Thursday 19th March 2020

Dear Connaught Parents,

Thank you so much for your support and understanding this week as we have been anticipating the impact of COVID-19 on our school, and the shocking (although not entirely unexpected) news of widespread school closures. The mood in school this morning was quiet and calm, and I will say a little sombre. Myself and my staff are devastated that we cannot serve all our children and families in the way we want to in the coming weeks and possibly months.

The commitment and willingness of my staff to go the extra mile for the good of our children and families during this very challenging time has been incredible. The many face to face conversations and emails we have had in recognition of this has been absolutely fantastic and very much appreciated. It has kept us all buoyed up! There has been, and still is, a lot of fear and anxiety coming from the media which is why we feel it is so important that we continue to provide reassurance and care for your children. As you know, we have been working hard behind the scenes for a while now preparing remote learning which will last for as long as is needed. We will keep this under review as best practice is shared between staff and schools over the coming weeks and months. A letter regarding this will follow from Mrs Saunders in due course.

Like you, we received the news that schools will open to care for the children of keyworkers and the vulnerable. At this moment in time schools are awaiting clarity as to the definition of key workers. Once we are clear on the government definitions of keyworkers we will be asking parents to let us know if they fit under these categories. When numbers are known we can start to organise how we will best serve these families. We are still likely to be under the current pressures of staff in self-isolation, whilst also managing remote learning for all the children who have to stay at home.

It is a challenging time for us all, but we would all agree that it is important and our duty – as long as we are fit and able to do so - that we play our part in serving our communities so that hospitals and such like can continue to operate.

Thank you for your continued support and understanding.

Kind Regards

Miss McGann