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Working at a secondary school in Ceredigion "felt like you had a gun to your chest", a former teacher has said as it faces strike action.

A majority of NASUWT union members at Cardigan Secondary School have said they will walk out over "adverse management practices".

Ceredigion council has begun an investigation into the claims.

The school had been criticised but an Estyn report found the head teacher had "challenged underperformance robustly".

The NASUWT said the council was trying to intimidate members and the ballot was to protect their welfare.

Intimidation

A staff member, who wished to remain anonymous, said a "climate of fear" spread around teachers at the school who "didn't fit in with the party line".

He added: "There was a win at all costs culture which isn't sustainable. Teachers are voting with their feet. I think that's really bad for students in terms of stability."

Former art teacher Guy Manning said: "Cardigan felt like you had a gun to your chest. I think the expectation was that you put everything in your job and your family has to suffer as a result.

"We've seen colleagues fall and fall and fall. I see colleagues falling now, and they're just about dragging themselves into school to work. It's so hard sometimes to actually drive to work when you know that you or your colleagues are up for some kind of intimidation in that day."

NASUWT said a ballot of its members at the school in December found 65% were in favour of strike action.

Ceredigion council said an independent investigator had spoken to 25 members of staff, around half of whom had made complaints.

The teachers' union said the council was attempting to "intimidate staff" at the school and its investigation was "exacerbating an already extremely difficult situation".

The council said the union's accusation was "wholly inaccurate".