Dear parents and carers

I am writing to update you with our response to the industrial action on Wednesday 1st February 2023.

It is important to note that the strike is happening because of a national dispute between the unions and the government over teachers' pay and conditions of employment, and not because of any issues specifically relating to our school.

As Headteacher, I have had to consider and risk assessed how we manage the inevitable disruption, placing the safety and well-being of students and staff at the heart of the decision-making. With the possibility of a significant number of staff striking and only being certain of the final staffing numbers on the morning of 1st February, it is clearly not possible to operate the school in the normal manner whilst maintaining a safe environment for our students. We are also aware of a number of staff who cannot attend as they will need to care for their own children whose schools in turn are also affected by the industrial action.

Due to the legislation involved in industrial action, I cannot plan to utilise staff who are not on strike to cover the staff who are absent and so bringing significant numbers of students on site would cause a large number of students to not have adequate supervision at lesson and break times. Therefore, regrettably the industrial action will mean that we will NOT be open as usual on this day.

For those students eligible for Free School Meals, vouchers to the value of £3 per student will be issued.

Online logins for English and Maths will be emailed out next week.

I will keep you informed of any future developments with as much notice as possible.

Thank you for your continued support and understanding.

Yours sincerely

Tracy Felstead

Headteacher