Half day strike action by teachers on Tuesday 21st February 2023-IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Dear Parents/Guardians,

I am writing to you about forthcoming strike action by the teaching unions in Northern Ireland. You may have seen coverage of this in the news and in our February newsletter 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. Teachers involved in the action will, therefore, not teach their class(es) or undertake any other duties before 12.00 noon on the strike day.
A detailed risk assessment has been conducted which considers the impact that 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.

As the Principal, I, and the Chair of the Board of Governors have determined the school will be:

• Closed to all pupils, until 12.10pm on Tuesday 21st February 2023.  This is inclusive of all pupils in our Nursery-Primary 7.  Children should make their way to their classrooms at 12.10pm through their normal points of entry.

To ensure that the kitchen staff can prepare for dinners on this day when the school reopens, it is essential that this form is completed for all children:

 https://forms.office.com/e/cwEnQQv3cj 

This form will close on Monday 20th February at 12 noon.

Clearly this is a difficult situation, which will cause some disruption. I would ask you, however, to be understanding. A strike by teachers is very unusual. Taking strike action is not something that any teacher 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