Dear Parent/Carer,
You will no doubt be aware that there are a number of ongoing industrial disputes taking
place between various trade unions and UK and Welsh Governments. This industrial action
has now extended to some education unions. One of these unions, The National Education
Union (NEU), has called for strike action by their members on the following dates:
• Wednesday 1st February 2023
• Tuesday 14th February 2023
• Wednesday 15th March 2023
• Thursday 16th March 2023
In our school we have staff who are members of the NEU and we will therefore be affected
by this strike action. As a result of this, we have had to carefully consider the implications for
us in terms of whether or not we are able to open to learners on the days of strike action.
These implications are primarily linked to health and safety and the number of staff we know
will be in school, in relation to the number of learners and classes that need to be taught
each lesson. We also need to consider the supervision and safety of learners at break and
lunch times of course.
Regrettably, I have to inform you that having carefully considered all factors relating to this
situation, we will be unable to open for learners on Wednesday 1st February 2023.
Learners should therefore not attend school on this date. This decision has been made
in line with guidance from the Government, our Local Authority and from HR advisors. A
decision regarding the remaining dates of industrial action will be made in due course and I
will notify you of these decisions as far in advance of those days as possible.
In communicating this to you I would ask that you are mindful that schools must adhere to
very clear legal guidance and regulations on what can and cannot be done in order to
manage or reduce the impact of strike action. For example, we are not allowed to:
• Know in advance of a ‘strike day’ the identity or number of staff who will be
participating in the industrial action
• Use staff from recruitment agencies to ‘cover’ for striking staff
• Ask school staff who are not involved in the industrial action to ‘cover’ for striking
colleagues or to provide work for their classes
• Combine classes to enable one member of staff to supervise larger groups
We also have to consider anticipated ‘normal’ levels of staff absence on the day of industrial
action. At this point, we also do not know how many non-striking staff may be unavailable for
work due to childcare issues caused by the closure of their own child’s school.
Please be assured that the industrial dispute leading to this strike action is a result of an ongoing dispute with Government and is not as a result of any issues relating to our school specifically. We will continue to work closely with our Local Authority and trade unions in order to keep you fully aware of the ongoing situation relating to any further industrial action.
In the meantime, I am sorry that you will have to make alternative arrangements for your child on this day and understand that this situation may be frustrating for you. However, I would also ask for your understanding and support as we do our utmost to manage this challenging situation as effectively as possible. Staff who are not involved in the industrial action will be in school as normal on the strike day, undertaking work to further improve the quality of our holistic provision for your child.
Please find links below to a wide range of online learning that your child can engage in during the day of industrial action.
https://lliswerryhigh.org/learners/links/
https://lliswerryhigh.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Skills-Websites-for-Learners-LHS.pdf
Learners have school logins for the following:
https://senecalearning.com/en-GB/
www.linguascope.com – Welsh/French/Spanish
username: lliswerry
password: langtime
If you have any further queries regarding this matter please e-mail us at admin@lliswerryhigh.org
Yours sincerely,
Mr N Davies
Headteacher
