Dear Parents,
We hope you continue to keep safe and well and that you were able to enjoy the sunshine during half term.
Thank you for your patience whilst we have been working tirelessly to prepare the school building, risk assessments, organisation, policies and procedures in preparation for the safe, wider re-opening of the school. We know from the emails we have received over the last couple of days that you are eager for information so that you can make plans etc. Please accept our apologies for not responding sooner but with government guidance and the needs of our parents changing daily we were not in a position to respond, as we have had to scrap and restart plans continuously; the smallest change then has a significant ‘ripple effect’ on rotas, bubble groups, risk assessments, staffing etc and therefore ultimately, safety.
Today, we have to make a definite decision as to our next steps, solely so that parents know where they stand.
This has been the most challenging week yet as we have had to make the most difficult decisions to date; decisions made so difficult because of the impact on our families. We have considered all the factors i.e the safety of children and staff, our present position, the exigency of parents, government guidelines and restrictions; we have also sought advice from the Local Authority and it is most reluctantly and with a heavy heart that, following consultation with the governors, we have had to make the following decisions:
- The school will NOT reopen on Monday 8th June (with the exception of the Key Worker children).
- We are NO LONGER able to receive Y6 back to school
We are under no illusion; this is going to cause great upset, anxiety and considerable disappointment to many children who were so looking forward to being reunited with a small group of their friends.
We were hoping that we could potentially open on 8th June but are unable to do so. The risk assessment has very recently been completed, shared with staff and governors and submitted to the Local Authority, we now await their support and approval and without this we cannot open the school.
We were also looking forward to seeing our wonderful Y6 children back in school. However, due to the restrictions on pupil : adult ratios, social distancing, the key worker priority, we have reached our maximum capacity and have had to follow the guidance that children in younger year groups are prioritised.
Regards Key Workers, we are now very close to reaching our maximum capacity. Whilst we very much want to support those providing front line and essential services, we have a limit which we cannot exceed.
We are aware that some schools in Coventry have re-opened and each school has organised for different year groups to attend etc. Please realise that every school is unique both in its community and premises, therefore risk assessments pose unique challenges to each school and determine the direction individual schools must take.
Going forward, so as not to give false impression as to when and how the school will open more widely, we will only advise further around re-opening once we can give concrete and definite answers and dates. Be assured that this will be done giving you what we believe to be ample time to prepare your child.
Thank you for your trust, patience and understanding.
Yours faithfully
Caroline Quinn
Headteacher
