Dear Parents/Carers,
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOLLOWING GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCMENT ON SCHOOL CLOSURES – ALL SCHOOLS WITHIN THE PARTNERSHIP TRUST WILL BE CLOSED TOMORROW 05.01.21 TO ALL CHILDREN
You will no doubt be aware of the announcement made at 8pm this evening by the Prime Minister regarding a national lockdown and closure of schools to all but critical worker and vulnerable children with effect from tomorrow, Tuesday 5 January 2021.
Schools did not receive any prior information regarding the announcement made and heard the briefing at the same time as the nation.
I am sure that you will appreciate that there are a number of logistical matters to manage, including the identification of critical worker children that require provision at school; groupings and staffing for those children attending school; provision of transport for those attending school; free school meals to those in and out of school as well as a number of other matters. At the time of writing this message, we do not have any information from the Department for Education by way of additional guidance for schools.
In order to enable schools to put in place appropriate in school provision, all schools within the Trust will be closed tomorrow to all pupils and remote learning provision will be in place from Wednesday 6 January 2020. Your school will contact you directly with details of that remote learning provision.
Tomorrow, schools will be contacting all families with regard to the identification of critical worker children requiring provision at school; free school meal provision and those that fall within the vulnerable category.
I appreciate that this is very short notice for all families and I know that for some this change will cause difficulties. I also appreciate that for some critical worker families there may be implications on childcare.
If you are a critical worker who has absolutely no other child care available at home or where both parents are critical workers who are required to attend the workplace tomorrow and you urgently require a place for child at school tomorrow please contact your school directly.
Please email: nhanna@themendipschool.com saying you need key worker places for TOMORROW.
I appreciate the frustration that many of you may be feeling, whilst understanding fully the rationale behind the Government’s announcement and the urgency of the situation but would ask that you please only contact the school for childcare tomorrow if it is absolutely essential.
Key work childcare will be on offer for children of all key worker parents from Wednesday 6th January.
Yours sincerely
Emily Massey
Chief Executive Officer