School strikes paused as new rules introduced

Planned school strikes have been paused after leaders introduced new disciplinary action for abusive and disruptive pupils.

About 50 staff at Tewkesbury Academy in Gloucestershire first walked out on 4 February, as one teacher said truancy was "rife" at the school.

But in a letter to parents, head teacher Kathleen McGillycuddy confirmed that the strikes have been suspended this week while a new behaviour-management policy is rolled out.

Wendy Exton, from the NASUWT in Gloucestershire, said the pause follows "positive progress" with the school.

The NASUWT said despite strike action this week being called off, 12 further days of action later this month and in April are still scheduled to take place.

Exton said members of the union "overwhelmingly supported" abandoning this week's strikes, but did not want to end the dispute until they could see that changes were being made.

She said success would look like a "safe and calm" school.

In a letter to parents, the school outlined the commitments in its new behaviour policy. These include 60‑minute after‑school detentions, de‑escalation training for staff, and suspensions for pupils who swear at an adult.

The letter thanked parents for their "patience and support" and said school leaders hoped colleagues will be able to completely "end their strike action".

Michaela Wilde, NEU CLF Branch Secretary, said members of the union have had "positive negotiations" with the Cabot Learning Federation, which runs Tewkesbury Academy.

She said members will be meeting on Wednesday to assess "what progress has been made" and to "decide whether further strike action is needed".

Follow BBC Gloucestershire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.