Additional Requests for School Places
Dear Parents & Carers,
As this lockdown is progressing, we are now receiving more and more requests from parents for places who are not critical workers or been signposted to the school as vulnerable from Stockport Social Services.
By Monday 25/01/21,our pupil numbers will be averaging 140 pupils, which will spread across 8 classrooms. This equates to over 25% of our usual school population and is now 7 times more pupils than were regularly in school during the first lockdown in March 2020.
The Government sent new guidance out about the criteria for the qualification of parents as critical workers. However, nationally many more parents applied for places as critical workers than the lockdown in March 2020 and this is the case at our school. Due to the numbers of children currently in school despite the lockdown, there is still an increased risk to children and staff of infection and illness from the new Covid strain.
The school is also under pressure to staff all the current class bubbles as we currently have over 10 members off work due to sickness absence, so allowing more children into school who do not fit the strict criteria is just not possible.
At the moment therefore, we can only accept children who fit the following description:
- At least one parent is recognised as having critical worker status as defined by the government
- The child is considered vulnerable as they are in receipt of an EHC plan
- The child is considered vulnerable as signposted to the school by Stockport Social Services
If your child does not fit into the above categories then they must stay at home and follow the remote learning provision until restrictions from the government change.
I understand that this letter has been a little negative and I apologise. However, I am trying to ensure the safety of everyone in our school community by reducing contacts and supporting the government message which is to “stay at home,” and remain safe.
Many thanks,
Simon Langley,
Headteacher