13 March 2020

Dear parents,

I would like to give you the latest school position regarding the Coronavirus outbreak.  I receive daily guidance from Public Health England and have been involved in meetings with other Headteachers from the Academy Trust.

My message is very much one of being alert, not panicking but planning carefully for the coming weeks.  As a school we have been advised to, and are happy to, carry on with all our upcoming plans and the normal day to day running of the school.  There are currently no plans to close St          Joseph’s.  I am aware though that the situation is fluid and may change quickly.

The staff have begun the process of putting work together for the children to complete at home should we have to close the school for a period of time.  We are currently preparing paper copies of work as well as links to digital learning.  If we do close at some point in the future, then the       children will still receive work to be done during the usual term time.

May I ask that you take this opportunity to contact school if you think that we do not have your up to date contact details, whether this is phone numbers or emails.  As you may imagine, in the event of a closure this is vitally important.

I would also ask that you err on the side of caution, if you think that there may be anything you need to inform school about – travel plans, poorly children and adults, then please let us know as soon as possible.  The more information we have, the better we can protect both children and adults in the school.  The safety and well-being of children and staff is of the upmost importance to us and working together helps to keep us all safe.

It is not nice to have to write this but I do however want to make you aware that we are carrying on as normal, providing a good education to the children, monitoring the situation very carefully and plans are being put in place for potential closures.

I would like to thank you for your support and calm approach recently.  If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to contact us.

Mr Eddy