Teachers’ strike called off at Millais School to support ‘traumatised’ community

Teachers at Millais School have taken the decision not to take part in a national strike today (Wednesday March 26) and instead support a ‘traumatised’ community in the wake of the inferno.
Fire at Millais School, Horsham. Picture by Calum Landau SUS-140320-151901001Fire at Millais School, Horsham. Picture by Calum Landau SUS-140320-151901001
Fire at Millais School, Horsham. Picture by Calum Landau SUS-140320-151901001

Maggie Morgan, a National Union of Teachers (NUT) representative and head of special needs education at Millais, said around 50 members were planning to strike which would have closed the school - but teachers had suffered ‘a crisis of conscience’.

“We’re all very traumatised by the fire and all equally wanting to make a stand against Michael Gove,” said the teacher, who led pupils out of school believing it was a fire drill last Thursday (March 20) before turning around to see to her horror the building alight.

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Ms Morgan said NUT members at Millais strongly back the strike against changes to pay, pensions and increasing age of retirement.

She continued: “We have made a decision not to go on strike, with a great deal of difficulty because the feeling runs deep that we want to fight against Michael Gove.”

Teachers will wear T-shirts to show their support for the strike.

“Many Year 11 girls are quite traumatised. We want to support the girls in our community.

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“A lot of NUT members have said they’ve had a crisis of conscience. They have been saying they feel that their main emotion and they want to pull together and support the young people, and that’s because ultimately that’s what we’re here for.”

Meanwhile, the headteacher Leon Nettley has spoken of his shock in the aftermath of the fire.