Information regarding Partial School Closure and Children of Key Workers

Dear Parents and Carers

Following the latest Prime Minister’s announcement regarding Covid-19, please read the important information below.

The position is that in order to adhere to Government instructions, all primary schools are partially closed with immediate effect until at least February half-term. School will only be open for identified pupils, who have already been notified.

For all other children, we will be providing a remote learning offer which matches the current curriculum for their year group and your children’s progress through their work will be monitored and checked by their teachers.

Remote Learning Information

Where can I access Remote Learning?

The portal for Remote Learning can be found on the school website under Pupils > Class pages. Select the year group and scroll down where you will find a ‘Remote Learning’ section. We have designed Remote Learning to be closely aligned to in school provision with access to resources that provide both teaching as well as learning for your child. A Remote Learning Overview for the week will be posted each Sunday with hyperlinked materials. No printing is required; all activities can be completed on paper. Some activities will be highlighted in green.

Please take a picture of these and send them to your child’s teacher on class dojo.

How do I communicate with my child’s class teacher?

Please use Class Dojo to communicate with your child’s teacher. You can use Class Dojo to upload your child’s work. This will enable staff to support and review your child’s progress and give feedback where necessary and appropriate in a manageable way. No work is to be brought to school on paper.

If you experience any difficulties with the Remote Learning activities, please contact your child’s class teacher on Class Dojo or call the school office. The teacher will return your call as soon as they are reasonably able to do so when they are not teaching. Then they will be able to advise on teaching/learning and support with any issues your child may be having.

Teachers will also ensure that they arrange “face to face” virtual activities for all children at least once per week.

School staff will also be checking on the pupils’ wellbeing and providing pastoral support where required. At Sylvester, we want to support the critical workers and children deemed vulnerable at this crucial time and recognise the role they have to play in doing this. However, we also want to reiterate our message from the previous national lockdown period - if a child can stay safely at home, then they should be at home. Sending your child in to school otherwise, places them and all our schools’ staff at increased risk. Ultimately, the safety of children and staff has to be our main priority.

Children of Key Workers

There is no automatic entitlement to a place in school. Please consider if your role is critical to the Covid-19 response. All critical workers will be considered for a place, as long as their job cannot be done from home. Even if you are a key worker yourself, please ask whether you have ANY other alternative options. If there is a second parent / carer who is NOT a critical worker who can take the Remote Learning responsibilities? Sending your child to school should be an absolute last resort; every child who can safely be cared for at home should be if we are to tackle the spread of this virus together once again.

Should numbers in our schools be too high and we believe that both children and staff are at increased risk because of this, then we may introduce a ‘tiered’ system for allocating places. All places will then be reviewed and considered in the light of each family’s particular circumstance / job roles etc. Some places may need to be withdrawn at that point.

If you have been allocated a place in school, you will have already been informed of this. Please note the times below for entering and exiting school.

If your child is entitled to Free School Meals, sandwiches will be provided at lunchtime. If your child normally brings a packed lunch, please send this into school with your child.

Please ensure that children in school are wearing full uniform.

As we have throughout this pandemic, our school is committed to supporting our families and children during these difficult times. We are in a much stronger position to be able to support your children remotely in both their learning and their personal development needs.

We are asking that you all work with us and pay close attention to government guidelines to keep you, your children and our staff as safe as possible. Thank you for your support

Yours Sincerely

Ms. R Harrison

Principal