NEU Strike Action Letter 23.1.2023

23rd January 2023

Dear Parents/Carers of St George’s,

As you may have seen in the news, the National Education Union (NEU) has voted for strike action for teaching staff on 1 February 2023, 28 February 2023, 15 March 2023 and 16 March 2023.

Teaching staff at our school have a legal right to take part in the planned strike action, however, it is important to emphasise that the dispute and strike action is not specific to our school.   The industrial action is in relation to the NEU's dispute with the Government over the nationally agreed pay rises when taking into account the pressures faced by staff with the increased cost of living which we are all experiencing.  It is a national issue, affecting all schools in England. 

At this stage we do not know how the planned strike action might impact our school.  To assist with our planning, we have written to all teaching staff to ask them to confirm whether or not they intend to take part.  There is no legal obligation on staff to respond, but we are hoping many will do so, so we have a better understanding of who intends to work on the planned strike days.

There is also a risk that teaching and support staff at our school might be impacted if their own children's school is closed.  It is possible that some staff may need to take last minute time off to care for their own children, as a result of actions outside of our control.  We will closely monitor this situation. 

Please be assured that we shall do everything reasonably possible to keep the school open, provided that we are satisfied we have enough staff in school to comply with our legal obligations and duty of care to pupils. 

If we feel this is not possible and we need to consider closing the school (to some or all pupils), then we shall try and provide you with as much notice as possible of this decision.  

I apologise that I am not able to provide you with a clear position at this stage.  We will provide you with an update later this week.  In the meantime, you may wish to begin considering childcare arrangements for the above dates, in the event that school closure does become necessary. 

In the meantime, thank you for your cooperation and understanding.

Yours sincerely,

Mrs A Bullerwell  

Headteacher                                                         

St George's Catholic Primary School is part of the Bishop Bewick Catholic Education Trust

A company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales under company registration number No 7841435.

Registered Office: Fenham Hall Drive, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE4 9YH