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Strike action
Tue 28 Feb 2023

Dear Parent/Carer

I am writing to you about the forthcoming strike action by the National Education Union (NEU), one of the main teaching trade unions. 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 three national and one regional day strikes planned, the second of which will take place on Wednesday 1^st March 2023.

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 and the children of critical workers only and those pupils in 3DH and 4O and 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. A national strike by teachers is very unusual. 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 for a further two days: Wednesday 15^th and Thursday 16^th March 2023. Please note these dates now and 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
World Book Day – Friday 3rd March 2023.
Wed 15 Feb 2023

Dear Parents and Carers

The main aim of World Book Day is to encourage children to explore the pleasures of books and reading.

To support this aim, we are celebrating World Book Day on Friday 3rd March and children are being asked to dress up as their favourite book character.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact Mrs Weston, the teacher responsible for this activity.

Yours sincerely

Mrs M Harris

Head Teacher
Walsall HAF
Tue 14 Feb 2023
The HAF team would like to confirm Easter Delivery dates for the Holiday Programme 03.04.23 - 06.04.23

To qualify for the HAF Programme you need to be in receipt of one or more of the below:
- Income related free school meals
- Have an EHCP
- Open to a plan (EH,CIN,CP)
- Young carer
Why do parents need to register?

Every parent that wants to book activities on HAF will need to register first. This will enable us to gain the correct data including the below prior to parents booking onto activities:
- Dietary needs
- Send needs
- Photo consent
- Emergency contact details
Number Day Friday 3rd February
Wed 08 Feb 2023

Year 3 had lots of fun by creating their own dice to play different games, carry out quizzes and exploring calculators.

Year 4 became Maths millionaires! They answered questions to reach 1 million points!! They also explored their dream jobs and other professions that need maths.

Year 5 used a range of maths skills to solve maths problems, finding prime numbers and times table games.

Year 6 worked hard to convert a range of different measures like litres into millilitres. They have also been challenged with their Badge Club and mental arithmetic this week!
Parents' Evening
Mon 06 Feb 2023

Dear Parents and Carers,

We have arranged Parents’ Evening for the following dates with time slots available between 3.05pm – 5.30pm.

Class 3S       -           Monday 13^thor Tuesday 14^th February

Class 3DH    -           Monday 13^th or Wednesday 15^th February

Class 4O      -           Monday 13^th or Wednesday 15^th February

Class 4S       -           Monday 13^th or Wednesday 15^th February

Class 5B      -           Monday 13^th or Tuesday 14^th February

Class 5J       -           Monday 13^th or Tuesday 14^th February

Class 6W      -           Monday 13^th or Tuesday 14^th February

Class 6B      -           Monday 13^th or Tuesday 14^th February

An invitation to book a time slot will be sent out via email on Monday 6^th February at 10.00am. All appointments will need to be booked online.

All appointments are on a first come, first served basis.

Teachers are happy for your child to be present at the interview if you wish.

Yours sincerely,

Mrs M Harris

Head Teacher