Dear Parents/Carers,  

 As you may be aware from recent news coverage, following a national ballot the members of the National Education Union - the largest teaching union in the UK - recently voted to take strike action. This is national strike action in relation to national issues and the vast majority of schools in the country will be impacted. Please note that the Education Secretary continues her discussions with Union Leaders to find a resolution to this issue. However, we must provide parents with sufficient notification time regarding partial school closures. 

The strikes will take place on the following dates: 

• Tuesday 28^th February 
• Wednesday 15^th March 
• Thursday 16^th March   

Approximately 50% of our total number of teachers are members of the NEU and as such may choose to support this strike action on those days by not attending work. In addition to this, across the UK schools are finding that teaching staff are leaving their current union and joining the NEU, so this number could be much larger on the day.  

Staff are under no obligation to indicate which union they belong to or whether they will or will not take strike action and so at this stage it is not clear who or how many of our staff will not be in work on that day. Staff who are in work are under no obligation to provide cover for colleagues who are on strike. 

As you will appreciate, the number of staff who will potentially be on strike on those days will have significant impact on the running of the school. As such, the following decisions have been made in relation to Tuesday 28^th February only and will then be reviewed in advance of the further strike days with details communicated to you nearer the time. 

• Students in Years 11, 12 and 13 will be required to attend school as normal.  
• For students in Years 12 and 13, where teaching staff for their lessons that day are not in school, they will be able to work independently in the LRC. Where their timetabled teaching staff are present, they should attend lessons as normal.  
• Students in Year 12 and 13 will be able to go home after their lesson of the day but must ensure that they sign out so that we have an accurate record of who is on site. 
• For students in Year 11, where teaching staff for their lessons that day are not in school, they will be supervised by other staff and where possible work will be provided. Where their timetabled teaching staff are present, they should attend lessons as normal.  
• Students in Years 11, 12 and 13 who do not attend school on that day will be recorded as absent. 

School will be closed to all students in Years 7, 8, 9 and 10 on Tuesday 28^th February. They will be given a Y code in the register which will not count as a statistical absence.  

All students will be asked to engage in independent study at home. Students in Years 7 to 10 will be able to access the following online platforms to support their learning at home: 

• Reading Plus  
• Maths Watch 
• Seneca  
• Revisio (revision platform for Year 10 and 11 only) 
• School VLE www.stjulies.org.uk 

All students have been provided with their login and password details to access each platform.  

St. Julie’s Catholic High School will be providing grab bags for children eligible for free school meals only, available from 3.30pm on Monday 27 February in the dining room. If your child is in receipt of free school meals, please could you complete the form by clicking on this link https://forms.office.com/e/LrnDrh51p8 .The deadline for completion will be Friday 24 February at 11am to allow for planning and preparation.

In coming to this decision, we have also considered the health and safety implications of having an unknown number of teaching staff on strike and have determined that having only Year 11 to 13 is the safest option on balance.

Thank you for your understanding in this matter. 

Yours faithfully, 

Mrs K McCourt
Acting Headteacher