Strike Action
Dear Parent/Carer
Strike action
I am writing to you about the forthcoming strike action by the National Education Union (NEU). You may have seen coverage of this in the news, and I wanted to inform you about the impact this is likely to have at our school.
There are two national day strikes planned, the second of which will take place on Tuesday 2nd May.
The NEU has posted a document for parents, carers and grandparents that explains their reasons for taking strike action. It can be found at https://neu.org.uk/media/24511/view if you wish to read it.
How will strike action affect Blakenall Heath Junior School
When a strike takes place, those taking strike action stop work and withdraw their labour. This means that those teachers involved in the action will not teach their class(es) or undertake any other duties on a strike day.
It is therefore incumbent upon me to consider the impact that industrial action will have on the operation of the school. One of the key issues is to assess whether there are sufficient staff available for the school to remain open, or partially open, during a strike.
To determine whether this school can remain fully or partially open, a detailed risk assessment has been conducted. This considers the impact that the action will have on the health and safety of pupils, staff and visitors, and whether the school can run a full or amended curriculum, to determine whether it is possible to operate the school safely during the strike.
As a result of this, school will be open to vulnerable children, the children of critical workers and those pupils in 3DH and 4O. The school is closed to all other pupils. If you are a parent/carer of a vulnerable child, we will contact you separately to confirm your child’s attendance on strike days.
We shall provide all pupils with paper based activities to complete at home or school. Packed lunches will be provided for those pupils on free school meals and will be available for collection from school. We will be in touch with further details.
Clearly this is a difficult situation, which will cause some disruption. I would ask you, however, to be understanding. Taking strike action is not something that any teacher would undertake lightly. Those on strike will have thought long and hard about their decision and will also lose pay for the days that they are on strike.
If the strike is called off and we are able to open to all pupils we will confirm this as soon as possible.
Looking ahead, the NEU has indicated they will continue strike action until a pay deal is agreed with possible future strike days planned in the Summer Term. We will write to you before each date to confirm any changes to our arrangements and provision for pupils.
If you have any questions please contact the school office.
Thank you for your continued support.
Yours sincerely
Mrs M Harris
Head Teacher