they absolutely need for their day to day stability in class, so this is why we're getting more extreme behaviours. This is a company which is there to make money, it's not about the children.
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