NATIONAL STRIKE ACTION – UPDATE
In the last week, we have seen the announcement of national strike action by the National Education Union (NEU) which has caused much interest in the public domain and amongst our staff, parents and carers.
Studio West School and Northern Leaders Trust MAT absolutely respect the rights of our staff to take lawful strike action. We live in a democracy and this is something that we feel should be protected.
We have, since the announcement of the strike action, gathered as much information as we can regarding the number of staff who are taking strike action. Having this information has enabled us to let you know at the earliest possible stage whether the strike action will affect the school provision for your children on the strike days. We wanted to give you as much notice as possible to enable you to make arrangements for childcare should this be necessary.
The school will be open to Year 11 students only. In addition, students who are listed in one of our vulnerable categories will be invited to attend and parents/carers will be contacted separately via email regarding this. For those children who are eligible for Free School Meals, a WONDE voucher will be issued for the value of £2.85.
If you have any queries, please contact the school reception on 0191 4813710 or email [email protected]
This national dispute is with the central government, and we are trying to work with our staff to respect the principles of the industrial action and also to enable parents and carers to be able to plan for the implications of this. It’s a fine balance and an important one. We are confident that we are not making decisions prematurely, nor are we waiting until the last minute, thus causing a problem for you as parents and carers.
Whilst this is a difficult situation for all concerned, as a Trust we will do all that we can to not only support our staff but also the parents and carers of our pupils.
25 January 2023