COVID-19 lockdown update January 2021

Dear Parents and Carers,

Following this evenings announcement from the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, Rivacre Valley will move to virtual learning for all pupils (with the exception of vulnerable children and those of key workers – see definitions below) from Tuesday 5^th January 2021.

Schools may act as 'vectors for transmission'

The prime minister says he "completely understands the inconvenience and stress" the disruption to education will cause parents and pupils. 

But he says the government has been doing "everything in our power to keep schools open” because of the importance of education to children’s life chances. 

"The problem is not that schools are unsafe for children," he says, adding that children are still very unlikely to be severely affected even by the new variant of Covid. 

But he says schools may act as "vectors for transmission", causing the virus to spread between households.

CWAC LA have also issued the following:

Colleges, primary and secondary schools will remain open only for vulnerable children and the children of critical workers. Schools will make contact with parents and carers as soon as possible with arrangements for other children who will learn remotely until at least February half term. Early Years settings remain open.

Please log onto Google classroom for Key Stage 1 & 2, and Tapestry for EYFS - this will provide information about what to expect and the online learning for your child – due to the short timescale this will be available from 11:00am tomorrow.

Vulnerable children and young people

Vulnerable children and young people include those who:

• are assessed as being in need under section 17 of the Children Act 1989, including children and young people who have a child in need plan, a child protection plan or who are a looked-after child
• have an education, health and care (EHC) plan
• have been identified as otherwise vulnerable by educational providers or local authorities (including children’s social care services), and who could therefore benefit from continued full-time attendance, this might include:
  • children and young people on the edge of receiving support from children’s social care services or in the process of being referred to children’s services
  • adopted children or children on a special guardianship order
  • those at risk of becoming NEET (‘not in employment, education or training’)
  • those living in temporary accommodation
  • those who are young carers
  • those who may have difficulty engaging with remote education at home (for example due to a lack of devices or quiet space to study)
  • care leavers
  • others at the provider and local authority’s discretion including pupils and students who need to attend to receive support or manage risks to their mental health

Critical workers

Parents whose work is critical to the coronavirus (COVID-19) and EU transition response include those who work in health and social care and in other key sectors outlined in the following sections.

Health and social care

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 distributors of medicines and medical and personal protective equipment.

Education and childcare

This includes:

• childcare
• support and teaching staff
• social workers
• specialist education professionals who must remain active during the coronavirus (COVID-19) response to deliver this approach

Key public services

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
• journalists and broadcasters who are providing public service broadcasting

Local and national government

This only includes those administrative occupations essential to the effective delivery of:

• the coronavirus (COVID-19) response, and the delivery of and response to EU transition
• essential public services, such as the payment of benefits and the certification or checking of goods for import and export (including animal products, animals, plants and food), including in government agencies and arms length bodies

Food and other necessary goods

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)

Public safety and national security

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 coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak and EU transition)
• 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

Transport and border

This includes those who will keep the air, water, road and rail passenger and freight transport modes operating during the coronavirus (COVID-19) response and EU transition, including those working on transport systems through which supply chains pass and those constructing or supporting the operation of critical transport and border infrastructure through which supply chains pass.

Utilities, communication and financial services

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 coronavirus (COVID-19) response
• 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
• waste disposal sectors

If you have a child who is classed as vulnerable, or you are a key worker and require your child to be in school, please bring your child to the Rivacre Brow entrance for 9:00am tomorrow morning where a member of staff will bring them into school.

Please remember if you are dropping off / collecting your child you are required to wear a face covering and maintain 2m social distance.

At this time staying home is the safest place for all children and adults, staff included, so your support during this time will be appreciated.

Please stay safe and we look forward to being able to welcome back all pupils as soon as it is safe to do so.

Kindest regards,

Mrs K Docherty

Headteacher