Dear Parents,

The government has now published its guidance on which children should be able to attend school from Monday 23rd March. So that we can assess the staff we will need to deploy to make this possible, it is very important that you read the information below carefully and then decide whether or not your child(ren) meets the criteria. If you think you fall within the categories below you should confirm with your employer that, based on their business continuity arrangements, your specific role is necessary for the continuation of this essential public service and let us know.

The government has been very clear that it is in the interests of everyone that only those children that meet the criteria and need to be at school should be attending from Monday – we ask for your support with this and will be giving further information later today on how children and parents can access learning materials and activities that can be used at home. To be clear, if you are able to care for your child at home please do so.

Here is the guidance on which children should attend; if after reading it you believe your child(ren) should be attending school on Monday please reply to the school office email address by 12 noon today (20/03/20) giving the name(s) of children and which criteria applies.

Children of the keyworkers listed below are: (note: it need only be one parent/carer in the family)

a. Health and social care

This includes but is not limited to doctors, nurses, midwives, paramedics, social workers, care workers, and other frontline health and social care staff including volunteers; the support and specialist staff required to maintain the UK’s health and social care sector; those working as part of the health and social care supply chain, including producers and distributers of medicines and medical and personal protective equipment.

b. Education and childcare

This includes nursery, teaching staff and necessary support staff, social workers and those specialist education professionals who must remain active during the COVID-19 response to deliver this approach.

c. Key public services

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.

d. Local and national government

This only includes those administrative occupations essential to the effective delivery of the COVID-19 response or delivering essential public services such as the payment of benefits, including in government agencies and arms length bodies.

e. Food and other necessary goods

This includes those involved in food production, processing, distribution, sale and delivery as well as those essential to the provision of other key goods (for example hygienic and veterinary medicines).

f. Public safety and national security

This includes police and support staff, Ministry of Defence civilians, contractor and armed forces personnel (those critical to the delivery of key defence and national security outputs and essential to the response to the COVID-19 pandemic), fire and rescue service employees (including support staff), National Crime Agency staff, those maintaining border security, prison and probation staff and other national security roles, including those overseas.

g. Transport

This includes those who will keep the air, water, road and rail passenger and freight transport modes operating during the COVID-19 response, including those working on transport systems through which supply chains pass.

h. Utilities, communication and financial services

This includes staff needed for essential financial services provision (including but not limited to workers in banks, building societies and financial market infrastructure), the oil, gas, electricity and water sectors (including sewerage), information technology and data infrastructure sector and primary industry supplies to continue during the COVID-19 response, as well as key staff working in the civil nuclear, chemicals, telecommunications (including but not limited to network operations, field engineering, call centre staff, IT and data infrastructure, 999 and 111 critical services), postal services and delivery, payments providers and waste disposal sectors.

Vulnerable Children

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 Plans (EHCP).

We appreciate that this is a challenging and stressful time for many families and want to assure you that as a school and Trust we will continue to do what we can to support you and your family. Your cooperation and support in return is very much appreciated.

Yours sincerely,
Mrs J V Hopkins, Executive Head teacher
Mr R Andrews, CEO DLAT