A Southampton school has closed for two days amid strikes from staff.

Members of the National Education Union voted to strike, meaning Oasis Academy Lord’s Hill is closed today and tomorrow except for its most vulnerable students.

The National Education Union confirmed last month that staff at the school would take industrial action on June 25 and July 3, 4, 9, 10 and 11. 

They say it is due to a number of issues - including a failure to manage student behaviour, staff safety and excessive workloads.

In a letter to parents, the school’s interim principal Mr Firth said the Year 6 transition day will still occur today and a separate plan has been sent to parents of joining students.

On Wednesday, the planned rehearsal of Mary Poppins Jr will still take place for the Year 6 transition day performance, the letter added.

The school on Romsey Road will also be contacting parents of the school’s most vulnerable students directly to invite students into the academy on the strike days.

The school’s interim principal added: “This decision has been made as a last resort and after working closely with Oasis Community Learning.

“Nobody wants to strike action again, and we will be doing everything we can to minimise the impact on our students and community.”

The rest of the students can continue learning online with tasks set for students to complete from students’ iPads.

In the letter, he added: “I have continued to meet with staff, listening to their concerns and acting – continuing to work on our behaviour and culture action plan.

“I believe that we are making progress on a journey to make Oasis Academy Lord’s Hill one of the best schools in Southampton to learn in and to work in and we will continue to make positive changes until we get there.

“I will continue to work closely with staff, unions and with you to make this an Academy we can all be proud of.”

John Barneby, chief executive of Oasis Community Learning told the Echo: “Nobody wants to see strike action, and we are keen to work to minimise the disruption to our students and families and to make sure that it never gets to this point again.

"We understand the concerns of staff and have taken decisive action to address them. Over the last half term, there has been a change of leadership with a real commitment to transforming the school and the working environment.

"The new interim principal and his leadership team have met with and listened to staff and started the hard work needed to make Lord’s Hill a great place to work.

"There has been a new behaviour and culture action plan, a new approach to on-call support, the launch of a new benefits and rewards scheme, and a whole host of other changes as requested by staff.

"It is a journey, but one headed in the right direction. We understand that this is a challenging time for everyone involved and we deeply value the dedication and hard work of all our staff.

"We are all committed to finding a resolution that supports both our employees and our students.”