Following on from yesterday’s message, we are now in a position to update parents on the impact of strike action at our school. We mentioned yesterday that we would not know until after 8.40am today how many teachers would strike and needed to take action to keep our school safe.
We now have a clear picture that shows 39 teachers, or over 60% of those who should be in school, have not come to work today. Some subjects are impacted on more than others with science, English and Maths being hardest hit. In these subjects the overwhelming majority of staff are not in work with numbers in school being in the low single figures. This will significantly change the amount of live online lessons that will go ahead today and will impact every year group. Live lessons in other subjects will also be impacted by this.
This is a national pay dispute and not about issues at our school. However, we are extremely disappointed that the NEU has actively discouraged teachers from informing us of their intention to strike. The decision we took to ask students to stay home was based on an unmanageable situation that would be created if just half of that number were to take strike action. We will keep parents informed of our plans for future strike days over the coming weeks.
We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused and for the impact on our children.
Nigel Bielby
Executive Headteacher