STAFF at a high school will go on strike within weeks.

Members of the NAS UWT teaching union at Darwen Vale High School have set the date for strike action on Wednesday June 18.

The forced academisation of the school will also see NUT members meet within days to discuss joining them in a coordinated strike.

The date was chosen as no exams are set to take place during the week in question.

NASUWT regional leader Claire Ward, a Darwen Vale teacher, said pupils at the school were also hoping to have their say.

The union is inviting students and members of the community to join them on the picket line.

She said proposed redundancies were no longer a motivation to strike as Blackburn with Darwen Council were now overseeing a ‘sympathetic’ redundancy process.

She said their remaining objections centred on forced academisation and a lack of a parental and community ballot.

She said: “This date has been chosen as there are no GCSE exams that week as we want to minimise disruption for pupils.

“Pupils themselves are very angry as many could easily have gone to the nearby academy, if they wanted to go to an Aldridge school.

“They want their right to a choice and I have had children say to me they will be leaving the school if it becomes an academy. We want to encourage any members of the community, and pupils to join us on the picket line at 7.30am.”