Dear Parents/Guardians,
I would firstly like to wish you and your family a Happy New Year.
Revised plans have been released by the Department of Education to state that schools will reopen for all pupils on Monday 11th January 2021.
Our Nursery Unit will be open as normal to all Nursery children on Tuesday 5th January 2021****THIS HAS NOW CHANGED to Wednesday 6th January. It has not been confirmed if school dinners will be available as yet.
Our school term was to start on Tuesday 5th January, however the Department of Education have advised that this should be taken as a planning day, for remote/blended learning which will commence for P1-P7 via Seesaw on Wednesday 6th January- Friday 8th January. There will be no childcare/supervision for P1-P7 pupils on Tuesday 5th January.
The school will be open on Wednesday 6th January- Friday 8th January for childcare. This is for key workers' children, (whom both Parents/Guardians or a Parent/Guardian in a single parent family are considered a key worker) or children who are considered vulnerable.
This is childcare and should only be considered if no other alternative is available and will be made available during school hours only. P1 & P2 will finish at 2pm, while P3-P7 will finish at 3pm. It has not been confirmed if school dinners will be available as yet.
In order for us to plan ahead appropriate levels of supervision, please inform me via email to smccafferty143@c2kni.net before Sunday 3rd January at 6pm, if your child needs to avail of childcare in school. Please indicate on your email your child's name and their Primary/Class/Teacher. Children should wear their school uniform as normal.
Definition of key workers:
- Health and Social Care. This includes doctors, nurses, midwives, paramedics, social workers, home carers and staff required to maintain our health and social care sector;
- Education and childcare. This includes pre-school and teaching staff, social workers and those specialist education professionals who will remain active during the Covid-19 response;
- Public safety and national security. This includes civilians and officers in the police (including key contractors), Fire and Rescue Service, prison service and other national security roles;
- Transport. This will include those keeping air, water, road and rail transport modes operating during the Covid-19 response;
- Utilities, and Communication. This includes staff needed for oil, gas, electricity and water (including sewage) and primary industry supplies to continue during the Covid-19 response, as well as key staff in telecommunications, post and delivery, banking and waste disposal;
- 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);
- Food and other necessary goods. This includes those involved in food production, processing, distribution and sale, as well as those essential to the provision of other key goods (e.g. hygiene, medical, etc.);
- Retail. This includes those workers who have been working throughout the pandemic in food retail, for example, and will now extend to those working in other retail businesses permitted to operate by the Executive from June 2020;
- Other workers essential to delivering key public services such as the National Crime Agency; and
- Key national and local government including those administrative occupations essential to the effective delivery of the Covid-19 response.
Definition of a vulnerable child:
- A child who has an assigned social worker because he or she is a child in need, in need of protection (or on the child protection register) or is a looked after child.
- A child in need includes young carers, children with disabilities, and children living in families where there is domestic abuse, substance abuse, and / or mental health difficulties.
- A child who is receiving support from, or has been referred to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).
- A child who has a statement of Special Educational Needs (SEN), a child who is accessing EOTAS, or a child who normally accesses Education Nurture Units.
- A child who is ‘on-the-edge’ of receiving support from children’s social services.
- A child who is in need, including in need of protection, but whose need is not known to statutory services.
- A child who is not known to statutory or voluntary and community support services but who is vulnerable because their family is under increased pressure due to Covid-19 related circumstances.
- A young person who was previously a looked after child, whether or not they are receiving support from statutory services.
- A child who has been placed for adoption.
- Asylum seeking and refugee children and children whose parents have no recourse to public funds.
Full guidance from the Department of Education can be found here:
https:/www.education-ni.gov.uk/news/weir-announces-changes-schools-reopening-arrangements
Also attached below is our Remote Learning Policy for reference.
Please check out the 'Parent section' on the school website as it has been updated with various websites and links, offering both support and learning resources.
Thank you for your patience and understanding at this time. These plans may be subject to change, but I will endeavour to keep our school community informed.
Kind Regards,
Mrs S. McCafferty
