Industrial Action Plans: Wednesday 15th and Thursday 16th March 2023

Dear Parents/Carers

As you will be aware, members of the National Education Union have voted for industrial action which will impact Hanham Woods Academy. The third and fourth strike days are scheduled for Wednesday 15th and Thursday 16th March 2023. 

As per the previous strike day, this will result in disruption to our Academy, and most scheduled lessons will be unable to go ahead. There continues to be a level of uncertainty surrounding staffing levels and capacity which makes opening the Academy to larger numbers of students extremely difficult. As ever, student wellbeing remains our priority, and careful risk assessments have been carried out to assess which lessons and activities can safely continue. Our plan for Wednesday 15th and Thursday 16th March 2023 is as follows: 

Years 7, 8, 9 and 10: 

Years 7, 8, 9 and 10 students will need to remain at home on Wednesday 15th and Thursday 16th March and access work set through Show My Homework (Satchel). Students who are entitled to Free School Meals will be able to collect a packed lunch from the Academy each day at 12:30 by reporting to Reception. A separate text message will be sent shortly to request your child’s lunch option. 

On-site places will be offered to children and families where the students would benefit from being within the Academy. We will directly contact the parents/carers of these students in Years 7-10 who would benefit from attending on Wednesday and Thursday, in the next few days. Please do get in contact if you need support across the strike days.  

Due to available staff onsite, we can offer a rehearsal for the Academy Production on Thursday 16th March only. If your child is involved in the Academy production, they will be able to attend the Academy on this day for a full day of rehearsals. They are expected to arrive at the normal time and make their way to the Main Hall at 08:30. If you have any queries regarding this, please do contact Mrs Hurrell [[email protected]] 

Year 11: 

Due to the start of GCSE exams being weeks away, all Year 11 students are expected on site on both days. 

There will be a full programme of targeted sessions for all Year 11 students to address targeted areas of improvement identified following the recent PPEs. All Year 11 students will be expected to arrive in full Academy uniform and to stay on site as per a normal Academy Day.  

Resource Base: 

This provision will be open as normal. If your child normally attends the Resource Base we expect them to be in the Academy on Wednesday 15th and Thursday 16th March. If you have any queries regarding this, please contact Mrs McDermott [[email protected]] or Ms Gifford [[email protected]]. 

Any student attending the Academy on Wednesday 15th and Thursday 16th March (as per the guidance above) will need to be in full Academy uniform and arrive at the normal time (by 08:30am). The Academy Day will finish as normal at 15:00. No enrichment activities will be available on these days. 

In summary… 

All students are expected back in the Academy as normal on Friday 17th March. 

I am sure we all hope for a swift resolution to this dispute which will satisfy all parties. Until then, we recognise and respect the right of colleagues to take part in industrial action and ask that all members of our community continue to treat each other with respect. And while I understand this situation may be frustrating, your continued support for our Academy at this time is appreciated.  

I do hope this has answered your questions and will allow you to plan ahead for any disruption. However, should you have any further questions, do please contact the Academy through the usual channels. I will write to you again early next week to explain arrangements for online learning. 

Dream BIG // Work Hard // Be Kind

Mr S O’Callaghan | Academy Principal