Hexham’s Haydon Bridge High School to open as strike action ‘paused’

A school will open on Wednesday after one of the two main teachers’ unions agreed to pause strike action.

Union bosses said teachers and support staff at Haydon Bridge High School in Northumberland would walk out for two days – on 19 and 25 November – over what they say is a “failure” to tackle “disruptive behaviour”.

In a letter to parents, the school said it would remain open as the NASUWT agreed to pause the strike. It has previously said officials had “deemed behaviour to be as good as what is seen in most high schools”.

The National Education Union (NEU) said its members remained committed to the walkout.

The unions said employees had repeatedly raised fears about pupil behaviour and the impact it was having on safety, teaching and learning.

A letter from the school, seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, described Haydon Bridge High School as a “brilliant” school that was “small” and “caring”, adding that it “truly aims to serve its local community”.

It read: “Both the school and the unions are keen to bring this dispute to an end. The best way to judge a school’s behaviour is by looking at the data and seeing it in action.”

It said Ofsted “rightly identified” suspensions were too high but since the introduction of new systems, suspensions were down by more than 30% compared to this time last year.

The school says referrals to its restart room are also down, and invited parents to pay a visit to “view our wonderful students engaged in their learning”.

NASUWT declined to issue any further comment but Sean Kelly, branch secretary of Northumberland NEU, said members remained committed to taking strike action.

He said he had written to the school and Northumberland County Council to reiterate the NEU remained on strike on Wednesday.

“We have a meeting with our members this evening to speak to them and see if they are still willing to take strike action, but the overwhelming message last night was that they were,” he said.

“They were not impressed at all with more promises, we have had this for 13 months and nothing has changed. Employers don’t call off a strike, workers do.”