Dear Parents/Carers,

We find ourselves in an unprecedented period of time in our country due to the outbreak of the Coronavirus. As of yesterday, the government announced that all schools will be closed to everyone except children of key workers and vulnerable children from Monday. At this point, we are still waiting for the specific definition and categorisation of these groups. However, we realise that the vast majority of our students will not be with us for the foreseeable future.

Therefore, over the past few weeks we have been preparing ourselves for this eventuality and have set up work for all students which is accessible online. For Years 7 to 10, we will be setting work every two weeks in every subject. Students are able to decide how they wish study this, either by following their current timetable or blocking subjects over periods of time. There is an instruction guide available on the school website on how to access the work.

All Year 11 students have been directed to follow their current timetable as their work will be directly emailed to them during their lesson time. In addition, we have also provided extension activities for all subjects which they can complete via the online portal. This is located on our school website https://pewseyvale.org.

Unfortunately, we are unable to run the school tomorrow for all year groups due to staffing shortage caused by self-isolation. Therefore, the school will be open to Years 7, 8 & 11 only tomorrow; Years 9 & 10 are to work at home. We understand this decision may provide some challenges for personal situations and has not been taken lightly. As you are aware, I have to ensure the safety of all students that are at school and I am unable to do this with all year groups present and the number of staff at work.

If you would like further information on the latest government guidance you can find more detail here.
The Chief Medical Officer provided new advice around self-isolation and Public Health England have updated their web pages so please review the updated information online:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-stay-at-home-guidance

Specific advice for schools and settings has also been updated:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-to-educational-settings-about-covid-19/guidance-to-educational-settings-about-covid-19

I have briefed each year group this morning and students are fully aware of the situation and expectations. We will continue to brief all parties as more information becomes available. We will be unable to effectively deal with a high volume of calls or emails so please wait for our updates and check the school website.
I would like to thank you for your support during this challenging period. Please be assured we will continue to support all of our students during this difficult time.

Yours sincerely

Mr N Pritchard
Head Teacher