PARENTS and children face a day of uncertainty tomorrow due to teachers going on strike in the first of seven days of industrial action.

A number of local schools have announced they will have to partially or fully close because they know they will not have enough staff at work.

Others do not know how they might be affected because the striking National Education Union (NEU) has advised its members to refuse to tell headteachers whether or not they will turn up for work.

NEU teachers nationally have voted to take industrial action on seven dates during February and March, although the union said no individual school would be affected more than four times.

Schools across West Somerset were expecting ‘some disruption’ tomorrow but few were currently thought to need to close or restrict the number of classes.

One campus which will be completely closed tomorrow is Danesfield Church of England School, in Williton, part of Beacon Education, where headteacher David McGrath has warned parents that striking teachers may form a picket line and wave placards outside the school gates.

Mr McGrath advised students and parents that it was a legal right of his staff to strike and any interactions with them should be ‘courteous and respectful’.

He also pointed out it was unlawful for non-staff to join a picket line and parents, carers, or pupils should not do so.

All 320 Danesfield pupils aged nine to 13 years have been told to work remotely and return to school on Thursday.

Mr McGrath said in a letter to parents: “Risk assessments have been undertaken as well as consultations with our human resources and health and safety team to see whether we can safely and viably staff the school site for certain groups of pupils, but we have been unable to find a workable solution.

“We want to take this opportunity to reiterate that your child’s education is important to all staff at Danesfield.

“We hope that by putting in place these contingency plans we can limit any impact the strike could have to your child’s education.”

The Exmoor Federation, which includes Dulverton Junior School, All Saints Church of England Infant School, in Dulverton, and the town’s Little Owls Nursery, said it planned for them all to remain open as usual and pupils should continue to attend tomorrow.

Interim executive headteacher Keith Mansell said the situation was being kept under review and plans might change if new information became available.

The West Somerset Community College, in Minehead, will open only for year 11 and sixth form students, and those with special educational needs.

Year 11 pupils have been told to attend in their PE kit and will receive ‘core lessons’ as well as a physical education session.

Sixth-formers have been told lessons ‘will run where the normal teacher is present’ and if not, they will be expected to attend the college study area where they will be supervised.

Headteacher Nikki Doughty said pupils in years nine and 10 should stay away and access home learning from the college’s ‘Get Ahead’ resource.

Ms Doughty said children who usually have free school meals or were on the SEND register in years nine and 10 would be allowed to attend school, but would be based in the ICT suite where they should complete their online work.

She said in a letter to parents: “We appreciate that any closure/partial closure may be disruptive to you, for which we apologise.

“We hope that you understand we have not taken these decisions lightly and we have had to take these decisions to secure the health and safety of your child and any non-striking staff, due to the anticipated heavily reduced numbers of staffing.”

Minehead First School will be among the worst hit with only its pre-school staying open, while parents of children in reception through to year four have been told to keep their youngsters at home.

Knights Templar Community Church School, in Watchet, is planning to keep open only two classes, with children in the other five classes being told not to attend.

Headteacher David Frowde said in a letter to parents: “While we are aware that this is going to cause disruption to lots of families, the decision to take action by the staff has not been taken lightly.

“The protest being made towards the Government is largely about the lack of funding in our school budgets to be able to provide the levels of staffing and quality resources that all of our children deserve.

“I cannot confirm the teachers’ intentions for the remainder of the identified days, but will confirm these as soon as possible.”

Kingsmead School, Wiveliscombe, has said it will be partially closed because of the strike action and has told most of its 931 pupils to stay at home tomorrow.

Year 11 students will be expected to attend classes because they are so close to their final GCSE examinations this summer, while pupils who are in care or have an education health and care plan will be individually invited.

All youngsters in years seven, eight, nine, and 10 will be expected to complete remote learning.

Selworthy Special School has decided to partially close its campus in Taunton and its satellite site in Wellington after carrying out a risk assessment in relation to the strike action. Only 12 of its 25 classes will be open.

The NEU said strike action was supported more than 90 per cent of the half of its members in England who voted in its ballot.

The union said it was not striking for a pay rise but to ‘correct historic real-terms pay cuts’, claiming teachers had lost 23 per cent in real-terms since 2010, and support staff 27 per cent over the same period.

It said an average five per cent pay rise for teachers in 2022 was seven per cent behind inflation.

A spokesman said: “In the midst of a cost of living crisis, that is an unsustainable situation.”

The NASUWT teaching union has also confirmed it is dispute with Government over its demand for a minimum 12 per cent pay rise for all teachers this year.

According to the NASUWT, current pay rates for classroom teachers range from £28,000 to nearly £39,000, with some in an ‘upper band’ earning up to £43,685.