Return to school delayed until 15th June 2020

Following the announcement that the Junior school will not re-open tomorrow, we also will be delaying the return to school of Y1 children until at least 15th June. This decision is based on the following factors:

• Reports that the R number in Southend is rising. One of the Government’s key criteria for easing the lockdown was a stable or falling value of R. If these reports are correct, then we do not meet this criterion at a local level;
• Over the weekend we also learned that the country is still at Risk Level 4;
• Scientific advisers on SAGE have stated the lockdown is being eased too quickly and this increases risk;
• The Independent SAGE group, (led by a Government former Chief Scientific Adviser) has recommended waiting until June 15th before reopening schools, and
• The test, trace and isolate system is not yet fully operational in our area

Unfortunately, this will extend our school closure for a further period and we apologise to parents who have been planning a return to work. We hope that by taking this approach, we can reduce the risk of transmission in our school and community.

During this further period of closure, we will continue to set work on Google Classroom and remain open for key worker children.

The health and safety of our staff, children and families is always our main priority.

Thank you for your continued support.