THREE Pembrokeshire schools will close and 15 will be partially closed during Thursday’s strikes by teachers.

Members of the National Education Union will walk out on March 2 after rejecting the Welsh Government’s latest pay rise offer. More strikes are scheduled for March 15 and 16.

The NEU rejected a recent government pay offer as “simply not good enough” to help teachers through the current economic problems.

During a previous strike last month, seven Pembrokeshire schools closed and 16 were partially closed.

The latest strike will see Waldo Williams, Fenton, and Broad Haven fully closed on March 2.

Schools seeing partial closures include: Pembroke Dock Community School, Ysgol Gelli Aur, Stepaside CP, Fishguard RC / Holy Name, St Francis RC, Ysgol Ger y Llan, Haverfordwest High VC, Pennar Community, St Oswalds VA, St Marks VA, Ysgol Glannau Gwaun, Ysgol Harri Tudur, Prendergast, Milford Haven Community, and Greenhill.

A council spokesman said it was awaiting information on the situation at several other schools in the county.

Haverfordwest High will only be open for pupils in Years 11, Year 12 and 13.

In a letter to parents, Haverfordwest High VC School headteacher Jane Harries said: “Pupils in these year groups should attend school and follow their usual timetable. Pupils will need to bring work and revision materials to use in the event of any of their teachers not being in school.

“Sorry but it is not possible for us to notify you of what classes will be affected but I can assure you that any classes affected will be supervised whilst pupils undertake private study.

“Unfortunately, the school will be closed to pupils in years 7-10 on this date. School buses will run as normal, and the catering team will provide meals for those onsite with a direct payment made to those in year groups not in school that are entitled to free school meals.”

Milford Haven Community Primary School Headteacher Stephen Thomas said: “As we are now aware the strike is going ahead, the situation for our school will be as follows: the Meads site – all classes will be open as normal. The Prioryville site – all classes will be open as normal apart from Year 5 (Amroth) and Year 6 (Musselwick).

“The local authority will be arranging a payment, as carried out during the Covid period, for those in receipt of a free school meal in the two closed classes.”

‘Clear mandate’

NEU joint general-secretary Kevin Courtney said the union had postponed strikes on Valentine’s Day “in good faith” while its members weighed up the government’s improved offer.

But teachers had since “emphatically informed us that the offer of an additional 1.5 per cent added to teachers’ pay, plus an additional 1.5 per cent lump-sum, is simply not good enough and fails to address either the cost-of-living crisis, spiralling inflation, nor the damage done to pay since 2010”, he said.

“We have a clear mandate for strike action that is now rescheduled for March 2 in schools across Wales,” Mr Courtney added.

The Welsh Government has defended the offer as “a strong one” in the context of a “reducing” budget for the devolved administration.