Dear Parents and Carers,
Early today we received further guidance for schools maintaining educational provision. The Government clearly states that: ‘If children can stay safely at home, they should, to limit the chance of the virus spreading. That is why the government has asked parents to keep their children at home, wherever possible, and asked schools to remain open only for those children who absolutely need to attend.’
The Government has also stated we should all follow the following principles:
The Government has also asked that schools remain open to provide a safe and secure place during the day for children of key workers, children with an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP) and/or Social Worker if you need it and do not have alternative child care provision.
The list of key workers has now been clarified by the Government. The list includes people who work in health and social care; education and childcare; key public services; local and national government; food and other necessary goods; public safety and national security; transport; utilities, communication and financial services. It also appears to indicate that these guidelines apply if only one parent is a key worker. A full list can be found below and at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-maintaining-educational-provision/guidance-for-schools-colleges-and-local-authorities-on-maintaining-educational-provision
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 arms 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.
If you are a key worker, and you are unable to make alternative childcare arrangements, please complete the following ideally before 3:00pm today but definitely by the end of today (Friday 20thMarch) to help me in making suitable arrangements for St. Luke’s:
We will contact parents and carers of children with a Social Worker or those with an EHCP directly as soon as possible.
Please note, if you and your child are already in isolation, then your child may not attend school until 14 days have passed.
Children who do not fall in to these groups should stay at home with appropriate care.
Once we have made a complete list of the children who fall in to these categories, we will inform you of the arrangements for attending school. Please note your child will only be allowed to attend school if they fall in to one of the keyworker groups and you have registered them as such.
Thank you for your continued help and support.
Kind Regards
Miss M Michael
Headteacher