Information for Parents – Coronavirus and Educational Settings

March 20th update

Key Worker Notice:

Schools are therefore being asked to provide care (not education) for a limited number of children whose parents are critical to the Covid 19 response and cannot safely be cared for at home.  

A list is therefore provided below of who the government deem a critical Covid 19 response worker. Many parents working in these sectors may be able to ensure their child is kept at home and following guidance issued, should do so where possible to reduce the risk of infection spreading.

PRIORITY OF PLACES WILL BE GIVEN TO FAMILIES WHERE BOTH PARENTS ARE CLASSED AS KEY WORKERS OR FOR SINGLE PARENTS

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.

In addition, children are entitled to attend if: (you will be contacted directly if you fall into one of the following groups):

• They have an Educational Health and Care Plan (EHCP) in place.  Those who have will have been contacted directly by Mrs Forte today if you have not already received a call.
• Have received individual notice by letter that they fall into another defined DfE category.

Attendance process for Key Workers:

The school building will be open to these children between 8:15 am and 4pm.

You will be required to sign your child in and out and they should not be allowed to be ‘dropped off’.  This is for safeguarding reasons.

Please note, you will be required to provide some evidence that you are within one of the categories identified.  For many this will be work photo ID or letter / payslip from your establishment that confirms you are employed in that sector.  This is to avoid abuse of the system and the risk of children’s attendance being higher than that necessary, thus increasing the risk of infection.

Whilst there will be educational activities available and guidance given, we wish to ensure a fair balance so that children attending school do not feel that they are having a ‘raw deal’.

Children should bring a packed lunch (unless they receive a free school meal, where a packed lunch will be provided).   A basic breakfast will be provided between 8:15 and 9am.

Please be patient with my staff and give yourself plenty of time.  Processing will start from 8 am on Monday.

• ENTRANCE WILL BE VIA MAIN SCHOOL RECEPTION
• DO NOT SEND YOUR CHILD ALONE
• YOU WILL BE REQUIRED TO SIGN THEM IN AND OUT
   

Other notes:

• Parents will be free to drop off and collect between the hours of 8:15 and 4pm.  This will support those completing shift work.  Reception will be manned.  
• As the school is acting in a child care capacity, school uniform will not be required, however, wear something comfortable and do not wear favourite clothes.  Glues, paints and similar will be in use and children will be using the outdoors area.