Suggested Reopening of Schools June 1st
Hope you are all well and have enjoyed a restricted bank holiday weekend in the sunshine.
Undoubtedly, you will have all watched Boris Johnson unveil his plans last night to consider the reopening of schools.
The prime minister said:
“A phased return to school would begin with pupils in Reception, Year 1 and Year 6, if infection rates and the government's other tests at the time allow it.
At the earliest by June 1, after half term, we believe we may be in a position to begin the phased reopening of shops and to get primary pupils back into schools, in stages,
These were the (first careful steps) and the timetable for reopening would be delayed if necessary,
If we can't do it by those dates, and if the alert level won't allow it, we will simply wait and go on until we have got it right,
If there are problems we will not hesitate to put on the brakes."
I expect the announcement has only served to increase the anxieties of parents and carers throughout the country.
Despite every member of staff desperately wanting to get more pupils back into school as soon as possible, this will only happen when advice from the Department for Education and Trades’ Unions reassures school leaders that this is safe to do so. Staff at Marshfield have devoted their lives and careers to the care and education of young people – we do not want to see classrooms empty for a day longer than they need to be but our ultimate priority has to always remain the safety of everyone in our school community.
Like staff at Marshfield and myself, you will all have many questions which indeed will need answering before you even consider sending your children back to school. I am waiting to receive concrete information from government about what this means for our school. In the short-term, nothing has changed and I will provide further information in the coming days and weeks when I able to do so. SLT and I are currently compiling a detailed risk assessment and action plan to ensure the safest return possible for the whole school community.
As soon as any decision is set in stone, I will write to you with a clear plan.
To close, my continued thanks for the wonderful learning being facilitated at home, especially to those families who have been submitting work via Twitter. I honestly think some of our parents would be perfectly placed working in classrooms at Marshfield. Your creativity, skill and determination have been remarkable. The photographs of beautifully smiling children taking great pride in their work have literally kept me going during this bizarre period in our lives.
Please be assured that staff and I would love nothing more than to get school fully up and running, but this needs to be done with great caution and careful planning.
Look after yourselves and your families.
Best wishes,
Victoria Hartford