Coronavirus update – Spring term school closure

Dear parents/carers,

Following the Prime Minister's speech on 30^th December 2020, I am now writing to let you know that we have been instructed by the government to close the school from Monday 4^th January until Friday 15^th January 2021.

We will only be able to stay open for vulnerable children and the children of critical workers. You will receive a separate email or phone call if this applies to your family. All other children will need to continue their learning from home until the restrictions are lifted.

We will let you know as soon as the government updates us on the safe return to school or otherwise through the school website and App. Please check on the Home Schooling section of the school website for any updates relevant to lockdown and remote learning.

Remote education

Remote learning is through Google Classroom from Monday 4^th January. The time tables for each phase will be shared on Google Classroom with details of direct teaching provided remotely by teachers. Vulnerable children and the children of critical workers who will be attending school, will be accessing the same lessons being taught by their teachers remotely, as their peers at home. The children will be supervised by teaching assistants.

If you have any questions about remote learning please email the VPs or Year Team Leaders as below.

Year group emails are:

Year6                                  year6lfp@theparkfederation.org

SRP                                      srplfp@theparkfederation.org

In addition to the year group emails, the Principal and the office team can also be contacted on the following emails:

Office                 lfpaoffice@theparkfederation.org

Free school meals

If your child is eligible for free school meals, they will continue to receive these while at home. You can bring your child to school for hot meals at the following times – 12.00-1.00 pm for Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 children; 12.20-1.20 pm for Years 3,4,5,and 6 children. Alternatively, the school will arrange food parcels with Pabulum, our school meals provider, which parents will need to collect from school. We will provide further details about this next week. Vulnerable children and children of critical workers who are also FSM will be provided a hot meal if they are attending school.

What we will not be able to go ahead with

We will not continue with before and after school boosters, interventions and extra-curricular clubs.

A reminder of the definitions of 'vulnerable children' and 'critical workers'

Vulnerable children are those who:

• Have a child in need plan or child protection plan
• Are looked after by the local authority 
• Have an education, health and care (EHC) plan and have been determined, following risk assessment, that their needs can be as safely or more safely met at school
• Have been assessed as otherwise vulnerable by the school or LA, including children who are:
  • On the edge of receiving support from children's social care services
  • Adopted
  • Living in temporary accommodation due to social care involvement
  • Young carers

Critical workers are those who work in:

• Health and social care
• Education and childcare
• Key public services (including the justice system, religious staff, charities delivering key frontline services, those responsible for the management of the deceased, and journalists and broadcasters who are providing public service broadcasting)
• Local and national government who are involved in delivering the coronavirus response or essential public services
• Food and other necessary goods
• Public safety and national security
• Transport
• Utilities, communication and financial services

If you haven't already, please let us know if your family has had a change in circumstance which means you or your child now fall into these categories. Please contact us on lfpaoffice@theparkfederation.org with your child's name and class together with details of your critical worker status.

This is as much as we know right now, and we appreciate your continued patience while we deal with this ever-changing situation. We understand that this latest news will have an impact on you and your family and that it is far from ideal, but we will continue to keep in touch with any updates as the situation develops.

Symptoms

The most common symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) are recent onset of:

• a new continuous cough
• a high temperature
• a loss of, or change in, your normal sense of taste or smell (anosmia)

For most people, coronavirus (COVID-19) will be a mild illness.

If your child does develop symptoms, you can seek advice from the nhs.uk website at https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/check-if-you-have-coronavirus-symptoms/. If you are concerned about your child's symptoms, or they are worsening you can seek advice from NHS 111 at https://111.nhs.uk/ or by phoning 111.

How to stop COVID-19 spreading

There are things you can do to help reduce the risk of you and anyone you live with getting ill with COVID-19

Do

• wash your hands with soap and water often – do this for at least 20 seconds 
• use hand sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available
• wash your hands as soon as you get home
• cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when you cough or sneeze
• put used tissues in the bin immediately and wash your hands afterwards
• follow government guidance with local restrictions and expectations
• social distancing

Further Information

Further information is available at https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/ 

Please keep us informed if your child and family have been advised to self-isolate by NHS.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us by email: lfpaoffice@theparkfederation.org

Thank you again for your support.

Warm regards,

Ms. H. Buttar

Principal