Dear Parents/Carers,
It is with regret that I am writing to inform you that further industrial action has been announced by the National Education Union (NEU) and the next strikes are due to take place on Thursday 27th April and Tuesday 2nd May.
As communicated previously this action is as a result of a national dispute between the unions and the government, and not specifically Leigh Academies Trust or its academies. As an academy we are working closely with staff to manage any disruption especially to vulnerable students, the children of key workers and those preparing for examinations.
With this in mind I am pleased to confirm that a dispensation has been agreed with the NEU that students in Year 11 and 13 will be able to undertake lessons as normal. To be clear ALL STUDENTS IN YEARS 11 & 13 should attend school as normal on the strike days. Non-attendance on these days for students in Year 11 and 13 will be managed as it would on any normal school day.
Students in Years 7, 8, 9, 10 and 12 will be asked to study remotely during strike days and online lessons will take place. A small number of Year 12 students will be asked to come in for Physics, Business and other courses, to complete coursework. If your child will be required to attend the academy on one of these days further communication will be sent out early next week and directed to students.
Vulnerable students and the children of key workers will be able to attend school as normal and will join their classmates in virtual lessons under the supervision of our staff. Break and lunch times will operate as normal with appropriate supervision in place in the normal way. If you are a key worker please complete the UTC Key Worker form by 12pm on Monday 24th April to confirm that your child will be attending on strike days. If you do not require a place for your child then they can attend virtually along with other students.
For those students who are in receipt of Free School Meals we will continue to provide meals on strike days. For any students studying remotely on the 27th April they can collect their lunch on the 26th April between 14:10 – 15:00 from the UTC restaurant. On the 2nd May the arrangements will be slightly different due to the bank holiday and instead meals will be available to collect from the school on the 2nd May from 7:30 – 8:00 from the UTC restaurant. Please complete the FSM Pack Lunch form latest by 12pm Monday 24th April.
We appreciate that industrial action is disruptive and you may need to change your plans or working arrangements whilst this action is ongoing. We will of course continue to monitor the arrangements in place and make modifications where possible to improve support for students where we can. If the strike action is called off then we will confirm this immediately and in this eventuality, the school will be open as usual to all students.
If you have any questions or concerns about the alternative arrangements outlined above, please contact the academy at info@theleighutc.org.uk in the first instance. As ever, thank you for your continued support.
Yours sincerely,
Mr Kevin Watson
Principal
