Dear parents/ carers,
We wanted to remind you that we will close for the Easter break on Thursday 6 April at 3.10pm. Please note, Thursday 6 April is not a non-uniform day and students should attend in full school uniform. The school will reopen at 8.20am on Monday 17 April.
On Thursday 6 April we will be running a Tuck Shop at breakfast and lunchtime. Students may want to bring a small amount of cash with them so they can purchase samosas, bhajis and chocolates, with all profits going to the Landau Forte Enrichment Fund.
Later this week we will send all families our Easter edition of the Landau Leader, this is jam packed with articles detailing all the brilliant events that have been taking place at LFCD.
I wanted to highlight that the school will be closed for the two forthcoming national bank holidays:
- Monday 1 May 2023 – May Day Bank Holiday
- Monday 8 May 2023 – Coronation of King Charles III
As you are aware, the National Education Union has chosen to stage industrial action on selected days this academic year, and yesterday announced additional national strike dates for Thursday 27 April and Tuesday 2 May. Unfortunately, due to the number of staff who will be unavailable as a result of this industrial action, we will not be able to run the school day as normal. With such close proximity to national examinations for students in Years 11 and 13, we have to prioritise those year groups. Therefore, I am sorry to say that Landau Forte College will be closed to students in Years 7, 8, 9 and 10 on Thursday 27 April and Tuesday 2 May. However, students in Years 11, 12, and 13 should attend as normal. A small number of young people have been identified as exceptions to this closure owing to their particular circumstances and they will be invited in to attend school on these strike dates. We will contact these families after the Easter break.
I am aware that this strike will cause disruption and difficulty to students and parents which is why we wanted to provide as much notice as possible. I would also like to stress that this strike is happening because of a national dispute between the teaching unions and the Government and is not related to any issues at our school.
For students in Years 7, 8, 9 and 10 affected by the closure, the following educational arrangements apply:
- Work will be posted on Satchel One Show My Homework for timetabled lessons
For students attending school, the Restaurant will be open as normal. Students in Years 7, 8, 9 and 10 who are eligible for free school meals can collect a packed lunch from Reception between 10am and 1pm.
I am very 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 students we can safely accommodate in the school. We do, however, need to maintain staffing levels that enable effective supervision and education of students. Unfortunately, due to this industrial action we will not be able to maintain these at a high enough level for all students and so have no option but to request that some students remain at home.
In other news, we are very pleased to announce that Landau Forte College has been selected as a Mental Health Hub of Excellence, working with Compass Changing Lives. This means that from May we will have additional practioners (Mental Health Support Team) on site who can provide support for our young people. This is an incredible opportunity for LFCD to work alongside our partners in mental health, with easy access to guidance and another referral route. The current pathways for access to mental health input are over-burdened. We are excited about what this means for the speed of our early intervention work.
Finally, we would like to wish all our students and their families a happy and safe Easter. We would also like to take this opportunity to wish Eid Mubarak to the Landau Community for the forthcoming celebrations.
Kind regards,
Alison Brannick