Schools will not be subject to new “minimum safety level” staffing requirements during strikes but could face them in the future under plans for new legislation set out by the government.
However, Schools Week has learned that the Department for Education is currently re-drafting non-statutory guidance on how schools should handle strikes ahead of walkouts that could happen as early as the end of the month.
Ministers will introduce a bill in the “coming weeks” that will give them the power to “ensure that vital public services will have to maintain a basic function and deliver minimum safety levels during industrial action”.
The government plans to consult on and set “minimum safety levels” for fire, ambulance and rail services.
