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Strike Action – July 2023

To download a copy of this letter, click here. 

  • June 30, 2023

Dear Parents and Carers,

As you are probably aware from reports in the media, the National Education Union (NEU) plans to strike for a further two days on Wednesday 5th and Friday 7th July.

I am writing to you so that you have a clear understanding of how these strikes are likely to affect the school. Due to the fact that a significant proportion of our teaching staff are members of the NEU, there will not be enough staff on site to ensure the safety of all 1300 students, and so the school will have to close. The closure will be for all students with the exception of Year 10 students.

I must stress that this strike is part of a national dispute and not a localised dispute with the school. NEU members are exercising their right to withdraw their labour and with skeleton staffing, we cannot safely open the school. Please be aware also that the impact of the strike will vary from school-to-school: schools with few NEU members may be able to avoid full closure.

Arrangements for Year 10

To mitigate the impact of this strike day on students in Year 10, the following plans are being put in place for both mornings. Students are to arrive in school for 8:55am and should make their way to the Sports Hall where they will be directed to their respective venue and registered. The activities planned include feedback on the recent mock examinations in English Language, alongside Masterclasses in English Literature, History and Geography. We are also running exam catch up sessions for any students who were absent for mock exam completion. As we hope you’ll appreciate, these are important sessions and it’s expected that all students attend to receive this support. Full school uniform will be required.

Timings of the Y10 programme are as follows:

Wednesday 5th July

9:00 to 10:30am – English Language Exam Feedback

10:30 to 10:50am – Break

Students will be able to use the canteen as usual

From 10:50am, one of the following:

  • History Masterclass (45 minutes)
  • Exam Catch Up. Students required for this will be told individually and their parents informed.
  • GCSE Drama for students not involved in History or Exam Catch Up.*

Students who are not involved in any of the above activities will be able to leave site at 10:30am.

Friday 7th July

9:00 to 10:30 – English Literature Masterclass

10:30 to 10:50 – Break

Students will be able to use the canteen as usual

From 10:50 one of the following:

  • Geography Masterclass (45 minutes)
  • Exam Catch Up. Students required for this will be told individually and their parents informed.
  • GCSE Drama for students not involved in Geography or Exam Catch Up.*

Students not involved in any of the above activities will be able to leave site at 10:30am.

*Students involved in Drama or Exam catch-up may wish to bring a packed lunch to school.

Thank you for your support and bearing with us at this time.

Yours sincerely,

Mr P Davies
Headteacher

How Yondr Works

Frequently Asked Questions

We want our students to be engaged in their learning. A child at high school should not really have a reason to contact a parent during the day; however, if there is a genuine reason e.g. they have forgotten their packed lunch, a phone call can be made home from the school office. If a parent needs to contact their child in an emergency, they should contact the school office. If you need to contact your child during the school day, contact the main office on 01942 883796.

In case of a school emergency, we direct our students to safety first, following our school emergency procedures.

 

Students are in possession of their phone - in their Yondr pouch - for the entire school day. We will advise students to store the pouch safely in their school bag or blazer pockets.

If a student damages their Pouch or is caught on their phone, we will confiscate the phone and issue a sanction which is likely to be a suspension.

Note: Damage consists of any signs that the physical integrity of the pouch has been compromised, whether intentional or unintentional, as determined by the school or Yondr staff.

Damaged pouches will be charged to parents at a cost of £20.

They will be searched and wanded with a handheld scanner by a member of SLT. If they are found to have their phone on their person they will be expected to place it in their pouch. Refusal will be met with suspension.

If a student forgets their Pouch, their phone will be confiscated.

As per our previous mobile phone policy;

  • Confiscated phones will be taken to reception where the phone will be secured in the school safe.
  • Parents will be alerted to the phone confiscation via the school office.

Parents will have the option to collect the phone at the end of the day. If parents do not collect the phone, the phone will remain in school until the end of the week or until the student has their pouch.

In Yondr’s experience, this almost never happens. All students funnel past the unlocking stations at the exits, they want their phones back and don’t forget to unlock their pouches. If they do arrive home with a phone in a pouch, they can either come back to school to unlock it, or have a phone free evening!

The unlocking process is quick and takes under a second per student. 

As a privilege, Year 11 will be able to unlock their phones as they go off site at lunchtime; however, they will be expected to put their phones back into their pouches when they return to school for period 5.

Yes. There is an adapted version of the pouch which uses a Velcro fastener instead of a magnetic lock. This means the student still follows the policy, but the adapted pouch gives them easy access to their phone when required. If the student abuses this, they will face a sanction. We are already aware of these students.

Your Office 365 account username is your school network account username followed by @flhs.wigan.sch.uk 
The password is the same password that you use in school to access computers.