Sunday 10th January 2021
Dear Parents and Carers,
As you may well be aware, the DFE has re-issued its advice to schools and parents about who is now classed as a critical worker and critical to the EU transition response (this can be found on the GOV.UK pages)
They have also re-stated the rules for attending school which I have included here:
Parents whose work is critical to the coronavirus (COVID-19) and EU transition response include those who work in health and social care and in other key sectors outlined in the following sections. Children with at least one parent or carer who is a critical worker can go to school or college if required, but parents and carers should keep their children at home if they can.
The guidelines are clear – if you can keep your child at home then please do. If you have no-one to care for them during this current stage of the pandemic and you are the parent of a vulnerable pupil, a critical worker or involved with the EU transition response, then you may – as a last resort – send your child to school, otherwise, they must stay with you at home. From tomorrow please only send your child to school if there is no one else to care for them safely. On the days when critical work is being carried out by both parents then a place for your child to learn in school will still be available. The Nursery remains open for now, but the Government is reviewing its position on this.
I am very sorry for the short notice, but the situation changes from day to day and guidelines are issued constantly. The fact is though the staff, their families and the families of all the children that are in school are at risk, so the more we can limit the number of children attending the more chance we have of keeping the school safe and most importantly, open.
I hope you can understand my concerns and will continue to make every effort in only using the school if you absolutely have to. The sooner we can get through this current stage, the sooner we can all get back to normal.
Many thanks and best wishes,
Simon Brabant