March 10th 2023 

Dear Parents, 

I am writing to you following my letter of February 24^thabout strike action by the National Education Union on Wednesday, March 15^th and Thursday, March 16^th.

As of now, there appears to be no progress between Government and NEU representatives, industrial action on both Wednesday, March 15^th and Thursday, March 16^th in respect of their ongoing pay dispute appears highly likely to go ahead.

In the likely event of industrial action taking place, we understand a large number of our staff will do so, as indeed they did on both February days. We will of course make changes to our normal operations, in order to be both effective and safe next Wednesday and Thursday.

These changes will be very largely identical to those we made for the days of industrial action in February, and we will again move to remote learning for Years 7 – 10 next Wednesday, March 15^th and Thursday, March 16^th.

Assignments for students in Years 7 - 10 will be posted by teachers who are not taking part in the industrial action in Google Classroom to undertake at home. Please ensure your children submit their work by the end of the school day.

Where assignments are not posted in Google Classroom for all of a student’s lessons, we will provide you and them with additional links to BBC Bitesize or Oak Academy online resources via further letter early next week.  

Students in Years 11, 12 and 13 should attend for on site learning at Brockhill, where teachers who are not taking part in the industrial action will deliver their lessons as normal.   All after school activities will be cancelled on Wednesday, March 15^th and Thursday, March 16^th.

However, Hairdressing students will sit their scheduled Public Examination at the Hair Academy in Ashford. We will confirm arrangements to the students and parents on Monday.

Where the teacher of a Year 12 or 13 class is taking industrial action / absent from school Years 12 and 13 students will sign in and undertake private study in the Sixth Form Study Area.  

If the teacher of a Year 11 class is taking industrial action / absent from school Year 11 students will attend the Theatre and undertake personal revision activities with their own materials: - for example, their own flashcards, revision guides and revision timetable. They may receive advice about revision for Public Examinations: - for example, they may watch a Walking Talking Mock Maths GCSE examination.  

Where a student in Years 7, 8, 9 or 10 is the child of a critical worker or is vulnerable as defined by Annexes A & B of the Gov.uk Emergency Planning and Response for Education Guidance and no other arrangements are possible, we will offer the possibility of supervised private study at school of the identical materials set for all students in Google Classroom. Please ask via email to the school office account for a Supervised Private Study Request Form.  

Only students who meet the criteria of the Gov.uk Guidance and for whom we have received and acknowledged by the end of school on Tuesday the completed Supervised Private Study Request Form will be able to use this facility. Guidance 

I am sorry about this further disruption to you and to your child’s education, and I am grateful to you all for the understanding you have shown.  

 

Yours sincerely, 

Charles Joseph 

Principal 

 

Letter of February 24^th

Letter of January 26^th

Letter of January 19^th