The below letter was communicated to students, parents and carers on Monday 30 January 2023.

Dear Students, Parents & Carers,

Following the information that I provided last week, I would like to let you know the arrangements for Wednesday 1 February when some teachers will be taking industrial action (or are affected by industrial action taking place at schools where their own children attend). 

Any student with a Wednesday lesson will receive an email on Tuesday at 4.30pm confirming their arrangements. Copies will also be sent to parents and carers.

We will be unable to confirm arrangements in a few cases – these students will receive a further message on Wednesday morning just after 8.30am when we will know for sure which teachers are taking industrial action/are impacted by decisions at the schools their children attend. We will send this by text and email and we will also send a copy to parents/carers.

Please note that any sessions with CITC coaching staff will not be impacted by industrial action and will take place as normal.

Any student whose lesson does not take place will be awarded an attendance mark of X – not required to attend college for that lesson. Their attendance will not be impacted for that lesson. 

Students who normally have a full day of lessons may find that their morning or afternoon lesson is cancelled while the other goes ahead. They must still attend the lesson that is going ahead – failure to do so will be treated as an unauthorised absence. 

I would like to remind you that this is a national day of industrial action, in relation to a dispute with the Government about pay, which also includes other sectors. To be clear, this is not a dispute about the operation of our college.

I would ask all students to respect their teachers’ personal and professional choices in regards to this period of industrial action. 

Where lessons cannot take place, students will be directed to work independently. 

Some teachers may set specific work, others will expect students to choose how best to study on this day. 

If a student is not sure what to do during a cancelled lesson, revisiting previous lessons or assessments is always beneficial. Alternatively, students could use the time to research university courses, apprenticeships, work experience or volunteering opportunities (see the Friday Notes for the latest information).

College will be fully open to students who wish to come into study. The refectory, free college meals and all our usual pastoral support will be fully operational.

The next planned date for industrial action is Tuesday 28 February. I will be in touch again nearer the time to confirm arrangements for this date but I expect them to be very similar to those in place for this week.

If you have an urgent question or concern, please contact us by email to info@connell.ac.uk.