Dear Families,
You may be aware from media coverage that teaching unions have declared strike action, which will take place on 1st February, 1st March, 15th March and 16th March. The strikes are happening because of a national dispute between the unions and the government and not because of any issues at our school.
Due to the number of staff who are striking, I am afraid that I am going to have to close the Academy to Years 7 and 8 on Wednesday 1st February. Students in Years 9 and 10 should attend as normal.
There may also be disruption on the other dates listed above and I would encourage you to think about plans for alternative childcare arrangements for these dates.
I’m sorry about the potential disruption to you 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.
West Bromwich Collegiate Academy and Shireland Collegiate Academy Trust remain committed to providing a safe and secure environment for our students and we must have appropriate staffing ratios to do so.
During the Closure:
- During this period, work will be provided online for your child, with a number of activities linking to their current studies. We will contact you to let you know what your child needs to do to access this.
- We will have very limited capacity to be open for children of key workers and vulnerable children such as those who are looked after or have an EHCP. If you believe you would be eligible and have no other alternative to keeping your child at home please contact the Academy at info@wbca.shirelandcat.net.
We are working closely with our staff and union representatives to keep up to date with the situation, but I wanted to give you as much notice as possible of the likely disruption. If there are any changes such as the strike being called off or additional staff striking which changes the current position, I will let you know at the earliest opportunity.
Yours sincerely
George Faux
Principal
