WE were concerned to read your report (15 February) on unofficial action taken by teachers refusing to cross NUPE picket lines at Quintin Kynaston school on 7 February. Your report implied, inaccurately, that only a small minority of staff refused to cross.
In fact, after a majority vote at a school National Union of Teachers meeting the previous day, 30 teachers agreed not to cross a picket line. This was also the majority of NUT members in the school. Your report implied it was isolated action by militants within the school. In fact, some of the most solid supporters of this policy were members who would not regard themselves as the most militant within the school.
To follow up our action, several NUT members from the school attended an all-London meeting on 13 February to discuss coordinating further action in support of NUPE and to support the picket of NUT headquarters on 24 February against the divisive NUT pay claim.
JANE HARDY (NUT rep., Quintin Kynaston), HILDA KEAN (President, Westminster NUT) (both in personal capacity)