Important information regarding planned strike and school closure on 15 August
Primary teachers and principals – who are members of the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) – have voted to undertake a full day strike on Wednesday 15 August.
The Board has carefully considered whether it is viable for Thorrington School to remain open on the day of the strike. The conclusion is that it would not be possible to access the required staffing to provide normal teaching services or to meet child supervision requirements during the strike. On this basis, we have decided to close the school.
We understand that this may cause inconvenience for our parent community and students, but we must put student safety and wellbeing first. It is important that parents make alternative arrangements for the care of your children on the day of the strike.
We iterate that the school will be closed and will not be providing any supervision for children on Wednesday 15 August.
Last term NZEI called for teachers and principals to attend union meetings to further contract negotiations with the Ministry of Education. As an outcome of the union meetings, the Ministry presented an offer which NZEI members felt did not address the workload issue, the need for extra learning support or ways to stem the growing crisis in recruiting and retaining teachers.
The Thorrington Board of Trustees is supportive of our teachers and principal (and all New Zealand primary teachers and principals) who are taking this stand. The importance of attracting and keeping high-quality teachers and ensuring conditions where they can deliver the very best education to our students cannot be overstated. We are incredibly fortunate to have excellent leaders, teachers and support staff at Thorrington, who always have our students’ best interests at heart. We know they have not taken the decision to strike lightly.
Negotiation between the Ministry of Education and NZEI are ongoing. If anything changes before 15 August, we will let you know.
For more information see the NZEI information below.
Nga mihi nui,
Mel Atkinson
Board of Trustees Chairperson