Dear Parents, 

I am writing to you following my letter of January 19^th about strike action by the National Education Union on Wednesday, February 1^st. 

We have received notification from the NEU that they have called upon their members to take industrial action on Wednesday, February 1^st in respect of their ongoing pay dispute with the government. We understand a large number of our staff will do so. In these circumstances, we must make changes to our normal operations, in order to be both effective and safe. 

We have therefore taken the decision to move to remote learning for Years 7 – 10 next Wednesday, February 1^st.  

Assignments for students in Years 7 - 10 will be posted by teachers who are not taking part in the industrial action in Google Classroom to undertake at home. Where assignments are not posted in Google Classroom for all of a student’s lessons, we will provide you and them with additional links to BBC Bitesize or Oak Academy online resources via further letter early next week.  

Students in Years 11, 12 and 13 should attend for on site learning at Brockhill, where teachers who are not taking part in the industrial action will deliver their lessons as normal.  

Where the teacher of a Year 12 or 13 class is taking industrial action / absent from school Years 12 and 13 students will sign in and undertake private study in the Sixth Form Study Area.  

If the teacher of a Year 11 class is taking industrial action / absent from school Year 11 students will attend the Theatre and undertake personal revision activities with their own materials: - for example, their own flashcards, revision guides and revision timetable. They may receive advice about revision for Public Examinations: - for example, they may watch a Walking Talking Mock Maths GCSE examination.  

The Year 11 Btec Information Technology Public Examination will take place as scheduled. 

All after school activities will be cancelled on Wednesday, February 1^st. 

Parents of students in Years 7 – 10 in receipt of Free School Meals of will receive a separate message to this about arrangements for meal allowances on Wednesday, February 1^st. 

Where a student in Years 7, 8, 9 or 10 is the child of a critical worker or is vulnerable as defined by Annexes A & B of the Gov.uk Emergency Planning and Response for Education Guidance and no other arrangements are possible, we will offer the possibility of supervised private study at school of the identical materials set for all students in Google Classroom. Please ask via email to the school office account for a Supervised Private Study Request Form.  

Only students who meet the criteria of the Gov.uk Guidance and for whom we have received and acknowledged by the end of school on Monday the completed Supervised Private Study Request Form will be able to use this facility. Guidance 

Again, I am truly sorry about this disruption to you and to your child’s education. I understand this situation will be frustrating, and I am deeply grateful to you all for the understanding you have shown.  

I cannot yet comment on arrangements for scheduled strike days in March but wish Government and Union representatives well in seeking and hopefully finding agreement before then.  

Yours sincerely, 

 

Charles Joseph 

Principal