Important Update - COVID-19 (30.12.20)

Good evening Clockhouse 

As I am sure you are aware, this evening the Secretary of State for Education made a statement in which he said that schools in some areas will not be reopening next week due to the increased infection rate. It is with a heavy heart that I have to tell you that Havering and therefore Clockhouse has been named as one of the areas where it is deemed rates are too high to reopen schools. This is certainly not the start of the year that we wanted but it is a necessity to ensure the safety of the children, staff and community.

I have now read the guidance in full which clearly states that schools remain closed until at least 18^th January by which time the situation will be reviewed. Next week school will only reopen for face-to-face contact with those children’s whose parents are deemed to be critical workers or children who are deemed to be vulnerable. All other children will be learning remotely and we will be in touch about this in due course, once we have had time to plan.

As I am sure you are aware, the Government’s definition of a ‘critical worker’ and a ‘vulnerable child’ is, as in March, extensive and, unless we plan carefully, we may not be able to support families and workers that require this help the most whilst also providing education for those at home. Please be aware that in order to provide an education for all pupils we will only have a small workforce able to actually be in school. Therefore please think about the below carefully.

As previously, we must emphasise that if your work is critical to the Covid-19 response, or you work in one of the critical sectors AND you cannot keep your child safe at home, then your children will be prioritised for educational provision. Many parents working in these critical sectors may be able to ensure their child is kept at home. Every child who can be safely cared for at home should be.

Please be aware that, again, we will be asking for evidence which shows that you are a key worker e.g. your identification card and that you are the only person in your household who can look after your child / children. We may also need to get in touch with you via telephone to gain some extra clarification.

Please complete the information below and as far as is possible return this to school by 1pm tomorrow (Thursday) so that we can plan. Please return the information to office@clockhouse.havering.sch.uk

Your child’s / children’s names:
Year groups:
Class(es)
Your job role:
Best number to contact you on:
Your spouse’s / partner’s role (if you are not a single parent family):
Will you need supervision for your child next week? Yes/No?
Days that supervision will be needed next week:
My child / children will need lunch provided by the school – Yes / No
If No, will you potentially need supervision in future weeks? Yes / No?
Any other information you feel we need to know:

We understand many of you are shift workers but please can we ask that you try your best to let us know what care you will need next week.

Please be aware that sadly we will not be able to provide any extracurricular clubs and, it is with regret that we are not able to offer Wrap Around Care.

There is further information and guidance regarding what constitutes a Critical Worker or what deems a child to be vulnerable. This can be found at
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-maintaining-educational-provision/guidance-for-schools-colleges-and-local-authorities-on-maintaining-educational-provision#critical-workers

I would urge you to read this information carefully before responding to this email.

It is important to reassure you that we will continue to make school as safe as possible for children. 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.

As always thank you for your on-going support, respect and understanding at such a difficult time. Again I would like to urge that, where at all possible, children should stay at home to prevent the spread of the virus anymore. In order for us to remain open for our critical workers, I also have to ensure staff remain fit and healthy so would ask you to consider this carefully before responding. Further details about arrangements for next week for the whole school community will be sent in due course.

Thank you as always for your continued support.
Kind regards
Jo Savidge