20.03.2020, 08.30am
The below is a letter from Mr Martin detailing the latest guidance in regards to how Ghyll Royd School will be operating from Monday 23rd March 2020. To read about how we will be providing education provision during the situation, please read our letter from Thursday 19th March 2020.
As I am sure you are now aware, school will be closing today to all pupils at 3.50pm, except children of key workers and our most vulnerable pupils. This arrangement will take effect on Friday 20th March 2020 at 3.50pm, and will continue until further notice.
The School and Pre-School will operate within the opening hours of 8.40am and 3.40pm from Monday 23rd March. Visitors and parents will not be allowed into the School from Monday 23rd March even if they appear to be fit and well. Communication to your child’s Class Teacher or Practitioner will need to be undertaken by email, telephone or face to face with a two-meter distance protocol in place. There will be no after school clubs and activities running.
Children of Key workers
We have now received clarification regarding the government’s definition of ‘key workers’:
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.
Education and childcare
This includes nursery and teaching staff, social workers and those specialist education professionals who must remain active during the COVID-19 response to deliver this approach.
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.
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 arm’s length bodies.
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).
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.
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.
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.
If workers think they fall within the critical categories above they should confirm with their employer that, based on their business continuity arrangements, their specific role is necessary for the continuation of this essential public service.
Our understanding is that if one parent in the household is classed as a key worker, or if you are a lone parent AND have no other means of childcare, your child should be eligible to attend school next week.
IMPORTANT – If you believe that your child (or children) are eligible to come into school because you meet these criteria, then please complete the form at the bottom of this letter and email it to information@ghyllroydschool.co.uk by 3.00pm today Friday 20th March 2020.
Children of key workers in school will be supervised and supported to complete the remote learning activities set by their teachers.
Vulnerable Children
Children who have a social worker or an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP) automatically fall into this group. However, we are also aware of other children who are vulnerable and these have been identified by staff in school. If your child is eligible to come into school because they meet these criteria then you will be contacted by a member of staff on Friday 20th March. Vulnerable children in school will be supervised and supported to complete the remote learning activities set by their teachers.
Other pupils
The government has made it clear: “Children who do not fall into these groups [children of key workers or vulnerable children] should stay at home with appropriate care.”
Today’s guidance can be viewed at:
Subject: Schools guidance
Subject: Parents guidance
Due to the demands on staff in recent days, the publication of Mid Year Reports for all year groups will be delayed until Friday 27th March 2020.
I will write to you again if there is any more news to impart before the weekend. Beyond that, we will continue to keep in contact with parents whose children are not in school over the coming weeks.
With thanks for your ongoing support,
If you believe that your child (or children) is eligible to come into school because you meet these criteria, then it is essential that you respond by completing the table below (even if you have already contacted the office) and forwarding it by email to information@ghyllroydschool.co.uk by today, 3.00pm on Friday 20th March 2020.
| Parent/carer name: | |
| Key worker category (see above): | |
| Employer: | |
| Employer contact number: | |
| Do you want your child to attend school from Monday 23rd March? | |
| If answer above was YES, are there specific days or full time? |
| Name, year and form of child 1: | |
| Name, year and form of child 2: | |
| Name, year and form of child 3: | |
| Name, year and form of child 4: |
We will be creating registers for attendance for Monday morning, based on your replies, and will be sending absence messages for those children whom we are expecting, as usual.
Children of key workers in school will be supervised and supported to complete the remote learning activities set by their teachers.
Kind regards,
David Martin
Headteacher
