Schools to close as West Lothian teachers set January strike dates

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Primary and secondary schools will close again next month as teachers launch further strike action in a bid for better pay.Members of the AHDS, EIS, NASUWT and SSTA teaching unions will walk out in January, resulting in a significant reduction in staffing levels within schools and will affect all areas of Scotland.All West Lothian primary schools are expected to close to all pupils on Tuesday, January 10 and all secondaries will close the following day.Additional Support Needs (ASN) schools Cedarbank, Beatlie, Pinewood, Ogilvie are Connolly are expected to close on Tuesday, January 10 as will the Skills Centre, Burnhouse, Whitburn.All West Lothian council nurseries and early learning centres will be open to all children, as normal.National negotiations are still ongoing, and if they are able to reach an agreement, it is possible that strike action could be called off.In this event parents will be notified possible via Groupcall, with updates on the council’s website and social media.Dr Elaine Cook, depute chief executive said: “If the planned strike action goes ahead, the following arrangements will also be in place:“Pupils will still be able to access previous learning materials online, through SeeSaw (P1-3) or Microsoft Teams (P4-S6), to study/consolidate prior learning.“A £3 per pupil payment will be made to pupils affected by the strike who are entitled to free school meals or in receipt of the clothing grant. “This should be in bank accounts no later than 4 working days from the date of the strike action.Packed lunches will be available to collect from any West Lothian school between 11am and 12.30pm for any pupils affected by the strike action who require access to food on the day that their school is closed.“I