Sent on behalf of Tolis Vouyioukas, Corporate Director, Children’s Services
Dear Colleague,
The chairs of the primary, secondary and special schools groups, and the head of Aspire, together with myself and my leadership team held a telephone conference yesterday afternoon in response to the government’s announcement for schools to close and to support key workers and vulnerable children. We will continue these daily for the time being.
Like everyone else in the country right now, our single most critical priority is to minimise the spread of Covid-19. We fully appreciate that this is a very difficult time for everyone and we will continue to review our local position regularly.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/schools-colleges-and-early-years-settings-to-close
I have held a telephone conference with the DfE yesterday and jointly with our head teacher colleagues have decided that we need to be proactive and organise our offer to both key workers and vulnerable children as a matter of urgency given that these new arrangements are effective from next Monday. You will also have received separate communications from me about social care and SEND. I am aware some of you have already written to parents directly but please make sure this is consistent with the national guidance and the advice below.
The key messages in the latest guidance are:
1. If it is at all possible for children to be at home, then they should be.
2. If a child needs specialist support, is vulnerable or has a parent who is a critical worker, then educational provision will be available for them.
3. Parents should not rely for childcare upon those who are advised to be in the stringent social distancing category such as grandparents, friends, or family members with underlying conditions.
4. Parents should also do everything they can to ensure children are not mixing socially in a way which can continue to spread the virus. They should observe the same social distancing principles as adults.
5. Residential special schools, boarding schools and special settings continue to care for children wherever possible.
Guidance for professionals
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-maintaining-educational-provision/guidance-for-schools-colleges-and-local-authorities-on-maintaining-educational-provision
Guidance for parents and carers
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/closure-of-educational-settings-information-for-parents-and-carers/closure-of-educational-settings-information-for-parents-and-carers
Key Workers
The announcement regarding key workers was made overnight. Together with the Chairs of the School Partnerships, we believe that the best way forward is for each school to write to their parents directly and immediately and invite them to come forward and identify themselves if they are a key worker and wish to take up the offer of childcare. Please refer to the guidance above but also be mindful that there will be other council staff not on this list who are carrying out critical and essential duties in response to Covid-19 and their children will need access to local childcare.
Guidance to professionals states that although this provision is available to any family within these groups as long as at least one person is a designated key worker, ‘many parents working in these sectors may be able to ensure that their child is kept at home. And every child who can be safely cared for at home should be’. This is further reinforced in the guidance to parents.
Vulnerable Children
Each school will know which of their pupils are children in need, subject to a child protection plan, in care and/or have an EHCP. These are the pupils that will need to benefit from these arrangements. For free school meal pupils, the priority is for the meal/voucher to get to the pupil instead of them being required to attend the school. However, this is subject to the head teacher’s discretion who will know which pupils on free school meals should attend a school setting. This also applies to our special schools and head teacher colleagues in those settings will need to use their discretion to decide which of their pupils are required to attend the school. This is confirmed in the guidance:
Special schools, colleges and local authorities are advised to make case by case basis assessments of the health and safeguarding considerations of pupils and students on an education, health and care (EHC) plan. For some, they will be safer in an education provision. For others, they will be safer at home. We trust leaders and parents to make these decisions and will support them as required.
Questions from Headteachers
Jo Cassey, Service Director for Education, has received a number of questions from you all; she will circulate responses to everyone tomorrow. In the meantime, any additional questions and/or points of clarification that you have, please direct them to the chair of your respective partnership group who will collate and send to Jo (Rebecca Campbell, Garret Fay, David Miller and Debra Rutley). Support staff working during the Easter break will be paid in line with the government’s advice for schools to remain open during this time.
Support for you
I am very clear that in these unprecedented times, your health and well-being are what will keep services going. I am aware some of you will have your own support arrangements in your school; however, please remember that our Principal Educational Psychologist Tim Jones and his team are here for you. This is a standing item in our discussions as a group and I want to make sure that we all work together and support each other as best we can.
Keeping our spirits up
I am already aware of several examples of schools doing all the right things to help and assist their pupils and their families. These are examples of care and kindness and exemplary leadership. Please let me, David, Rebecca, Debra, Garrett, Jo, Richard and Hero have any such examples and other good things that are already happening across our family of schools and children’s services. When this is over, we will have a story to tell to our children and young people and we must keep a record of it.
Thank you for all that you do so brilliantly well every single day and especially now.
Take good care.
Tolis Vouyioukas
Corporate Director
Children’s Services
Buckinghamshire Association of School Governors