3rd January 2021

Dear Parents and Carers

Firstly, I would like to take this opportunity to wish you a Happy New Year

I am sure you will have seen in the news that the Unions that represent teachers and support staff have been urging their members to take action over the expectations for schools to return as planned this week. As a result of this I have now received letters from 12 members of staff who are members of the NEU advising me that they will not be coming into the workplace as they don’t feel that the current situation is safe for them to do so. Of these, 4 are class teachers and therefore their classes will need to stay at home from Tuesday 5th January. The teachers will be delivering lessons remotely through Seesaw so your children will still be receiving teaching. The classes currently affected are 5AR, 4LW, 4BH and 3GR but this may well increase over the next 24 hours. I know that the choice that these teachers have taken has been one that they have agonised over and I fully support their decision.

We completely understand that this makes child care very difficult for many of you but the situation that we are in is unprecedented and we are all facing some difficult decisions.

We will be sending out another letter tomorrow which will tell you any changes of arrangements that we have decided to take, in light of the questionnaire that we sent out earlier today.

Yours sincerely

Lynn Knapp