04/02/21
Dear parents / carers
THIS LETTER DOES NOT APPLY TO NURSERY PARENTS WHO ALREADY HAVE A PLACE IN SCHOOL
We, like you, are awaiting updates from the government as to whether schools will be open to all pupils after March 8th 2021.
In order to prepare for every eventuality, the Governors agreed a new updated temporary admissions policy this week which has been uploaded to the school website. As school continues to be only open to Key Worker and Vulnerable children until at least 8th March , we would request parents reapply or newly apply for their school place for after the February half term holiday using the link. The government guidelines remain that ‘Children with at least one parent or carer who is a critical worker can go to school if required, but parents and carers should keep their children at home if they can’. We are therefore asking all families to only send their child (ren) into school whilst they are working, and they have no other alternative childcare. With this is mind, we would ask that if you only require a part time place you identify the days you need in the form linked (see below). This allows us to offer more children a part time place in school, which can relieve the burden for other families. This term we have had a waiting list of vulnerable pupils or pupils whose parents are critical workers and to whom we have been unable to offer a school place. The current waiting list for places after February half term is
| Nur | Rec | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 | Year 6 |
| 1 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
Staff continue to offer a range of home learning opportunities and please be assured that the children in school are accessing the same learning that is offered to those who are working at home.
Please can you complete your requests, using the attached link https://forms.gle/8ri2CPgJSauXT61m8 , and send your key worker evidence to the following email address windycovid@gatedu.org by 12pm on Sunday 7th February 2021. Your critical worker status can be a letter from your employer or a badge showing your role. If both parents are critical workers, please can you include a copy of both. This will allow us to process the information we have gathered from parents and allocate places before February half term. (Please note forms received after this date will be considered as a late application)
We will try and accommodate as many requests as possible, but if a class is over subscribed we will use the over subscription criteria included in the Temporary Admissions Policy. Please check the policy to see which criteria you meet. At this point we will request further information from your employer including your current working week pattern/ hours worked etc. Your child will only be allowed into school if you are formally offered a place.
Finally, as the holidays approach, can I ask all parents to think carefully about the government rules we are being asked to follow; including not mixing with other families outside of their bubbles and self- isolating when requested to do so. Every day staff come to school and put themselves and their families at risk by working on the front line with a number of children from a number of families. Whilst we do all we can to minimise the risk of the virus spreading, we cannot eliminate the risk to staff and pupils and would therefore request that you minimise your child’s contacts in order to protect the whole school community.
Many thanks
Lucie Forrest
To download a copy of this letter please click on the link below: