Dear Parents and Carers,
Re: Industrial Strike Action
I hope this letter finds you well. Further to my letter earlier this week, I am now in a position to share with you a further update around the ballots on industrial action and what this means for our academy. As mentioned previously, The National Education Union (NEU), National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) and National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT) held ballots of their members on industrial action. Following these votes, members of the NEU across England have decided to strike.
The NAHT and the NASUWT strikes will not be proceeding as not enough members voted. However, there is a chance that these ballots will be held again, which we will update you on if there is any change.
Strikes will take place across Wednesday 1st February, Wednesday 1st March, Wednesday 15th March and Thursday 16th March. These dates will impact on our academy.
As a result of the strikes on 1st February, we will not have enough members of staff to safely open the academy to all pupils. We will therefore just be open to pupils on the vulnerable register (you will be contacted directly). All other pupils must remain at home during the days specified above and we ask that they use the time to study independently using work set on Satchel One, Sparx Maths, GCSE POD, Seneca Learning and OAK National Academy. If your child is entitled to free school meals, packed lunches will be available for them to collect between 12.00pm to 2.00pm. Vulnerable children attending school will need to wear full school uniform. Year 11 BTEC ICT students – the exam planned for that day will still go ahead therefore students must attend.
We appreciate the inconvenience this will cause for some families, and we thank you for your continued support and understanding during this time.
Please note that this is national industrial action impacting on schools across the country, this is not just local action.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me or a member of our senior leadership team, and we would be more than happy to speak with you.
Yours faithfully,
Dr Lisa Mason