Strike Letter 15th and 16th March

Dear Parents/Carers

As I explained in my letter earlier this term, the National Education Union have announced strike action and the proposed dates for this industrial action are:

• Wednesday 15 March
• Thursday 16 March

This action has resulted in some partial and whole school closures both locally and nationally. The decision to close a school to all or some students is never taken lightly and we will always try our best to keep the school open to as many students as possible. In order to take the necessary steps to ensure the health and safety of students, a risk assessment has to be carried out to determine if there is a need for a full or partial closure of the school.  Amongst other areas this risk assessment considers:

• Whether there are likely to be enough suitably qualified staff to enable students to be supervised safely
• If we can guarantee student to staff ratios will be met
• Our ability to ensure our emergency procedures including fire and evacuation, can be carried out

I am writing to you today to inform you of our plans for Wednesday 15 March and Thursday 16 March. Unfortunately, due the reasons outlined above, we will be partially closed and the school will be open to the following year groups on these days:

• Wednesday 15 March  Years 8, 9, 11, 12 and 13 – students in these year 
groups should attend school on this day

• Thursday 16 March   Years 7, 10, 11, 12 and 13 – students in these year 
groups should attend school on this day

Students in all year groups who have EHCPs will also be able to attend school as normal.

Students in the year groups who are not in school will receive remote learning via Firefly. There is no requirement for teachers who are on strike to set work. Students should log onto Firefly at 9am to see which lessons have been set. 

We appreciate that industrial action is disruptive, and you may need to change your plans or working arrangements whilst this action is ongoing. We will, of course, continue to monitor the arrangements in place and make modifications to improve support for students, wherever possible. However, ensuring the health and safety of our students must take priority.

We are sorry for the inconvenience this will cause parents and carers. I would also like to take this opportunity to reassure parents and carers that as a school we will do everything we can to ensure that any lost learning is caught up. 

Yours sincerely

Vicki Jackson
Headteacher