Dear parents and carers,
The Department for Education has issued guidance today for schools and colleges on maintaining educational provision during the current COVID-19 pandemic.
Schools and educational settings have a key role to play, alongside other partners, in meeting our priority to preserve life, prevent spread of infection and keep critical services going. We are working together with key partners, including the Local Authority, to coordinate our response to the pandemic.
The guidance makes it clear that where children can safely stay at home they should, to limit the chance of the virus spreading.
We are being asked by Government to continue to provide care for a limited number of children including children who are vulnerable and children whose parents are critical to the COVID-19 response and cannot be safely cared for at home.
We are working with the local authority to identify all children defined as vulnerable.
The guidance published includes children who are supported by social care, those with safeguarding and welfare needs, including child in need plans, on child protection plans, ‘looked after’ children, young carers, disabled children and those with education, health and care (EHC) plans.
We will talk to these parents directly about how care will be provided.
Please note, as a school, we need to ensure we can prioritise those most in need so that our provision is sustainable and supports the Government’s number one key principle from their latest guidance that maintains social distancing:
If it is at all possible for children to be at home, then they should be.
Parents whose work is critical to the COVID-19 response may need support from schools and educational settings and we are working hard to provide that support wherever possible.
Many parents in this category will be able to keep their children at home and where children can be safely cared for at home they should be.
For those who cannot keep children safely at home and who work in one of the critical sectors listed below, your children will be priorities for education provision when you are at work.
However, it may not be possible to provide this in your child’s usual school, as inevitably school staff will also be impacted by the virus and our shared priority is to keep children safe and prevent the spread of the virus.
If your work is critical to the COVID-19 response, or you work in one of the critical sectors listed below, and you cannot keep your child safe at home then your children will be prioritised for education provision:
• Health and social care
• Education and childcare
• Key public services
o This includes those essential to the running of the justice system, religious staff, charities and workers delivering key frontline services, those responsible for the management of the deceased, and journalists and broadcasters who are providing public service broadcasting.
• Local and national government
• Food and other necessary goods
• Public safety and national security
• Transport
• Utilities, communication and financial services
Provision is only available when you are required to work. It is not available at other times.
Where only one parent/carer is a ‘critical worker’ there is an expectation that the child stays at home with the other parent to ensure the principal and impact of social distancing is maximised.
Further guidance on key workers can be found in the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-maintaining-educational-provision/guidance-for-schools-colleges-and-local-authorities-on-maintaining-educational-provision
If you are a key worker and your child needs educational provision, please send us the following information to broadwaytowerview@gmail.com by Sunday 22nd March.
• Your name:
• Your most up to date contact details:
• Evidence of each parent’s / carer’s job role:
• Name of employer and contact details (for verification):
• Student’s name and year group:
More information on the closure of educational settings for parents and children can be found in the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/closure-of-educational-settings-information-for-parents-and-carers
Many thanks for your assistance through this challenging situation.
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