Dear Students, Parents, and Carers,
I am writing to inform you about further upcoming industrial action being taken by the National Education Union (NEU) on the following date:
- Friday 13th December
As you will be aware the college has a significant number of teaching staff who are members of the NEU, which is taking action over pay and funding for Sixth Form Colleges. For further information, you can find the NEU's letter to the Secretary of State here.
Impact on College Operations
All exams on Friday the 13th December will take place as usual so any student taking their criminology exam should come into college as per their exam timetable.
Any lessons will take place online so students may choose to work from home if they do not have an exam. For students who need a warm, productive space to study, the library and other study areas will remain open. If you wish to make use of these spaces, please email: information@varndean.ac.uk so we can make appropriate arrangements.
Some lessons may still go ahead online if delivered by teaching staff who are not participating in the industrial action. Students will be notified on an individual basis by their teachers. Please note that we are unable to confirm in advance which lessons will occur, so we kindly ask you not to contact staff directly about this matter.
Further Planned Action
The College has been given notice that there is further planned action for 7th, 8th and 9th January should the dispute not be settled by then. Please bear with me in terms of an update on this situation, I will email the arrangements for that week this Wednesday at the latest. Please be reassured that any BTEC examinations taking place will still go ahead that week and we will be open for students.
Apologies and Further Updates
I sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused and the impact this has. We will continue to keep you updated with any changes as soon as they arise.
Thank you for your patience and understanding during this time.
Best wishes,
Donna-Marie Janson
Principal
