PARENTS of pupils at Sir Thomas Picton School have been told that three days of strikes are planned over the next few weeks.

It is understood that Tasker Milward staff will also take part, and a letter will be sent to parents of pupils at the school on Friday, June 8.

A letter given out to parents by STP reads: "The National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT) have ballotted for strike action in response to a trade dispute over a school closure with potential restructuring, job-loss, and changes to working practices."

The three days are Tuesday, June 12; Thursday, June 28, and Wednesday, July 11.

The letter sent to parents and carers says that while not all teachers will be taking part, for health and safety reasons it will not be possible to open the school to pupils with the following exceptions:

  • Pupils taking external exams on June 12 will not be affected. All school buses will still run as normal for these pupils and a quite place to revise will be provided before they sit their exam at 1pm. The canteen will be open throughout the day.
    For year 10 pupils sitting the history GCSE exam revision workshops will be provided in the morning.
  • All year 10 pupils sitting the double award science exam and year 11 chemistry resits will be required to attend school on June 12.
    Revision workshops will be provided on Wednesday, June 13.
  • School buses and the canteen will run as normal.

Rex Phillips, Wales representative for NASUWT said that while the union was planning for strike action on those three days, they hoped that negotiations could continue with Pembrokeshire County Council.

He said: "It is not altogether cetain we will be taking strike action at this time.

"Although we have put these dates in place, if we can negotiate with them that is what we will do.

"Just today we have withdrawn strike action in three other schools in Wales which were planned for the same dates.

"It is quite true that we have action planned, but we are still in negotiations with the local authority."

Pembrokeshire County Council and the governing body of Haverfordwest High VC School say they will continue to work with the union to resolve this dispute.

A spokesperson for PCC said: "The local authority and the temporary governing body of Haverfordwest High VC School are disappointed at the decision to implement strike action.

"The temporary governing body has given repeated assurances that there will be no compulsory redundancies of permanent members of staff in the next academic year and that, wherever possible, jobs in the new structure will be given to existing staff.

"The temporary governing body is keen to assure all parties that this issue will not deflect them from their task – to provide a new and worthy secondary school in Haverfordwest with the aim of establishing strong foundations upon which it can build a successful future for the young people of today."