20^th March 2020

Dear Parents and Carers,

Coronavirus update – School closure to most pupils

At this difficult time we want to thank you for your continued support and reassure you that, as a Catholic Trust, we are doing our utmost to support all of our children and families. As you will be aware, the government has instructed schools throughout the country to close the school to almost all children after this Friday until further notice. Over the coming days, the Trust phase 1 response plan will be rolled out and this initial phase will see all 26 school sites open to the students identified by Mr Williamson on Wednesday 18th March.

Government guidelines

As advised by the government, we will do all we can to stay open for the children of key workers and children with particular needs, however the government has asked parents to keep children at home wherever possible to minimise the spread of this virus.  Their advice is that the safest place for your children is at home.

The government has defined the key workers and vulnerable students as follows:

Vulnerable children

Children who are supported by social care, those with safeguarding and welfare needs, including child in need plans, on child protection plans, ‘looked after’ children, young carers, disabled children and those with education, health and care (EHC) plans.

Key workers

• health and social care
• education and childcare
• key public services e.g. the justice system, charities
• local and national government
• food and other necessary goods e.g. those involved in food production, processing, distribution and sale
• public safety and national security
• transport
• utilities, communication and financial services

All other children will need to stay at home, so we ask that you do not send your child into school from Monday onwards Please note that this is a national closure – as you may have heard in the news – so while it is a challenging situation, we are not alone. We will re-open fully as soon as we are directed to do so by the Government.

Setting work

All schools within Nicholas Postgate Catholic Academy Trusty (NPCAT) have detailed plans in place to ensure that your child’s education is disrupted as little as possible while they are unable to attend their usual lessons.

Teachers will continue to set work and maintain communication with students through the school’s electronic platform. As a school, we are using the following means to set work and communicate with pupils.

Class charts

Work will be set for your child through classcharts on a daily basis, from subjects as their individual timetable states. Full instructions on how to access this and other resources have been provided in a previous letter and work should be completed in the provided exercise books, unless it is an online tool. Students should have an access code to enable them to log on to classcharts and the other resources, however we have sent these in the pack provided should they be required. Work set may be in the form of powerpoints that students should work through completing indicated tasks and/or worksheets to complete. In addition work may be set using online resources.

The online resources available to students are as outlined below:

• https://hegartymaths.com
• https://www.tassomai.com
• https://www.gcsepod.com

If there any issues accessing any of these resources or you have another query regarding the work please contact the school using the [email protected] and state the reason in the subject. Alternatively do not hesitate to contact the school via telephone on 01642 613327.

We will also provide printed work for those children who do not have access to the internet.

If your child usually receives free school meals we will also be in touch with more information about how we will continue to provide this, with support from a scheme that the government has just announced.

We understand that parents and pupils who were due to sit examinations this summer will be particularly concerned about the measures the Government has taken. We will update you when we have more information from the Department for Education about this.

Please continue to monitor our school website www.stpatricks.npcat.org.uk, where we will be posting regular updates. You as parents please be assured that we will provide weekly telephone communication and a dedicated teacher will be in touch with you in addition to the online learning resources and distance learning being delivered by your school.

The coronavirus outbreak is an unprecedented situation that is affecting so many aspects of our everyday lives and we know that closing the school will cause considerable difficulties. Please be assured that we are doing everything we can to assist you and your family. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family during this difficult time.

Yours faithfully,

Mr M. Burns