Local schools affected by industrial action plans

The National Education Union (NEU) has announced four days of intended industrial action for its members.  If plans go ahead, schools across the county borough will be affected.

Strike action is proposed on the following dates:

• Wednesday 1 February 2023
• Tuesday 14 February 2023
• Wednesday 15 March 2023
• Thursday 16 March 2023

Schools will base their decision to open or close on their individual context, staff supervision levels and risk assessments. 

All schools will aim to inform parents about closures, at least three working dates before each of the days listed above.  However, some schools will make the decision to remain open or to close on the day of the proposed strike.

Pupils eligible for free school meals will be given a packed lunch the day before the proposed strike, if the school has decided to close in advance.  If the headteacher decides to close the school prior to lunchtime on the day of the strike, eligible pupils will receive a packed lunch to take home. 

Although school transport for eligible pupils will continue to run as normal (unless a school has decided to close prior to the day of planned industrial action), parents, carers or another responsible adult, should be available at short notice to collect children from primary or additional needs schools.  This may be because a school or year group will be forced to close due to staff supervision levels. 

We are hoping to make suitable provisions for all pupils and their parents or carers, so that we can minimise any potential disruption resulting from the strike action. We will also update parents and carers of developments through the schools’ usual channels of communication.

Please be reassured that the decision to close schools will not been taken lightly. It will involve a risk assessment considering many factors including staff population, supervision, pupil – teacher ratios, as well as safeguarding.

As always, the priority in the decision-making process will be the welfare of the children at the schools. They are, and always will be, our primary concern. Thank you for your patience and understanding during this time.

Councillor Jon-Paul Blundell, Cabinet Member for Education