Dear Parents/Carers,

You may be aware from media coverage that the National Education Union (NEU) have declared further industrial strike action, which will take place on Thursday 27^th April and Tuesday 2^nd May. The strike is happening because of a national dispute between the unions and the government over school funding and teacher’s pay and not because of any issues at our school. 

Staff do not have to inform me whether or not they intend to strike; however, in many cases they have chosen to in order to ensure the safety of all children and so that the school can give families as much notice as possible that learning may be disrupted on the dates set out above.

We are considering options and issues, including avoidance of disruption to Year 6 assessment preparation. Currently, I can confirm that some classes will be open and some will be closed; however, please note that this could change. For example, if the unions hold successful talks with the government or there should be picketing that affects the rest of the staff coming in, then we may have to close the whole school at short notice.

Please see the table below for details of individual classes and what I know so far.

We recommend that you start to make alternative childcare arrangements for these dates in case things do change.

If, however, you are a critical worker and have no other alternative childcare on one or both of these days, there is a very limited number of places, outside of your child/children’s year group, accessing a variety of activities, supervised by staff familiar to them.

Click on this link for more information:

https://forms.gle/HQWqRHG6EKELbMrh8

Breakfast and After-School Club will be open at the usual times for children if their classes are open on these dates. Lunch will be served to children, who are in school as normal.

I am sorry about the potential disruption to you, your family and to your child’s education. I understand that this situation may be frustrating, and ask that all members of our school community continue to treat each other with respect and kindness. The staff at Seaburn Dene remain committed to providing a safe and secure environment for our pupils and delivering high-quality teaching and learning.

We are working closely with our staff union representatives to keep up to date with the situation, and I will inform you as soon as possible if arrangements change further.

If you have any questions, please contact the school office.

Yours sincerely,

Mr John Howe
Head Teacher