January 15th 2024
Reminder.

 Dear Parents/ Guardians,
A full day of strike action by teachers, school leaders and other public sector workers will
commence on Thursday January 18th .
I am writing to you about forthcoming strike action by the five teaching unions and other public sector workers 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.
Why?
Education in Northern Ireland has been systematically defunded in recent years, resulting in decimating reductions in support, resource, and capacity.
•The teaching profession has filled in the growing gaps, holding the fragmenting system together and protecting children from the impact of the cuts.
• Pay paralysis, when set alongside the working conditions of the teaching profession in Northern Ireland, is having a devastating impact on the profession, with clear evidence that we will not be able to recruit or retain teachers and school leaders in the future if these issues are not resolved. Education is in crisis.
• Other public sector workers in Northern Ireland have also received limited pay increases during this time.
• Teachers across the UK and Ireland have received their normal pay increases, several times over the last three years. Teachers in Northern Ireland have received nothing.
• All five teaching unions have been in dispute for over a year, during which time no offer has been made.
• During this year of dispute, action has been gradually escalated, in the hope that an offer of resolution would be forthcoming.

 • Taking strike action is the last resort.
This could have been avoided and, indeed, can still be avoided.
• The responsibility to resolve this dispute lies squarely with the employing authorities and the Department of Education.
When a strike takes place, those taking strike action stop work and withdraw their labour.
How will strike action affect St Mary’s Star of the Sea Primary School?
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 Board of Governors] have determined that the school will be:
Closed to all pupils on January 18th 2024. After School Clubs will not run.
There will be no breakfast club.
We sincerely regret any inconvenience.
Thank you for your continued support,