The NAHT school leaders’ union has said heads “should not feel under pressure” to reply to a Department for Education email requesting information about their “anticipated operational status” on 1 February.
General secretary Paul Whiteman said it was ”highly unlikely that leaders will, at this stage, be able to say with confidence how the strike action will affect their schools next week” and that the DfE request was “non-statutory”.
The NEU teaching union announced last Monday that teachers would go on strike from 1 February after 90 per cent of teacher members voted for strike action in a ballot turnout of 53 per cent.
This morning, schools received an email from the DfE asking for “information” about their “anticipated operational status” next Wednesday.
Last week, school leaders told Tes they were already putting plans in place for the safeguarding of vulnerable pupils and those preparing for major assessments.
And leaders have warned the proposed strike action will “inevitably” lead to the merging of classes, remote learning and some school closures.
Today’s email asks if the school will be “open, closed, restricting attendance” or if this is as yet “undetermined”.
The DfE has asked schools to complete the form “as soon as possible” and “no later” than 3.30pm on Monday 30 January.
But Mr Whiteman said the DfE’s request for information “is a non-statutory request” and school leaders “are under no legal obligation to provide this information to the government”, adding: “NAHT’s view is that school leaders should not feel under pressure to return this data.”
Mr Whiteman said it was ”highly unlikely that leaders will, at this stage, be able to say with confidence how the strike action will affect their schools next week”.
He continued: “These decisions will be based on the outcome of dynamic risk assessments, largely informed by staffing levels which may not be known until the day.”
