11th May 2020,

 

Dear Parents / Carers

 

I do hope that this letter finds you, your friends and family in good health.

 

Following last night’s announcement by the government and today’s publication of Our Plan to Rebuild, I wanted to state that nothing has changed for us so far. It appears as if, subject to certain conditions being met, Schools may be asked by the Government to ‘re-open in stages’, from 1st June, beginning with Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 pupils; the Government’s ambition is also to give secondary pupils completing exams next year “at least some time with their teachers” before the summer holidays. As soon as we have further clarification and advice from the local authority concerning school opening dates we will let you know.

 

As a school we have remained open on a limited basis to our most vulnerable children and children of keyworkers. I want to reassure you, that we are doing everything within our power to maintain children’s safety whilst in school. This is our primary concern. Our staffing rota is reviewed daily, to meet the needs of the children.

 

We will continue to:

•          Work with the Local Authority, Social Services and parents to support appropriate individuals and cohorts of pupils who are safer attending school / remaining at home

•          Assess staff availability, staff requirements and staff support / wellbeing needs

•          Assess the capacity of our building(s) and make appropriate adjustments

 

As a special school we will use government and local authority advice to guide our return to the new normal, which will be a phased, controlled, growth. We appreciate that you know your children and your situation the best. We will discuss individually with you the return to school of your child. This cannot happen until health advice is clear that we can do this safely. However, there is no doubt, that whatever measures are put in place, we cannot eliminate the risk that illnesses spread in a school due to the fact that we are all in close contact with each other. Pupil and staff safety will therefore steer our decision making.

 

We want the staff and all the children back, but this is unrealistic for now.  We are constantly reviewing our practice to see if we can make things safer, but as soon as we increase the numbers of pupils coming into school, the risk will increase.

 

We are simply not going to rush into making decisions which we may later regret. 

 

As this period of isolation continues we understand that the level of support required may increase and the needs of children, change. As I have said in my previous letters if you have concerns regarding your child, please let us know. Your first point of contact is your child’s class teacher or tutor, but please also email secretary@laleham-gap.kent.sch.uk if you need further support from me.

 

If you have any concerns regarding the frequency, suitability or degree of difficulty of the work being provided, please contact me via secretary@laleham-gap.kent.sch.uk for further support.

 

Please continue to access the school’s website: www.laleham-gap.kent.sch.uk for updates and learning from home activities.

 

Kind Regards

 

Les Milton

Headteacher