TEACHERS at Beaver Infants and JunHounslow have been 101 schools l ignuing a losing batie agamnst... No, it's not the kids. It's the aircraft.
The school is a mere 800 yards from the main flight path at Heathrow airport. At times the noise from approaching aircraft Moral teaching is possible al all.
As all teachers know. verbal communication is the basis of teaching in primary education. Despite the teachers' dedication, the children's education is bound to suffer. It was for these reasons that the -Tenchers ook suke zeBol aseweek The campaign to soundproof the school began seven years ago, when the volume of traffic taken at Heathrow began to increase considerably with the advent of the iumbo jet. Since then statt, parents and pupils have waited patiently while truitiess negonanons nave taken place Scream Today the deafening scream of Concorde has to be contended with. The buck nas been passea trom me local caucanon authority to central government and then fostered out to various departments, each in turn denying responsibility for the cost of soundproofing the school. Meanwhile the cost of the scheme has risen from £30,000 in 1969 to £300,000 today: the cost of a new school. last term, stating Inat in ine curren economic climate the cost proofing the school was prohibitive, the staff decided that direct action was the onlv alternative. The staft did not see why the children's education should suffer -they accepted no responsibility for 'economic climates'.
Strike At a meeting with 180 parents on 3 November a unanimous taken to support strike, action follows week ov menoers orane Nat ional Union of Teachers at the school. The Chairman of the Local Residents Association and representatives of unions at the airport, as well as two local Labour coumeniors. du save une mccune une sane message: We are 100 per cent behind you — we are disgusted by the present state of affairs'.
noeed. ine case or beavers ochool raises a number of important questions inal socialsts nave arguca for it means that working people accept no responsibility for the crisis.
It means that a programme of social investment in the form of public works to sound-proof schools like Beavers would provide some of the 300,000 unemployed building workers with worthwhile jobs Instead or picking up seaweca in som phoney job-creation scheme. It would soundauthorities can no longer argue that the cost of sound-proofing is now prohibitive because of increasing costs.
public inspection to see just where the trade union movement of how best to sound-proof these buildings. aCCISIOn swas Ine Government altar of profits Labour Party, based on the above demof every teacher to decent working condiSchools, Arundel Road, MIOC libraries