Further to my letter last week, you will be aware that the National Education Union (NEU) has declared strike action for teaching staff in both February and March. The NEU have informed the Government that the following dates will likely be affected by strike action:

• Wednesday 1st February
• Thursday 2nd March
• Wednesday 15th March
• Thursday 16th March

While the planned action is as a result of a national dispute between the unions and the Government, and not the school, it is important that we respond accordingly in the interests of our students whilst respecting the rights of our staff. Therefore, my aim is to give you as much notice as possible of the likely impact of the strike action on the school. Whilst the March dates are still some way ahead of us, I am able to let you know what our plan is for next week.

On Wednesday 1st February Years 7,8,9,10 and 12 will move to online learning. The school will be open to Years 11 and 13. We will not be offering a usual timetable to students, instead we will be running intervention sessions in the core subjects for GCSE students and coursework and examination preparation sessions for Year 13. The school day will start and end at the same time.

Further details about the exact content of the day and the work set will be sent to each year group in the next few days.

When planning our on-site provision, we have prioritised students in both Year 11 and 13, who are preparing for exams this summer, and we will run in-person classes for these year groups on 1st February. On this day, Year 11 and 13 students are expected to attend school as normal.

For a small group of students with specifically identified needs, we will provide the option of onsite provision so that they can carry out the remote work under supervision. If your child is identified as requiring this need, we will contact you separately to confirm arrangements.

Students eligible for free school meals who are not required in school will be issued with a £5 food voucher at the end of the day on Tuesday 31st January which can be used in major supermarkets. For those students in school, catering will continue as normal.

We appreciate that industrial action is disruptive and you may need to change your plans or working arrangements whilst this action is ongoing. If the strike action is called off then we will confirm this as soon as we have been notified and, in this eventuality, the school will be open as usual to all students.

As I explained at the start of this letter, the NEU has indicated that there is further strike action planned for the 2nd March, 15th and 16th March. Please make a note of these dates now and I will write to you in advance of each date to confirm any changes to arrangements and whether the strike is going ahead.

If you have any questions or concerns about the alternative arrangements outlined above, please do contact us.

Yours faithfully

Daniel Hatley

EXECUTIVE HEADTEACHER