Orkney Islands Council has confirmed that more than 20 schools and nurseries will close next week if unions go ahead with planned strike actions.
Education officials conducted a review of each school to determine how they would be affected by the loss of school staff involved in the industrial action on September 6-8.
Director of Education, Leisure and Housing James Wylie said that parents at schools scheduled to be open should still try to make alternative childcare arrangements in case the situation changes.
What are the confirmed closures?
Here is how schools will be affected on September 6-8:
Modified schedules
In addition to the closures, some nurseries will have modified schedules.
The Papa Westray nursery will be open on Tuesday afternoon (September 6) and Wednesday morning (September 7). The nursery will close Tuesday morning, Wednesday afternoon and all day Thursday (September 8).
Papa Westray Primary School will remain open all three days.
The Shapinsay nursery will only operate in the mornings on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. The nursery will close each afternoon, but Shapinsay Primary will remain open all three days.
For now, the following schools will be open as usual:
- Eday Primary and Nursery
- North Ronaldsay School
- North Walls School and Nursery
- Orkney College
- Rousay Primary and Nursery
- Sanday Primary and Nursery
- St Andrews Primary
More changes possible
The decision to close schools and nurseries involved careful consideration of each school’s health and safety requirements. A council spokesperson said that even in schools where few employees are planning to strike, the expected absence of key members – such as cafeteria and cleaning staff and fire and first aid specialists – made it unsafe to open.
Mr Wylie said on Wednesday that headteachers will continue to communicate with parents. There might be further updates over the course of the three days of strikes next week, he added, and parents should be ready to adapt.
“Whilst we completely understand the difficulties these closures place on parents – many of whom make up Orkney’s workforce – paramount to us is the safety of all when opening an establishment and if we are unable to guarantee that all health, safety and wellbeing measures are being met, then they simply cannot open.
“Given that this situation remains fluid, our advice continues to be that parents and carers of children attending establishments planned to open should plan alternative arrangements for their children on those dates as a precaution in case further closures are announced.”
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