TEACHERS are set to stage a mass walk-out at a Liverpool school – a week before pupils start their GCSE exams.

The planned industrial action, at Dingle secondary Shorefields, tomorrow, has been organised in response to its plans to convert to a centrally funded Academy.

The school will close due to the day of action which is expected to see more than 50 teacher members of unions NAS/ UWT and National Union of Teachers join a picket line outside the school from 7am.

The strike comes less than a week before around 250 students are due to sit two GCSE exams in English language.

Parents, believing there is no reason to meddle with a good community school, have also set up a protest group on social networking website Facebook.

The National Union of Teachers organised a strike against the “privatisation” of the school believing it will cut funding available to council-run schools.

And tomorrow they will be joined by teachers from the NAS/ UWT amid union fears that other schools in the city would lose funding.

The union is also worried conditions would deteriorate as Academies set their own pay and terms.

But the strike was condemned by the school, which has launched consultation on the Chester University-sponsored Academy, which it believes would raise standards through greater curriculum freedoms.

A spokesman said: “The school is very unhappy once again that teachers’ strike action will inconvenience parents and mean more than 600 students will lose a full day of education.”

He added: “This action will impact negatively on all students, particularly the 250 who will begin GCSE exams in less than seven days.”