Dear Parent/Carer
Thank you for your continued understanding regarding the planned strike days. Despite further negotiations between the government and the teaching union, it seems the NEU strike action planned for Thursday 2nd March 2023 will take place.
The government have provided all schools with guidance to be used when managing strike action which we are following carefully.
As context of staffing is different across each school the exact arrangements for managing strike action in each school will vary widely, most particularly the distribution of membership of the different teaching unions varies from school to school. Some schools will have few taking strike action, others have many more.
We are taking all reasonable steps to keep the school open for as many students as possible. However with striking colleagues being under no obligation to inform school leaders of their decision to strike I still have to ensure the effective health and safety of all students and staff on school site.
Therefore I have decided to close the school for all year groups except Year 11 and Year 10 and those students who have already been identified as having critical worker or vulnerable status. School will run as follows:
- Critical worker and vulnerable students: 8:30am – 3pm (normal school hours)
- Year 10 & 11: 10am – 3pm (reduced school hours)
- Years 7, 8, and 9: Work from home
Years 10 and 11 will be taught wherever possible by their usual teachers (assuming they are not on strike) however there may be a need for them to take part in ‘seminar-style’ lessons led by senior leaders.
Please note that Government guidance Handling Strike Action In Schools, January 2023 states: “if a school has to restrict attendance by telling some pupils not to attend school on a strike day, the Y code should be used for pupils who are told not to attend. Pupils who are required to attend should be marked in the normal way. If a pupil is required to attend school on a strike day but does not, then they must be recorded as absent. The Y code does not count towards the pupil or school’s absence record.”
If your child is entitled to free school meals, we will use the information parents gave us from the last strike day to produce lunches for your child. Lunches will need to be collected by your child at 3pm on Wednesday 1st March from the Refectory.
Students working from home and those critical worker and vulnerable students in school will follow their timetables and receive a mix of online independent learning and where possible, online live lessons from the teachers who are in school. Further information about online learning can be found here.
I am very aware that our students, due to Covid, have already missed much learning and am very sorry for the inconvenience that this may cause however I do need to draw your attention to the two further strike days planned for 15th & 16th March 2023. Nearer the time I will need to consider the provision that we can provide together with the government’s priority of those students sitting exams in the summer.
I’m sure you will join me in hoping that this dispute is resolved before the next group of strike days so that we can minimise any further impact on our students’ education.
Yours sincerely
Sammy Crook
Head