Dear Parent/Carer,

The Prime Minister’s announcement this evening may have left you feeling uncertain about when your child can return to school. The developments are revealed to school leaders at the same time as the general public but we would like you to know that we are working closely with our partner schools (within the Tewkesbury District Partnership) to ensure that you, as parents, receive consistent information irrespective of the school your child attends; we are working collectively so that this transition is successful and safe.

We would like to clarify that, until we receive further guidance, schools will remain closed except for children whose parents are key workers or for those that are vulnerable. In the short term, schools are not in a position to be open for children with non-key worker parents.

The priority for us all is ensuring the safety of everyone in our school community. The government is currently working upon a guidance document for employers and schools that will clarify the expectations in regards to key aspects such as social distancing, hygiene measures and risk reduction strategies. Once we have received the published guidance from the government we will be in a position to plan for a possible phased return in June.

Once the expectations have been clarified, and planning has been completed, we will inform you of the anticipated course of action, should schools be cleared to open for pupils in the identified year groups (Reception, Year 1 and Year 6) in June.

Please be assured that the welfare of our pupils and staff will remain the crucial consideration in any of our planning and decision making processes and that any arrangements that are implemented will be determined by the guidance we receive from central government.

Thank you for your continued understanding with regard to the uncertainly.

I hope to be back in touch later in the week to clarify things for you and us.

With kind regards,

Sara Bennion

Headteacher