Full day of strike action by teachers and school leaders on Wednesday 26 April 2023

Dear Parents/Guardians,

I am writing to you about forthcoming strike action by the five teaching unions in Northern
Ireland. You may have seen coverage of this in the news, and I wanted to inform you about
the impact this is likely to have at our school.

How will strike action affect Good Shepherd Primary & Nursery School?
When a strike takes place, those taking strike action stop work and withdraw their labour.
Staff members involved in this industrial action will therefore not undertake any duties on 26
April.
A detailed risk assessment has been conducted which considers the impact the action will
have on the health and safety of pupils, staff and visitors, and whether the school can run a
full or amended curriculum, to determine whether it is possible to operate the school safely
during the strike.

The Board of Governors has determined that the school will be closed for all pupils on
Wednesday 26 April 2023 and will reopen as normal on Thursday 27 April. 

Clearly this is a difficult situation, which will cause some disruption. I would ask you,
however, to be understanding. This is a very unusual circumstance and is the direct result of
the failure to take into account the very real concerns expressed by teachers and school
leaders. Taking strike action is not something that anyone would undertake lightly. Those on
strike will have thought long and hard about their decision and will also lose pay for the
period that they are on strike.

Yours Sincerely,

Mrs S. McCafferty