24th March 2020

Dear Parent/Carer

I hope you and your families are managing to stay well.  We all have our part to play in helping to stop the spread of Coronavirus. This means we must follow the government advice to stay at home to protect the NHS and help save lives. 

The Government guidance is clear that parents should keep children at home wherever possible and thank you to everyone across our community who has followed that advice today.  The fewer children making the journey to school and the fewer children in our Community Classrooms, the lower the risk of the virus spreading.

Our Community Classroom is here to provide care for the children of key workers and children who are vulnerable only. If your child falls into these categories and you have not sent your child to school today but intend to do so next week, you must let your child’s year group lead know by 12 noon on 26th March 2020 so we can plan the number of staff we will need.  We cannot guarantee places unless you confirm to us that you will need one. Our Community Classroom will now be based at another local school and not on the Ark Tindal site.

A reminder of the details for children who can be sent to school;

1. Children who are vulnerable: Full details of which children are covered are set out below.

2. Children whose parents are key workers and who meet ALL the following conditions:

• The parent must be in a critical role based on government advice - full details of these critical roles are below; and
• The parent must have had confirmation from their employer that their specific role is necessary for the continuation of essential public service; and
• Their child cannot otherwise be cared for safely at home.

This is such a fast-changing situation, and as such parents are asked to re-confirm on a weekly basis that you want to send you child into school for what we are calling our ‘Community Classrooms.’

While schools are closed, we should all continue to follow health guidance.

Find out how to protect yourself here: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
For further information on the government response, please visit: https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus

Thank you to everyone for your understanding during these challenging times and a heartfelt thanks to our NHS and key workers who are working so hard to help us all.

Kind regards

Rebecca Eaton

Headteacher

Government Guidance on Vulnerable Children
Vulnerable children include 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.

Government Guidance on 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 their specific role is necessary for the continuation of this essential public service.

USEFUL LINKS FOR FINANCIAL SUPPORT

Universal Credit
https://www.gov.uk/universal-credit

Employment & Support Allowance
https://www.gov.uk/employment-support-allowance

Covid-19 Small Business Government Grant
https://smallbusiness.co.uk/how-do-i-get-the-government-3000-coronavirus-grant-2549866/

Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan
https://smallbusiness.co.uk/how-do-i-apply-for-a-coronavirus-business-interruption-loan-2549863/

Citizen’s Advice
https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/help-if-on-a-low-income/if-youre-struggling-with-living-costs/

Emergency Funding
https://www.stepchange.org/debt-info/emergency-funding.aspx

Read more >

As part of its announcement about schools, the Government also said that;

Exams will not take place in May and June

Schools will be open to help support the children of key workers and for vulnerable pupils

Provision for food will be made for pupils who qualify for Free School Meals

We expect further details on how this will work in the coming days and will liaise closely with the Department for Education to ensure that we support our key worker parents and vulnerable pupils in any way we can.

Our other key aim is to ensure and maintain as much stability for the pupils’ education as possible and we have been planning for this outcome. Whilst it is not possible to fully replicate the educational experience at home, we have been working hard to put in place contingency plans to ensure pupils can still access work and teachers are able to support their learning.

We will update this page and keep in touch with parents and students via phone and e-mail.

While schools are closed, we should all continue to follow health guidance.

Find out how to protect yourself here: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

For further information on the government response, please visit: https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus

At these periods of uncertainty, it is essential that we have up to date email addresses for all parents. If you haven’t recently received an email from us, please email info@arktindalprimary.org or your child’s year group email with up to date contact details. Year group emails are:

T.Nursery@arktindalprimary.org

T.Reception1@arktindalprimary.org

T.Year1@arktindalprimary.org

T.Year2@arktindalprimary.org

T.Year3@arktindalprimary.org

T.Year4@arktindalprimary.org

T.Year5@arktindalprimary.org

T.Year6@arktindalprimary.org

This is an unsettling and disruptive time for everyone and we will work together as a school and local community to face the challenging times ahead. Thank you for your support and understanding during these exceptional circumstances. If we can do anything more to help your family, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Rebecca Eaton

Headteacher