Industrial Action – Strike Day – Thursday 27th April & Tuesday 2nd May 2023
Dear Parents/Carers,
As you will be aware, members of the National Education Union have announced further industrial action which will impact Hanham Woods Academy. The fifth and sixth strike days are scheduled for Thursday 27th April and Tuesday 2nd May.
As per the previous strike days, 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 Thursday 27th April and Tuesday 2nd May 2023 is as follows:
Years 7, 8, 9 and 10:
Students in Years 7, 8, 9 and 10 will need to remain at home on Thursday 27th April and Tuesday 2nd May 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, in the next few days. Please do get in contact if you need support across the strike days.
Year 11:
Due to the start of GCSE exams being so close, all Year 11 students are expected onsite on both days, where they will continue with their GCSE preparation. Students will be expected to arrive in full uniform and to stay onsite 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 Thursday 27th April and Tuesday 2nd May. If you have any queries regarding this, please contact Mrs McDermott [[email protected]] or Ms Gifford [[email protected]].
Any student attending the Academy on Thursday 27th April and Tuesday 2nd May (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 this day.
In summary…
| Thursday 27th April | Monday 1st May | Tuesday 2nd May | Monday 8th May | |
| Year 11 | All students to attend the Academy as normal | Bank holiday: Academy closed to all students | All students to attend the Academy as normal | Bank holiday: Academy closed to all students |
| Resource Base | All students to attend the Academy as normal | All students to attend the Academy as normal | ||
| Year 7, 8, 9 10 | Remain at home and access learning online | Remain at home and access learning online |
All students are expected back in the Academy as normal on Friday 28th April (and then Wednesday 3rd May).
While the government and teaching unions continue to negotiate, we 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.
Yours sincerely
Mr S O’Callaghan | Academy Principal
