The headmaster’s letter to parents in full:

DEAR parents and carers / Annwyl rieni a gofalwyr

Re: Planned teaching union strike action

You may be aware from media coverage that the National Education Union, the NEU, has declared strike action, the first day of which will take place on Wednesday, February 1, 2023.

The strike is happening because of a national dispute between the unions and the government over teachers’ pay and funding in schools, not because of any issues at our school.

All schools in Carmarthenshire have, in conjunction with advice and guidance issued by the local authority, undertaken a risk assessment regarding our capacity to open the school safely for pupils on the day of the strike. Following careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to close the school to all pupils on Wednesday, February 1, 2023.

This is because we cannot guarantee that we will have sufficient staff in school to deliver lessons and, most importantly, to be able to supervise and safeguard pupils effectively.

The school site will be open for staff who are not taking strike action. All those staff not taking strike action will be expected to attend and will carry out work commensurate with their usual roles.

Please note that the school will not be operating a ‘care hub’ type facility on that day. Nor will teaching be provided online on that day.

We have not taken this decision lightly. We remain committed to providing a safe and secure environment for our pupils and feel that safety would be compromised on the strike day.

We regret that our pupils will experience disruption to their education on this day and that you will be required to make alternative arrangements for your child/children. We would ask, however, that all members of our school community continue to treat each other with respect.

We are working closely with the local authority to keep up to date with the situation. I will inform you as soon as possible if there are any further changes to these arrangements.

The school will re-open to all pupils on Thursday, February 2, 2023. There are further strike days planned for February 14, 2023, and for March 15 and 16, 2023. Further information will follow regarding school operations for these days.

Your ongoing support during these unusual times is much appreciated.

Yours faithfully / Yn gywir

Mr JG Kennedy