Management Information Sheet

The NUT has confirmed that the planned national day of action in England and Wales will take place on Wednesday, 26th March 2014.

The action is in pursuit of the on-going dispute with the Secretary of State for Education around pay, pensions and conditions. No other union has yet confirmed it is taking action although the NASUWT national executive is meeting to consider future plans on 14 February.

The purpose of this MI sheet is to notify you in advance of the planned strike day, so that you can make appropriate plans This is a developing situation: at this stage, the position is that NUT has indicated an intent to take action on that day and as yet, there is no further information relating to Norfolk schools. However, you will want to be prepared and information will be updated on the Norfolk Schools site. Please refer to this site for detailed advice and guidance about planning for the strike, and for the day of the strike.

If your school or academy buys an HR service from Norfolk County Council, further advice and guidance is available from HR Direct, on 01603 222212.

Key Messages

(See the Norfolk Schools site for more detailed information)

• At the time of writing, only the NUT has announced its intention to take industrial action on 26 March.



• If that national action results in strike action in Norfolk schools, school leaders will want to remain open to pupils wherever possible, to continue to meet statutory requirements, and to ensure heath and safely arrangements are in place. Schools will need to carry out appropriate risk assessments in order to evaluate the situation.



• If the school must close, there must be a written risk assessment in place and parents, carers and providers should be informed as soon as possible.



• It is essential that notification of closure, whether planned or whole, is entered using the Emergency School Closures system in the My school section on the Norfolk Schools website. That entry can be amended if necessary and will not be published or made public before the day of the strike.



• Staff on strike are in breach of their contract and will have pay deducted for each day of the strike. School leaders need to take appropriate action to ensure the pay is deducted. For schools and academies that buy a payroll service from Norfolk County Council, established arrangements are in place- see Norfolk Schools site.



• Schools and academies who do not buy a payroll HR service from Norfolk County Council will need to put arrangements in place to ensure absences on the day are recorded and deductions made if strike action has been taken.

Further information

See FAQS on the Norfolk Schools site.

For those establishments that buy an HR service from Norfolk County Council, further advice and guidance is available from HR Direct on 01603 222212.