Teacher strikes: Herefordshire schools facing two-day closure

Pupils in England face disruption to their lessons on Wednesday and Thursday as the latest wave of teacher walkouts are expected to force many schools to restrict access to certain year groups or to fully close.

It comes less than a week after schools across Herefordshire shut their doors due to snow.

County schools are now telling certain year groups to stay at home, or closing altogether, as the row over pay continues.

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Fairfield High School, in Peterchurch, has around 550 pupils and will only be open to year 11s on Wednesday and will be closed to all pupils on Thursday.

Headteacher Sue Gaston said: "We are acutely aware of the disruption already experienced by our students this month due to the weather, but with such large numbers of staff taking action, we cannot safely open the school for everyone."

List of Herefordshire shool closing or partially closing during strikes

• Lady Hawkins' School, Kington: open to years 7, 9 and 11 on Wednesday and years 8, 10 and 11 on Thursday
• Ayelstone School, Hereford: closed to all students except those in Y11 and other invited pupils
• Bishop of Hereford's Bluecoat School: open to years 7 and 11 on Wednesday and years 10 and 11 on Thursday
• John Masefield High School, Ledbury: open to years 7, 11, 12 and 13 on Wednesday and years 8, 10, 12 and 13 on Thursday
• Kingstone High School: closed to all year groups except for years 10 and 11

Ayelstone School executive headteacher Simon Robertson said: "I appreciate that closing the school for years 7 to 10 will cause inconvenience for families and it is not a decision that I have taken lightly.

"I can assure you that in forming my decision I have taken into account the well-being of all pupils and their families and school staff."

The Education Secretary has called on the National Education Union (NEU) to enter formal talks on teachers’ pay this week rather than staging strikes.

On the eve of teacher strikes across England, Gillian Keegan has written to unions representing teachers and school leaders to invite them to formal talks on Wednesday and Thursday if they suspend walkouts.

Ms Keegan warned the NEU’s position to “strike rather than talk” could “miss an opportunity” to discuss reforms and “risk a narrower settlement”.

Hundreds of thousands of members of the NEU are expected to take part in two consecutive days of strike action across England from Wednesday in a long-running dispute over pay.

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In an open letter to parents on Tuesday, Ms Keegan said: “The single best thing the NEU could do for both its members and for children and young people would be to sit down and talk about pay.

“I will continue doing everything I can to end the disruption your family is facing as quickly as possible, particularly because I know exams for older pupils are coming up fast.”

She told parents that the NEU “seems focused on strikes and all the needless disruption that brings”.

But the joint leaders of the NEU, the largest education union in the UK, have told Ms Keegan the strikes were “wholly avoidable” if the Education Secretary had not insisted on a “spurious precondition” which cannot be met.