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30th January 2023
Dear Parents/Carers
Following on from my previous letter in relation to the strike action that is due to take place, we have discussed how best to deal with this situation.
We will have a number of teachers who will be on strike on these days, but also a number of Teaching Assistants who will be required to stay off to look after their own children as their children’s schools may be closed.
From a school perspective, it is extremely difficult to make decisions on what to do when we are dealing with an unspecified number of staff not being present at school. However, what I do not want to do is wait until the day of the strike and then have to send children home as that will have the biggest detrimental effect on our families.
Instead, we have decided that the fairest and hopefully least damaging way to proceed is to have a partial closure on the strike days. In doing this, it allows us to keep school open for the majority of students on each day and means children that miss a day of school as a result of strike action will hopefully only miss one out of the four days.
For the strike days the following classes will NOT be in school.
Wednesday February 1st – Highcliffe, Carlton, Sutton, Wainstones, Roseberry
Tuesday February 28th – Jet, Amber, Ruby, Diamond, Pearl
Wednesday March 15th – Emerald, Sapphire, Purple, Green
Thursday March 16th – Orange, Blue, Yellow, Rainbow, Nursery
Please bear in mind that this list is only provisional. We will need to be reflective on each strike day as to whether it is safe to maintain the planned number of open classes. This will be dynamically risk assessed on each strike day, however the planned class closures should give us lots of wriggle room should more staff be off than expected.
We will endeavour wherever possible to deliver your child’s usual curriculum on the strike days, however this may not be feasible in all classes and alternative activities may be provided.
Cont/d…..
Please also note there is the prospect that should there be a resolution that not all strike days may go ahead. There is however, the potential for more unions to vote to strike in which case we will have to reflect and adapt our initial plans for what school will look like on the strike days.
Thank you for your continued support
Kind regards
Paul McLean
Paul McLean
Headteacher
Kirkleatham Hall School
Dear Parents/Carers
The NEU (National Education Union) have announced that its ballot of teacher members in England has met the threshold required to commence industrial action.
The NEU has announced national and regional action. The dates that will affect children in the North of England are as follows:
Wednesday 1st February 2023
Tuesday 28th February 2023
Wednesday 15th March 2023
Thursday 16th March 2023
On these days we are very likely to have a number of NEU teaching staff who will be off and potentially some NEU Teaching Assistants.
This situation is made more challenging as we know that some schools may need to close on these days and then our staff may need to provide childcare for their own children.
At this moment in time, we cannot say with any certainty as to whether school will be open or closed on these days. We will endeavour to keep school open if it is safe to do so. I will write to you with further information as soon as I have it.
Yours sincerely
Paul McLean
Headteacher
Kirkleatham Hall School
Dear Parents/Carers
On Wednesday and Thursday this week there is planned strike action by the Royal College of Nurses. There was a discussion as to whether this would affect the School Nursing Service. This morning we have received confirmation that the strike action will include the School Nursing Service.
The reason we have a School Nurse is that educational staff are not insured or covered to provide lots of the medical interventions that our students require.
We are therefore in the position where by if your child receives any medical intervention that they will be unable to attend school on Wednesday and Thursday. This is either the administering of medication at any point during the school day or any medication that maybe needed to be administered in an emergency situation.
As a school we have fought to ensure that we have a Registered Nurse on site at all times. This is for the safety and wellbeing of our students. I am concerned that if children that usually require medical intervention attend school, that we are giving the message that we can manage without a School Nurse, which I know is not in the best interests of our students.
However, I appreciate the stress this places on you as families and I sincerely apologise for the loss of education and the inconvenience that this causes. If further strike action is planned, I will try to give you as much notice as possible now we are aware that any further strike action will include School Nurses.
Please note, if your child is on residential this week then this will only affect them on the days when they would be in school.
Yours sincerely
Paul McLean
Headteacher
Kirkleatham Hall School