Primary school parents to come out 'on strike'

JIMENA Parents of children in First Grade (1º de Primaria) decided yesterday evening to hold a strike as from Monday, when they will not be bringing their children to school for an indefinite period. Having not received a satisfactory answer, in writing or even verbally, to their protests by 2pm, they held a meeting at 6pm and came to the decision. Protests are about the fact that they believe there are too many chidren, 28, in a classroom, particularly when several of them need special attention and a Special Needs monitor has been removed from the roster.>>>
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The parents' association, AMPA Gamero, held a meeting last week with the local Schools Inspector, after which the local Education Department proposed  installing a support teacher exclusively for this First Grade class. This, the parents felt, would impact on all the rest of the classes, who would then not have a support teacher as and when it was needed. The parents insisted on the need to divide the 28 children into two separate units.

As the measure was not forthcoming, the asociation called for a 'strike'. This means that they would not be bringing their kids to school as from Monday, until the matter is resolved.

The decision is supported by parents from the rest of the school, who feel that the quality of teaching will be severely affected by a missing support teacher, and the lack of another one with which to divide the class, especially as this is the first year in 'real' school.

The parents also added that the situation would affect the entire teaching staff, which has seen its numbers reduced by two and their teaching hours extended, which in turn means they have to put in more classroom hours, according to one mother.