You may have seen reports in the national media that the National Education Union (NEU) is planning to stage strike action, with the fourth set of dates being Wednesday 5th July and Friday 7th July 2023. The strike is happening because of a national dispute between the unions and the government and not because of any issues particular to our school.
We can confirm that this strike will mean a partial closure for Astrea Academy Sheffield.
Primary Phase
The school will be closed for Reception, Year 1, Year 3/4 (RSO), Year 4 and the Nest on Wednesday 5th July.
School will be open for Nursery, Year 2 and Year 3 (FSH) on Wednesday 5th July.
A small number of scholars have been identified as exception to this closure owing to their particular circumstances. You will be contacted individually if your child is one of these.
On Friday 7th July school will be open as normal to all year groups within the Primary setting, this is to enable all trips and events can go ahead for children in their classes.
Secondary Phase
The school will be closed to Year 7 to Year 9 on both Wednesday 5th July and Friday 7th July. Learning activities are available using the link below.
The school will be open to Year 10 on both of these days and scholars should attend school at the normal time of 8:17am. Scholars will finish at 1.15pm on this day.
Again, a further small number of scholars have been identified as exceptions to this closure for both days owing to their particular circumstances. You will be contacted individually if your child is one of these.
Free School Meals
For children who are entitled to Free School Meals, we are offering the opportunity for families to order a packed lunch for their child, which can be collected from the school between 10am and 11am on Wednesday 5th July. Secondary phase families, if you would like to request a packed lunch, please complete the form on the link below on behalf of each child by Tuesday 4th July at 3pm. Primary phase families please contact the main office to order your packed lunches.
We are sorry for the disruption and concern that this decision will cause. Please be assured that we have considered every alternative to closure and have tried to maximise the number of scholars we can safely accommodate in the school. We do, however, need to maintain staffing levels that enable effective supervision and education of scholars. Unfortunately, we were unable to maintain these at a high enough level for all scholars.
Any detentions for Secondary Phase scholars due to take place on either of the strike days will be completed on their following day in the Academy.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact info@astreasheffield.org
Yours faithfully
David Boyd & Rachel Flemming