Staff Strike Action - 1st March 2023
You will be aware from previous media coverage that the National Education Union (NEU), have declared strike action over several dates, the second of which will take place on Wednesday 1st March. The strike is happening because of a national dispute between the unions and the government over teachers’ pay and conditions, and not because of any issues at our academy. Other teaching unions have directed their members not to cover lessons of other teachers who are on strike.
Following the completion of a risk assessment, The Link Academy will remain open on Wednesday 1st March to Years 7, 9 and 11. Attendance for these three-year groups is compulsory and any failure to attend on this date will count as unauthorised absence, impacting on eligibility for this half terms rewards. The PALS+ site will also be open to Y11 learners only.
Based upon our current estimates of staffing levels, Year 8 and 10 learners will be required to stay at home on Wednesday 1st March. Learners in these year groups will be able to access additional work on Bedrock and SPARX, our English and Mathematics online platforms. I am aware that this is the second date of strike action, that has affected Y8 on both days, therefore please be assured that for the upcoming Strike days on 15th and 16th March, Y8 will be prioritised to be in school along with other selected year groups based on staffing.
We are sorry about the disruption to your child’s education. We understand that this situation may be frustrating and ask that all members of our school community continue to treat each other with respect. As I am sure you can understand, it is vital that we are able to support learners that are in their final examination year.