A headteacher has explained why he has taken the "difficult decision" to shut his school when teachers strike next week. Julian Kennedy said "pupils will experience disruption to their education" but it would not be safe to open.
Mr Kennedy, headteacher of Dyffryn Taf High in Whitland, Carmarthenshire, said safety would be compromised if the school was open for pupils and urged people to treat each other with respect at a hard time.
Members of the NEU Cymru teaching union and other staff are walking out in a row over pay and conditions. Unions have branded the 5% pay offer from Welsh Government "an insult" and said years of underfunding had prompted a staff recruitment and retainment crisis.
Read more: Teachers say they are striking to save education system in crisis
In a letter to parents of children at his secondary school, Mr Kennedy said: “Following careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to close the school to all pupils on Wednesday, 1st February, 2023. This is because we cannot guarantee that we will have sufficient staff in school to deliver lessons and, most importantly, to be able to supervise and safeguard pupils effectively.
“The school site will be open for staff who are not taking strike action. All those staff not taking strike action will be expected to attend and will carry out work commensurate with their usual roles. Please note that the school will not be operating a ‘care hub’ type facility on that day. Nor will teaching be provided online on that day.”
He said the decision had not been taken lightly and asked “that all members of our school community continue to treat each other with respect”.
The school, along with others, will re-open to all pupils on Thursday, February 2. Mr Kennedy said plans were not certain yet for what would happen on the further planned strike days on February 14 and March 15 and 16. Arrangements are being made with the local education authority to ensure that the most vulnerable pupils have access to meal provision during next week’s closure.
“At this stage we have not made detailed plans for the later proposed strike days as we are taking each planned day as a separate entity.”
Meanwhile members of the NEU teaching union confirmed that pickets and demonstrations would be held at schools and at sites across Wales. The Welsh Government did offer a one-off payment as well as the 5% after meeting unions last week, but that won't be enough to avert the strikes.
Mr Kennedy's full letter to parents:
Dear parents and carers / Annwyl rieni a gofalwyr
Re: Planned teaching union strike action
You may be aware from media coverage that the National Education Union, the NEU, has declared strike action, the first day of which will take place on Wednesday, 1st February, 2023.
The strike is happening because of a national dispute between the unions and the government over teachers’ pay and funding in schools, not because of any issues at our school.
All schools in Carmarthenshire have, in conjunction with advice and guidance issued by the Local Authority, undertaken a risk assessment regarding our capacity to open the school safely for pupils on the day of the strike. Following careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to close the school to all pupils on Wednesday, 1st February, 2023.
This is because we cannot guarantee that we will have sufficient staff in school to deliver lessons and, most importantly, to be able to supervise and safeguard pupils effectively.
The school site will be open for staff who are not taking strike action. All those staff not taking strike action will be expected to attend and will carry out work commensurate with their usual roles.
Please note that the school will not be operating a ‘care hub’ type facility on that day. Nor will teaching be provided online on that day.
We have not taken this decision lightly. We remain committed to providing a safe and secure environment for our pupils and feel that safety would be compromised on the strike day.
We regret that our pupils will experience disruption to their education on this day and that you will be required to make alternative arrangements for your child/children. We would ask, however, that all members of our school community continue to treat each other with respect.
We are working closely with the Local Authority to keep up to date with the situation. I will inform you as soon as possible if there are any further changes to these arrangements.
The school will re-open to all pupils on Thursday, 2nd February, 2023. There are further strike days planned for 14th February, 2023, and for the 15th and 16th of March, 2023. Further information will follow regarding school operations for these days.
Your ongoing support during these unusual times is much appreciated.
Yours faithfully / Yn gywir
Mr J G Kennedy
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