More than 100 children have missed 11 days of lessons this term with teachers walking out in a protracted 13-week row over job cuts and finances. The strike by members of the Nasuwt union at Llangors Church in Wales Primary in Powys has shut five of the six classes on each strike day, affecting 120 pupils, the union has said.

Six of the seven teachers at the small rural school are members of the Nasuwt, leaving just one, who is not, running a year four class while the rest shut because they don’t have a teacher. The local authority has set up a “childcare hub” in the school for the pupils not able to go to lessons to attend, the Nasuwt said.

The union said the official strike began over the redundancy of one teaching job. That threat has gone, with a member of staff leaving, but as they won’t be replaced six classes will be merged into five and the walk-out continues over cuts. For the latest Welsh news delivered to your inbox sign up to our newsletter

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The Nasuwt has accused Powys County Council of prolonging the action by refusing to get around the negotiating table for face to face talks. The council has denied it won’t discuss the situation with the union and said the school was “over staffed”.

If no resolution is found, another six days of walk-outs are planned for June 11, 12, 18, 19, 20 and 26. That looks increasingly likely with a Powys Council spokesperson saying: “It is not the case that the council is refusing to engage with the Nasuwt, however, our discussions with the Naswut have reached a point where we cannot agree a way forward at this point.”

Helen Johns, Nasuwt national executive member said: “To be clear, communication, reasonable compromise and meaningful engagement are the keys to resolving any dispute, including this one. A proper face-to-face meeting between the local authority and Nasuwt, to negotiate together around the table, should be a norm from the outset, not the impossibility it has proven so far to be.

“Children should not be paying the price of any council’s refusal to engage constructively, which sadly is the case in Powys Local Authority.”

She said despite having been in formal industrial dispute since March 11, no negotiations had taken place: “This is unprecedented. In our experience, all local authorities with whom we have been in dispute negotiate, they try to work together with us to avert strike action.”

The Nasuwt said in a statement: “Powys County Council’s persistent failure to negotiate with Nasuwt continues and the reduction of the teaching workforce is still proceeding, despite the ending of a dismissal process by compulsory redundancy of a member of staff. The Nasuwt believes the loss of teaching posts and the amalgamation of classes will have a negative impact on pupils’ education.

“The union has repeatedly urged the LA Education Directorate to negotiate meaningfully with union representatives - to no avail - and Nasuwt’s communication with Powys elected representatives, all 67 councillors, has been met with a wall of silence.”

Powys County Council responds

A spokesperson for Powys County Council said: “The council take the concerns raised in the Nasuwt Dispute Resolution Requests services and, as such, are supporting the governing body to commission an independent investigation. This information has been clearly communicated to the Nasuwt, representatives from the Swansea and Brecon Diocese, school staff and the wider school community.”

The spokesperson added that school governing bodies had a legal duty to set a balanced budget and said the school “has acted in a correct and appropriate manner with the council’s support”.

“The school’s share of the schools delegated budget is determined by the school funding formula and is based on pupil numbers. As the school’s pupil number has been below 150 pupils since 2018-19, the funding provided through the formula since then would be based on a five-class structure.

“Additional grant funding from Welsh Government during and immediately after the pandemic has allowed the school to keep a six-class structure in place for a period of time. Due to this, the management of change process is based on the school moving from a six-class structure to a five-class structure.

“It is not the case that the council is refusing to engage with the Nasuwt. However, our discussions with the Nasuwt have reached a point where we cannot agree a way forward. At this point, the council supports the management of change process and the investigation running alongside each other.

“Ceasing the management of change process will not address the fact that the school is overstaffed and regardless of any investigation this is a necessary step. However, the Nasuwt do not recognise this position. Of course, the council has made it clear to the Nasuwt that we are committed to working with the governing body to review this position if the investigation raises concerns around the Management of Change process.”