Coranavirus / COVID-19 Update Letter for Parents / Carers Friday 20th March 2020

An update letter for our families will be distributed this afternoon. The content of this letter is below.

 

Many thanks!

 

20th March 2020

 

Dear Parent / Carer,

As this week has progressed, we have found it increasingly difficult to continue to operate as normal, as illness and self-isolation impacts on our staffing levels and student attendance. This is a similar picture in schools up and down the country.

 

As you will be aware, the government has now announced that schools will be closed to everyone from Monday as part of the country’s response to minimise the spread of Coronavirus by restricting social contact. Exceptions may include children of ‘key-workers’, vulnerable children and those that have EHCPs.

 

Many of our families have already self-isolated, others have kept students at home as they have been highly anxious coming into school with reduced numbers and different staffing.

 

Staff have prepared booklets and work folders for those that are not attending at present and will be sending these home to enable students staying at home to complete if they wish. Work at Home Activities are also being put on our website. Look under the ‘About our Curriculum’ heading for all the different Subjects. Please also look at each Subject’s Spectrum Steps to see progression throughout the years. Heads of Departments are regularly updating their sites.

 

As advised by the government, next week Clare Mount Specialist Sports College will do all we can to stay open. This will be with a skeleton staff on a revised timetable, for the children whose parents/carers are unable to have them at home.

 

This is as much as we know at the moment and we appreciate your continued patience as we deal with this ever-changing situation. We understand that this will have an impact on you and your family and it’s far from ideal but this is a national emergency. We will continue to keep in touch with any updates as the situation develops via the school website and our social media outlets (Twitter: @ClareMountSSC and Instagram: @ClareMountSSC)

 

It is important that you continue to follow advice on self-isolation if any members of your family show symptoms. You must maintain the full 14-day period of isolation and ensure that children are not sent back into school before this.

 

Current guidance from the Department of Education states that Special Schools are to make case by case assessments of the Health and Safeguarding considerations of students on an EHCP. For most; they will be safer at home. One of the reasons for keeping your child at home is to reduce the spread of the virus as much as possible by reducing the numbers of children and staff in school to a minimum.

 

Please inform us as soon as possible via school office email (or phone if no email) if you intend to send your child into school next week to enable us to arrange staffing accordingly.

 

I know that these are uncertain times, the situation is changing daily, but I want to reassure you we are adapting our plans and making sure we can put the best care and support in place for all our students and staff.

This is such a challenging time for all of us and we wish you and your families good health in the difficult weeks ahead.

 

Yours sincerely

 

Mrs K Webster

Headteacher