Dear Parents,

Thank you for your patience and support during the past 48 hours. We finally received the Key Worker list from HM Government this morning and have been working to quickly assess our likely provision. The form that you filled in yesterday helped us to speed up this process and we have tried to maintain our professional yet personal approach with regard to the accuracy of individual requirements.

I am pleased to inform you that we are now in a position to move forward. It is important that as a community, we try to keep the number of children attending school to an absolute minimum and this request has been made to us at the highest level of government. Whilst we are here for eligible children, the prime concern is that we minimise the pressures school may face and at the same time maximising our support for key workers as the situation begins to escalate.

If you are a key worker and are able to provide support within the family, so that your child does not need to attend school, this will clearly be helpful. Shift workers and part time workers may not require five day provision, so we ask that those children do not attend school when you are able to keep them at home. The Government guidance states, ‘If it is at all possible for children to be at home, then they should be.’ Therefore, we ask that if a parent is available at home can those children also remain at home to avoid overburdening the school’s provision. Teachers and support staff are key workers as well and I am conscious that we have a responsibility to their families as well as our own.

We now have a system for children of key workers, in which we can provide breakfast club support (still a paid service) and school support during normal hours. There is no current demand for Kidzone provision after school, however this will be monitored and should it change, we would consider reinstating this service.

School will be open to all eligible children from 8.45am until 3.00pm. Access to school will be via the front path, through the family room where your child’s registration will take place. This will also be the point at which your children are collected at 3.00pm.

Can I once again thank you at this difficult an unpredictable time but be assured that we are at the end of the phone should your circumstances change or indeed you need to contact us. Nobody could have foreseen this but if we all play our part and follow the guidance and advice to the best of our abilities; it will undoubtedly help in speeding up the return for our children to their school environment that they enjoy so much.

Yours sincerely,

Mr MacAreavy

Head Teacher