92 schools will be closed by strike
Last updated at 11:45, Wednesday, 23 April 2008
MORE than one in three schools across Cumbria will close or face severe disruption on Thursday in a proposed national teachers strike.
Students at colleges in Carlisle and Lillyhall could also be affected as lecturers hold their own one-day walk-out.
Parents will be left with no choice but to find alternative arrangements for their children after 92 schools, including 11 secondary schools, announced they expect to close. That could affect almost 23,000 full and part-time pupils.
A further 53 schools have told county education leaders they will turn away most pupils to allow them to concentrate their remaining resources on helping priority groups.
That includes 17 secondary schools that have vowed to stay open to help GCSE and A-level pupils sitting their exams soon.
West Cumbria could be one of the worst-hit areas with the majority of schools preparing to close.
In the north of the county, it appears many schools look set to stay open, albeit some with reduced timetables.
In a survey of schools, Cumbria County Council has been told that 190 schools will stay open despite the strike by NUT members.
Cumbria’s three special schools – James Rennie in Carlisle, Mayfield in Whitehaven and Sandgate – are expected to close.
And in Carlisle, neighbouring yet separate infant and junior schools have had to make different decisions.
Infant schools at Lowry Hill’s Kingmoor and Inglewood in Harraby expect to remain open while nearby junior schools are due to close.
Most schools expecting to be hit in some way have already sent letters to parents and carers. They are being urged to check whether the strike will affect after-school clubs, sports practices and other activities.
The council says it will be co-ordinating changes to school transport arrangements and other services, including school meals.
Cumbria County Council is also contacting all its foster carers who look after school age children to find out if they need additional help on Thursday.
John Swainston, the council’s head of schools and learning, said: “Many schools will remain open on Thursday but we expect a large number will be closed due to the strike. We will be working closely with schools over the next few days to ensure that parents and carers continue to receive up-to-date information, and to co-ordinate our services to schools. We hope that a way forward can swiftly be found to settle this dispute and avoid further disruption for children and young people.”
NUT members voted on strike action in an ongoing pay dispute. Three quarters of those who took part in the ballot backed the industrial action but only a third of those eligible to vote did so.
They were responding to a recommendation by the School Teachers’ Review Body for teachers’ pay to go up by 2.45 per cent in September, followed by increases of 2.3 per cent in 2009 and 2010.
Cumbrian NUT secretary Alan Rutter said members want to show the Government “enough is enough” following a series of below-inflation increases. He said the Government had gone back on a pledge to review pay when inflation went above an agreed level of 3.25 per cent.NUT members are also unhappy their salaries are guided by the consumer price index, which excludes mortgage payments and petrol, instead of the retail price index.
Schools minister Jim Knight said the NUT decision is “disappointing”.
Meanwhile picket lines are expected outside Carlisle College and Lakes College West Cumbria, where principals Moira Tattersall and Cath Richardson say campuses remain open.
Students could be hit as the University and College Union – the country’s leading lecturers union – decides to coincide its national strike action with that of the NUT.
Lecturers want their salaries brought in line with that of school teachers.
The Association of Colleges says the action is unprecedented as it is being called before national pay negotiations begin on May 1. It added that the UCU rejected last year’s recommended pay increase that five other recognised unions agreed to.
First published at 11:41, Tuesday, 22 April 2008
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk
SHARE THIS ARTICLE
If teachers were to be judged by the standard of literacy that the first poster, Andrew W is capable of, then I think they get paid far too much money.
View all comments on this article
Have your say
no-one deserves a below pay rise. I wonder if the government will forego all their perks. we need to continually to attract good teachers-it will be our kids who suffer if we don't. I remember the 80's when the pay was so low they were importing teachers from anywhere.
Posted by steven scott on 24 April 2008 at 13:41