Dear Parents and Carers,
NEU Industrial Strike Action
You may have heard that members of the National Education Union have voted for strike action, with the days of such action scheduled for:
- Wednesday, 1 February
- Tuesday, 28 February
- Wednesday, 15 March
- Thursday, 16 March
Funding for schools was of national concern prior to the pandemic, and school leaders continue to struggle with the consequences of the funding crisis. A key issue for schools is the recruitment of teachers. Last year the Government only recruited 62% of teachers of EBacc subjects, and only 17% of the necessary new physics teachers were recruited. Last year the number of teachers leaving the profession rose by 12.4%, with 8.1% of all teachers leaving the state funded sector last year (36,262 staff), of whom only 11% were retiring. So, we are in the midst of a recruitment crisis.
In the weeks ahead we will be working hard to minimize the impact of strike action on our students and their families, and we will update you before each proposed date to inform you of our plan.
The plan for Wednesday 1st February is as follows:
The school will be shut to Y9 and 10 – teachers (who are not striking) are to set up work in advance and to put it onto Bromcom on the day of the strike for students to complete at home.
The school will be open to Y11 and Y13. If Y13 students do not have their teacher then they will gain a study period. If Y11 do not have a lesson then they will go to the school hall where a member of SLT will deliver a core lesson (English, maths and science) to them.
The school will also be open to all students who have an EHCP, and they will be supported in their learning by the school’s TA team.
Yours Faithfully
Philip Jones