Dear Parents/Carers,
Re: Coronavirus update – school closure to most pupils
Following on from my last update, I’m now writing to let you know that we have now been instructed to close the school to almost all children after this Friday until further notice.
As advised by the government, we will do all we can to stay open for
- the children of key workers (e.g. NHS staff, police, others in frontline services)
- Children who have an EHCP or Pupil Funding Agreement
- Children who are supported by a social worker
We are waiting for the government to publish more information on the definition of key workers, but it would help us in the meantime if you could let us know if you think your child may fall into one of these categories.
Please ring the school on 0151 327 3213 or send an email to schooloffice@southwirral.wirral.sch.uk if you feel that your child should be in school on Monday and you intend to send them in.
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’ll re-open fully as soon as we can and will let you know when this is through email, social media and on the school website.
Your child’s learning is of course important to us, so we’ll continue to help your child to learn.
We are prepared to use “Google classroom” to allow students to follow a curriculum at home. All the details for this will be published on the school website from Monday. The school website will contain details of how you can communicate with school during the closure.
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.
School trips, extra-curricular activities and all other non-essential events have been cancelled.
For parents of Year 11, 12 and 13 – there will be no summer exams. The government has promised that students will achieve their qualifications and will not be disadvantaged. I think it is likely that school will be asked to provide teacher assessment. With this in mind it is vitally important that the students complete the work they have been set so that we can provide this evidence.
Year 11, 12 and 13 students will leave school today with all the information they need and will work at home tomorrow. School will only be open to students of Years 7, 8, 9 and 10 on Friday. I have had to make this decision for 2 reasons.
- A shortage of teachers
- We want to make sure that all students are fully prepared with learning, for the closure.
This is as much as we know right now and we appreciate your continued patience with as we deal with this ever-changing situation. We understand that this latest news will have an impact on you and your family and it’s far from ideal, but we’ll continue to keep in touch with any updates as the situation develops.
If you want to get in touch to share any concerns, please don’t hesitate to do so via schooloffice@southwirral.wirral.sch.uk or on 0151 327 3213.
And remember: if you or your child feels ill and you want to know what to do next, please use NHS 111 online.
Thank you again for your continued support, and we will be in touch with more information when we can.
Yours sincerely,
Mr Goodwin
Headteacher