Teachers' strike: These schools in Halifax and the rest of Calderdale will be closed to most students tomorrow as teachers walk out
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Tomorrow (Thursday) will be the fifth day of industrial action so far this year by members of the NEU and will be followed by a sixth on Tuesday (May 2).
Teachers are taking industrial action over pay, conditions and school budgets.
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Hide AdThere will be picket lines outside Trinity Academy Sixth Form in Halifax and Brighouse High School.
Headteachers across the borough have been contacting parents to let them know they will have to close their school to many of their pupils.
These are the schools known to be shutting to many of their year groups so far:
Brighouse High School – open only to Year 11 and Year 13 pupils, and some vulnerable students.
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Hide AdTodmorden High School – open only to Year 11 students and some Year 10 and vulnerable pupils.
Lightcliffe Academy – open only to Year 10 and Year 11 students.
Park Lane Academy – open to specific students only.Calder High School – open to Year 11 only.
Calder Primary School – open for Reception and Years 5 and 6 only.
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Hide AdSue McMahon from Calderdale Against School Cuts said: “The Government has offered a 0.5 per cent increase in pay to teachers, the rest of it would have to come out of a school’s budget.
"This means one person’s salary increase is another person’s job loss. It will see schools going into deficit and, as schools aren’t allowed to carry forward a deficit budget from one year to the next, we will see further jobs axed, which will have direct consequences for pupils.
"Teachers and school leaders taking strike action are fighting not only for their own pay, but also to ensure that schools have adequate funding to provide a better tomorrow for their pupils who have been losing out from the effects of over a decade of Government underfunding.”
Dan Whittall, President of Calderdale NEU, said: “The fact that all main education unions rejected the Government’s offer shows how misjudged it was.
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Hide Ad"Our campaign is getting stronger and our members are more united than ever.
"The Government must negotiate in good faith with unions and make an offer on pay and school funding that will resolve the crisis in our schools.”