RE: Strike Action and Impact on Norham High School


Dear Parents and carers,

I hope this letter finds you, friends and family well. I would just like to take a moment to thank you for your ongoing support in all matters as we continue to deliver a fantastic education to our pupils and tirelessly support them with any matter that affects their wellbeing. 

As you know, the school was graded “Good” by Ofsted in all areas this year and achieved a set of exam results our community could be truly proud of. This is due to our ongoing work of which we will not relent.

Proposed / Potential Industrial Action:

I do believe that the vast majority of teaching staff are members of the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT). Should this union take industrial action (strike) then the school would likely need to make alternative arrangements for a number of our pupils as we could very well be missing the vast majority of our teaching staff. 

If this were to happen, we would likely prioritise the education and wellbeing of:

If this were indeed the case, senior staff and support staff (including myself) would cover and support the education and wellbeing of pupils identified above on the school premises possibly with altered timings to the normal school day.

Year 7 – 9 (non vulnerable/non-EHCP) would likely be set remote learning tasks via their Chromebooks and Google Classrooms. Our pupils are trained in and adept to using these devices to complete independent learning such as homework and so we would as far as possible maintain a minimal acceptable level of the quality of education during any potential strike days.


Childcare:

We would as far as possible, offer places to families who we know would significantly struggle with childcare starting with Year 7, but given the potential scale of impact, we cannot guarantee this at this time and would have to prioritise education wellbeing to those who need it most – industrial action is, after all, designed to cause disruption. 

I ask you to complete the online Google Survey confirming whether a place in school (Year 7 – 9) would be critical – this will help us with our planning to try to meet the needs of as many families as possible. As mentioned, all vulnerable pupils with an EHCP have a guaranteed place – this is our pledge. 

Please complete the Google Survey only if your child is in Year 7 – 9 and not vulnerable/has an EHCP, again, any child like this will be prioritised. 


The survey can be found below.


We will keep you updated via text/Classcharts App should any matters relating to industrial action we did not foresee affect our ability to offer provision and maintain the quality of education.

Kind regards,


Mr T Conway