Best Practice

School strikes: Answering headteacher's legal questions

Governance and management Legal advice Whole-school issues Trade unions
Many school leaders are supportive of the industrial action being taken by the NEU but are still required to open and run their schools where possible. As such, legal expert Jane Hallas answers some key questions
Image: Adobe Stock

 

Members of the National Education Union have already taken one day of strike action and, unless a deal is struck with government, more are to come.

As many as 200,000 NEU members are estimated to have walked out on February 1 in their dispute over pay – forcing the full closure of 9% of primary schools, with 50% remaining fully open and the remainder partially open.

Many primary school headteachers will be sympathetic to the strike action and indeed the National Association of Head Teachers has said it will ballot for industrial action again if government talks break-down.

For now, schools are bracing themselves for future NEU walk-outs:

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