Dear Parents and Carers
Re: Delay of wider re-opening of school
I am writing to you this afternoon to inform you that I have been advised not to open the school to children in Years 2, 3, 4 or 5, unless they are in a priority group (i.e. children of Key Workers), until the government’s official statutory guidance has been changed to reflect the Education Secretary’s statement on Tuesday.
Gavin Williamson said: “While we’re not able to welcome all primary children back for a full month before the summer, we continue to work with the sector on the next steps, where we’d like to see schools that have the capacity to bring back more children in those small class sizes, to do so if they are able to before the summer holidays.”
Following your responses to my e-mail earlier in the week, I believe that we have that capacity and so was planning to open as soon as we were sure we could do safely. It is therefore disappointing to be advised by the Local Authority not to proceed with the plans until the government’s website has been updated. It still currently states that we should not have children from year groups other than Yr R, 1 and 6 unless they are in a priority group. You will understand that I have to follow this guidance to the letter.
I am sure many of you will find this incredibly frustrating and I apologise if I have given you false hope of an early return. I do hope, however, we will be able to open more widely before the end of the summer term, so please keep your children’s spirits up and keep working on the learning being sent home by the teachers.
If you think your child is beginning to suffer from not being in contact with friends over the last few months, do let me know. It may be possible to put you in touch with other children in the year group who would like to do a Skype/Zoom meet with your supervision. I am sure they would all love that face to face approach I know some of them are already engaged in.
If you had decided you would send your child in Reception, Year 1 or Year 6, or your child is in a priority group and you need them to start back at school, from Monday, that can still take place and we look forward to seeing them.
Once again, I apologise for any impression I have given that we would be able to have children in other year groups back in the short term; I sincerely look forward to implementing the plans that are now in place as soon as we are able.
With my best wishes for a lovely weekend,
James Stanford