Dear Parents/Carers,
As you know, we are all facing extraordinary challenges and the situation is placing pressure on all parts of society. Our staff have been doing all they can to keep our school open since this crisis began and I would like to pay tribute to their remarkable commitment. They have been extraordinary and we will continue to play our part over the coming weeks.
As you may be aware, the Government made several very important decisions this week. The first is that it has advised schools in England to close, except for certain groups of children, from Friday afternoon (20th March) onwards as a further measure to prevent the spread of COVID-19. No date has been set for when schools will re-open for all students.
From Monday, the school will continue to be open for the following groups of students:
For students in these groups, we have also been asked to remain open through the Easter holidays and we will do our best to achieve this. From Monday 23rd March and through this period, our school will provide care for these children.
The students who are attending need to be in at normal school times and in uniform (trainers can be worn as they will be doing some physical activity). Lunch will be provided for them. Students should report to the canteen each day.
Children who do not fall into the groups listed above should remain at home with appropriate care. Parents should not rely for childcare upon those who are advised to be in the stringent social distancing category such as grandparents, friends, or family members with underlying conditions. Parents should also do everything they can to ensure children are not mixing socially in a way which can continue to spread the virus. They should observe the same social distancing principles as adults.
Another priority over the last 24 hours has been ensuring the provision of food for supported children, children of key workers who will attend the Academy and children who receive free school meals.
After receiving guidance from the Department for Education today and in consultation with our catering company, Educaterers, we can do the following:
Monday 23rd March will be the first day that we operate this model and we will make full provision for free school meal students. However, as time goes on, we will have to reduce the numbers if we find that the grab bags aren’t being collected.
If your child receives free school meals and the grab bag cannot be collected, please send us a private Facebook message or email [email protected] and we will do all we can to support you.
Another key announcement is that tests and exams will not take place this summer. For children and young people, who have worked so hard to prepare for their SATs, GCSEs or A levels, this will be upsetting and we sympathise with them. At the same time, we understand the decision the Government has made and we are reassured that children’s grades in GCSEs and A levels will be awarded on the basis of moderated assessment, in conjunction with the exam boards and Ofqual. This means that the hard work students have done will be rewarded. It may not feel quite the same, and nor is it, but they will receive grades that will progress them to the next stage of their lives.
We will continue to provide home learning resources for your child. Show My Homework will be the main platform to set work for all year groups and staff will set work daily for the groups they have that day – this includes year 11 and year 13. Staff will provide work packs for those without internet access and will be available via school email during school hours for students and parents.
In the meantime, I would once again like to take this opportunity to thank you wholeheartedly for your understanding and ongoing support in helping us to manage this unprecedented situation.
Yours faithfully,
Dr Lisa Mason
Principal
Ormiston Forge Academy
This is the official guidance from the Government regarding critical sectors:
If your work is critical to the COVID-19 response, or you work in one of the critical sectors listed below, and you cannot keep your child safe at home then your children will be prioritised for education provision:
This includes but is not limited to doctors, nurses, midwives, paramedics, social workers, care workers, and other frontline health and social care staff including volunteers; the support and specialist staff required to maintain the UK’s health and social care sector; those working as part of the health and social care supply chain, including producers and distributers of medicines and medical and personal protective equipment.
This includes nursery and teaching staff, social workers and those specialist education professionals who must remain active during the COVID-19 response to deliver this approach.
This includes those essential to the running of the justice system, religious staff, charities and workers delivering key frontline services, those responsible for the management of the deceased, and journalists and broadcasters who are providing public service broadcasting.
This only includes those administrative occupations essential to the effective delivery of the COVID-19 response or delivering essential public services such as the payment of benefits, including in government agencies and arms length bodies.
This includes those involved in food production, processing, distribution, sale and delivery as well as those essential to the provision of other key goods (for example hygienic and veterinary medicines).
This includes police and support staff, Ministry of Defence civilians, contractor and armed forces personnel (those critical to the delivery of key defence and national security outputs and essential to the response to the COVID-19 pandemic), fire and rescue service employees (including support staff), National Crime Agency staff, those maintaining border security, prison and probation staff and other national security roles, including those overseas.
This includes those who will keep the air, water, road and rail passenger and freight transport modes operating during the COVID-19 response, including those working on transport systems through which supply chains pass.
This includes staff needed for essential financial services provision (including but not limited to workers in banks, building societies and financial market infrastructure), the oil, gas, electricity and water sectors (including sewerage), information technology and data infrastructure sector and primary industry supplies to continue during the COVID-19 response, as well as key staff working in the civil nuclear, chemicals, telecommunications (including but not limited to network operations, field engineering, call centre staff, IT and data infrastructure, 999 and 111 critical services), postal services and delivery, payments providers and waste disposal sectors.
If workers think they fall within the critical categories above they should confirm with their employer that, based on their business continuity arrangements, their specific role is necessary for the continuation of this essential public service.