School Closure Update

Dear parents/carers,

Re: Coronavirus update – school closure to most pupils

Following on from my last update, I’m now writing to let you know that we have now been instructed to close the school to all children except key workers after this Friday until further notice.

As advised by the government, we will do all we can to stay open for the children of key workers (e.g. NHS staff, police, others in frontline services) and children with certain needs.

We are waiting for the government to publish more information on what this means, but it would help us in the meantime if you could let us know if you think your child may fall into one of these categories. Please email the school office.

• Fire fighters

• NHS staff

• Forces including the police

• Social workers

• Food delivery drivers

• Vulnerable children

All other children will need to stay at home, so we ask that you do not send your child into school from Monday onwards.

Please note that this is a national closure – as you may have heard in the news – so while it is a challenging situation, we are not alone. We’ll re-open fully as soon as we can and will let you know when this is by

• Website (Drake Primary and Little Pirates Child Care)

• Parent Hub (Drake Primary)

For children of key workers we will still provide breakfast and afterschool club if staffing allows

This is as much as we know right now and we appreciate your continued patience with as we deal with this ever-changing situation. We understand that this latest news will have an impact on you and your family and it’s far from ideal, but we’ll continue to keep in touch with any updates as the situation develops.

If you want to get in touch to share any concerns, please don’t hesitate to do so via school office offiice@drake.norfolk.sch.uk

And remember: if you or your child feels ill and you want to know what to do next, please use NHS 111 online.

Thank you again for your continued support, and we will be in touch with more information when we can.

Yours Sincerely,

Louise Rosen

Headteacher

P.S.

Whilst we are all waiting to hear from the Government as to who exactly a 'key worker' is, we can give you the following information.

For a child to be eligible for a 'key worker' place at school, both parents would need to be key workers. If one parent is a key worker, the government will expect the other parent to have their child at home. Single parents who are key workers will be entitled to a school place.

For a child to be eligible for a 'vulnerable child' place, the child would have to have a social worker or an educational health and care plan in place.

These places are optional, not compulsory.