Dear Parents/Guardian

I am writing to share with you the arrangements for children eligible to continue with supervised study at Holmleigh Park.

Please note that this is an emergency provision; if students are able to stay at home safely, they should. The fewer children making the journey to school, and the fewer children in educational settings, the lower the risk that the virus can spread and infect vulnerable individuals in wider society.

The government this morning has announced list of key workers, whose children will be able to attend school. This list can be found here.

Again, it is important to stress that, if children can safely stay at home they should do.  You should only send them in to school, regardless of whether your occupation is on the list, if it is not safe for them to work from home. The guidelines are clear that the closure of schools is there to limit the spread of the virus. With fewer children travelling to school the risk of spreading the virus to vulnerable groups is fewer.

There will also be children who would be vulnerable if they are at home regardless of parents occupations.  Schools are, therefore, being asked to continue to provide care for a limited number of children who are considered vulnerable. 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. We will be contacting affected students today. 

Please note the following expectations for children who attend school:

• Students should arrive by 09:00 each day
• Lunch will be available as normal. If your child does not receive Free School Meals, you should ensure they have credit on their ParentPay accounts.
• Normal school rules apply; students should wear full school uniform and mobile phones must be switched off and out of sight throughout the day
• Students will not be following our normal lesson structure. They will largely be using computer rooms to access the same work as those children working from home.
• Where possible, social distancing will be applied. For example, children will sit spread out from one another during lessons.

In order for us to plan effectively for next week we have created a link for those who need to book a place at the school as it would be unsafe for their child to work from home.  This can be found  here. You will need to complete this by Monday to register your child to attend.

Given the timeframes, on Monday we will allow all students who have booked a place to attend.  From Tuesday children will need to bring evidence with them that their parents are a key worker – we will be flexible around evidence; for example, a scan of a letter of employment or a photo of your work ID would be sufficient.

Thank you for your ongoing support at this difficult time

Mr Farmbrough

Headteacher