Today it was announced that schools across the country will close on Friday 20th March until further notice.
It was also announced that schools will still be open for the children of key workers and some vulnerable pupils.
As of yet, schools do not have any definitive detail about which families this will apply to or whether it means all school buildings will remain open.
I am also aware that many of you will feel concerned about your child’s education and that you may have many questions.
As a staff, we have been making preparations to support pupils accessing learning, which we will complete over the next two days, while school remains open. The basis of the activities will be through online learning with programmes for English and maths plus ideas for children being involved in other types of activities across the curriculum. We will now be preparing children, who are currently in school, to understand what they can access from home and each child will have their login details provided (or posted if they are not currently attending school). Our provision will evolve as time goes depending on how long the closure lasts but we will provide information to year groups through our school website and texts to parents/carers.
What will happen next?
- We will remain open for Thursday and Friday and attempt to provide children with two schools days which will be as normal as possible for them and allow them quality time with their classmates.
- Talk to children about what is going to happen and how they can help their families at home as well as how to keep learning.
- Provide clear home learning information to children and parents/carers.
- Share information about who the government class as key workers and how this will be organised.
- Work with the council on various systems, particularly school meals for those who receive them for free.
The staff and governors are aware that families may feel anxious and confused about the current situation. I promise we will keep you informed as we receive confirmed facts and we will update our website regularly.
For those who bring their children to school tomorrow, I will be available for any questions that you may have although our understanding will develop over the day.
We are extremely grateful for the strength of our community and I am sure that we will see how well we work together even under such an extreme context. Your support and understanding during this unprecedented time is very much appreciated.
Take care and stay safe,
Mr M. Malik – Head Teacher
