Background

The National Education Union (NEU) confirmed on Monday 16th January that its members will be striking over pay, the lack of government funding for previous and future pay awards, and the affect underfunding has had on retention and recruitment. They have planned action on four separate days in February and March.

Currently, strikes that will impact our academy are scheduled to take place on the below dates:

• Wednesday 1st February (whole country strike)
• Wednesday 1st March (East Midlands, West Midlands, Eastern)
• Wednesday 15th March (whole country strike)
• Thursday 16th March (whole country strike)

Striking is the right of every teacher who is part of a union and is a personal choice which we respect as an academy and Trust. As the academy’s Principal, the safety and wellbeing of our pupils is my top priority. As we have a high proportion of academy staff who are members of the NEU, there will not be enough staff for us to safely welcome all pupils on site, making it challenging for us to keep the academy fully open on strike days.

Who is on Strike?

Members of the NEU have voted to take industrial action in the form of a series of strikes. About half of our teaching staff are members of this union. They are not obliged to inform the school about whether they will strike or not.

They will have a picket line outside school on Wesdnesday. Staff from other unions can choose not to cross the picket line. If other staff choose not to cross the picket they will also, in effect, be on strike. This could result in an even larger numbers of teachers not being in work than just members of the NEU.

Academy Opening, 1st February 2023

Due to the uncertainty about the number of staff that will be in work, we do not know if we would be able to open to all pupils safely. Therefore, for the first day of industrial action on Wednesday 1st February 2023, only pupils in our Alternative Curriculum (AC) groups and vulnerable pupils in all year groups have been invited to attend school. Families have been contacted directly with this invitation. Sadly, on this occasion, we are closed to anyone who did not receive a direct invitation to attend.

We are sorry that this is the case, but we are sure you understand that the industrial action relates to important education funding issues nationally – rather than anything at a school or local level.

We are very hopeful that we will be able to invite more pupils to attend for the remaining days of industrial action if they go ahead.

Remote Learning

Pupils that are unable to attend school should complete the appropriate activities from our 'Remote Learning for Industrial Action' letter that you can find on our letters page.

Free School Meals

We will also be providing a £3 Tesco or Morrisons voucher to all pupils who receive Free School Meals. These will be issued after the strike.