Pupil at centre of teachers' strike to face prosecution

A pupil at the centre of a teachers’ strike which has forced the closure of a school is to face a criminal prosecution, it was disclosed today.

Movilla High School in Newtownards, Co Down, has been closed for more than a week after protesting staff refused to teach the boy, aged 15, after claims that he assaulted one of them.

Teachers want him removed from the school and are angry over employer threats to dock their pay if they didn’t teach him.

Today it was confirmed by the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) that he would appear in a juvenile court next month. The decision followed an investigation by police, who submitted a file on the case.

Some staff at the 540-pupil school have been striking since last Monday.

Talks at the Labour Relations Agency (LRA) late last week failed to resolve the situation.

Representatives of the NASUWT, the union representing the 25 striking teachers, said they put a proposal to the South Eastern Education and Library Board (SEELB) to resolve the dispute but had not been contacted by the board over the weekend.

The union said it had asked the board to make alternative arrangements for the pupil.

Peter Scott from NASUWT said: “The teacher in question didn’t want it to go as far as prosecution in the interests of the pupil.”

The Board said it had made a number of offers to the trade unions in a bid to resolve the dispute.

Children’s Commissioner Patricia Lewsley has described the NASUWT action as an “abuse of children’s rights”.

Mrs Lewsley said her offer to mediate had been turned down by the unions.

The union has threatened her with legal action.