Will Andalusian schools be open as normal on the day of the general strike? Here are the minimum services

How might the strike affect schools? Will lessons go ahead as normal in primary and secondary schools across Andalucía?

The first thing to clarify is that all public schools in Andalucía will remain open this Wednesday, barring circumstances beyond the authorities' control. There is no order to suspend classes.

However, this does not mean that operations will run as usual, as this depends on the level of participation in the strike among teaching staff. The regional ministry of education has published a resolution, which guarantees the maintenance of the public service provided by teaching staff at public non-university educational establishments.

The Andalusian regional government recognises the legitimate right of civil servants to exercise their right to strike as a means of exerting pressure in defence of their own interests, but also acknowledges the need to ensure the functioning of essential community services, such as schools. It has established minimum service levels, depending on the size of the school.

In all state primary and secondary schools, the presence of one member of the management team will be compulsory. They will be accompanied by:

-For schools with up to 300 pupils under the age of 18, one additional teacher (making a total of two teachers), provided that this does not result in the number of teachers exceeding 20 per cent of the school's teaching staff.

-For schools with up to 600 minors, two additional teachers (total: three teachers).

-For schools with over 600 under-age pupils, three additional teachers (total: four teachers).

In schools with several buildings, there must be at least one teacher at each building.

These are the minimum services, which will enable the centre to open and provide support for students. However, whether lessons can go ahead as normal depends on whether a large number of teachers join the strike. This remains an unknown until the strike on Wednesday.

Although schools are guaranteed to remain open, many families are wondering whether supplementary services such as early-morning care, school meals, school transport or after-school activities will run as normal, as these are services that do not depend on teachers.

In the case of Andalucía, many of these services are managed through the APAE (Andalusian public education agency) and Ampa (the parents' association). In this case, the authorities must also issue a decree setting out minimum services to be provided by staff employed by the APAE.

Read comprehensive regional education and school news