Dear Parents/Carers,

As you are no doubt aware, there has been an announcement from the Prime Minister at 8pm tonight. We now know that there will be an impact on our school and in the way we educate our pupils going forward. As you can appreciate, we have been given very little time to make arrangements and therefore I am writing to gather some information from you to enable us to plan a safe environment for the children of critical workers, vulnerable children and our staff team. I appreciate that this is late in the evening, but I am sure you understand that, once again, we are responding to unprecedented times. Please be advised that the information regarding critical workers has now been published by the Department for Education - please click on the link below for full details.

Critical workers and vulnerable children who can access schools or educational settings - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

The list in the link above identifies those parents whose work is critical to the COVID-19 response. However, it is important to emphasise for your child’s own safety and the safety of our school staff, that EVERY CHILD WHO CAN BE SAFELY CARED FOR AT HOME, SHOULD BE.

Please, therefore, follow these key principles:

1. If it is at all possible for children to be at home, then they should be.

 

1. If a child needs specialist support, is vulnerable or has parents who are critical workers, then educational provision will be available for them. This can be a flexible arrangement and your child does not have to be in school every day. Parents/carers of vulnerable children will be contacted by telephone tomorrow (5^th Jan) onwards.

 

1. Parents/Carers should also do everything they can to ensure children are not mixing socially in a way, which can continue to spread the virus. They should observe the same social distancing principles as adults. If, after following these principles, your work is critical to the COVID-19 response, or you work in one of the critical sectors and you cannot keep your child safe at home, then your child will be prioritised for education provision.

 

In order to make these arrangements, please complete the questionnaire by clicking on the link below before 10.15pm tonight if possible.

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=ScDfKLwWz0af26LPiDqPML4eaqo4ZjRMv_-xvBF9r8tURFI3UklDTDBDQVpNMldPQUJLVDUxWVZUNy4u

Once you have completed the questionnaire, only children of critical workers will be accepted as we have to minimise the risk to children and adults. Children of critical workers should arrive at school at their normal time, and their normal school entrance.

May I take this opportunity to thank you all for your understanding and continued support this week, through what continues to be, once again, some very challenging times.

Best wishes,

Lynn Pilling

Headteacher.