Please find below the letter sent to parents/guardians on 27 January 2023 regarding the planned teachers' strikes over the next couple of months:

As you may have heard, the National Education Union (NEU) has called for teachers to strike nationally for seven days during February and March, which may impact schools in West Berkshire on the following dates: 

• 1 February: All schools in England and Wales 

• 2 March: South-east and south-west England, and London 

• 15 and 16 March: All schools in England and Wales 

Although we are informed of how many of our teachers are NEU members and so therefore may strike, we cannot be clear of the full impact the strikes will have as teachers do not have to confirm whether or not they will strike on the allotted days.  

However, we are very aware of the difficulties that this may cause parents and the potential disruption it will bring to students’ learning. We have therefore put initial plans in place that will allow our school to remain partially open. It will not be possible to keep the school fully open due to the number of staff members taking strike action. 

Arrangements for 1 February 

• Year 11 – in school all day for revision sessions which might include Walking Talking mocks, likely in core subjects 

• Year 13 – in school for normal lessons where their teacher is in school, or supported self-study sessions where their teacher is taking strike action 

• Lunch will be available for both of these year groups 

• All other Year groups from Year 7 to 10, and Year 12 will be provided with work on Satchel One 

Although these plans have been drawn up carefully, it is possible that the situation could change next week, so we will update parents on Tuesday 31 January with our final plans. We thought it was best to give you as much notice as possible of our intentions. 

We recognise that the strike action may cause potential disruption to you and your child and therefore may be frustrating. We ask that all members of our school community treat each other with respect. 

David Ramsden
Headteacher