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 27 April and Tuesday 2 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 Post-16 will be able to undertake lessons as normal. To be clear ALL STUDENTS IN YEARS 11 & POST-16 (Year 12 and Year 13) should attend school as normal on the strike days. Non-attendance on these days for students in Year 11 and Post-16 will be managed as it would on any normal school day. Further to this, ALL PUBLIC EXAMINATIONS WILL RUN AS PLANNED ON THESE DAYS.
For students in other year groups the following arrangements will apply:
- Years 7 to 10 will be asked to study remotely during strike days and lessons via Google Classroom should be completed in line with their normal timetable. All students have access to Google Classroom via their Chromebook.
- The academy will remain open for all students in Year 11 and Post-16 who will follow their normal timetable for the day. Catering will run as normal for these year groups.
- All public examinations will run as planned on these days.
- Vulnerable, SEN students and the children of key workers will be able to attend school with a bespoke timetable for the day. Break and lunch times will operate as normal with appropriate supervision in place. Catering will run as normal for these students.
- If you are a key worker please book a place for your child via the following email: admin@wilmingtonacademy.org.uk. Please state Key Worker Place, Student Name, College and Year Group in the subject box.
- If you are a parent of a vulnerable or SEN child we will contact you separately to confirm whether or not you require your child to attend. SEN can also be contacted via this email: sendadmin@wilmingtonacademy.org.uk
- For students who are eligible for free school meals. For FSM students requiring a meal for 27 April, caterers will provide:
- 1 x baguette (vegan/vegetarian etc options will be available)
- 1 x fruit pot or piece of fruit
- FSM meals must be collected from the restaurant area on Wednesday 26 April at the end of the academy day.
- Parents of FSM entitled pupils need to confirm via this Google Form link whether a packed lunch is required on this Google Sheet by midday of Tuesday 25 April.
- Further details regarding Tuesday 2 May will be sent in due course.
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 contact us as soon as possible 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.
If you are a parent of a vulnerable child we will contact you separately to confirm your child’s attendance on strike days.
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 27 April they can collect their lunch on the 26 April. On the 2 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 2 May by a parent. We will contact you as we have done previously to confirm arrangements.
If you have any questions or concerns about the alternative arrangements outlined above, please contact the academy at admin@wilmingtonacademy.org.uk in the first instance. As ever, thank you for your continued support.
Yours faithfully,
Mr M Gore
Principal
