Hi everyone,

I’m sorry to have to contact you on New Year’s Eve.

As many of you will have seen there has been lots of information about schools delaying their openings until later in the New Year.

I have just chaired a meeting of all our Heads, and we have agreed on the following course of action.

All of our schools will remain closed on Monday, so they are able to review Tier 4 risk assessments.

There are many issues that need to be assessed including (but not restricted to):

• Assessing the risk of a more transmissible virus
• The implications on school organisation
• The staffing solutions to maintain a safe working environment
• The closure of certain community placements
• The implications of the lateral flow testing system etc. etc.

As yet, we are still awaiting specific advice from the Department for Education on many, many issues.  This is making planning incredibly challenging.

With regards to Monday, we wanted to give you as much notice as possible so that you are able to make appropriate plans.

We are aiming to get the children back into face-to-face schooling as soon as is possible.

I can only apologise for the inconvenience, but I can assure you all that our main priority remains the safety of all our children, young people, staff and communities.

Have a peaceful New Year,

Graham