Headteacher blog 20th March 2020

These are truly historic times and are challenging and unsettling for everyone. Attendance at school has dwindled to about two thirds over the course of the week and we have been managing up to 20 staff off work. The decision to close all schools from this evening was inevitable.  Since then, the relatively broad definition of ‘key workers’, and the need to include a range of more vulnerable children, means that there will be considerable numbers of children back in school next week and we will need to be careful that this doesn’t negate the reasons for closing the school in the first place.  Thank you for all the kind messages and offers of support.

Personally, I have enjoyed elements of the week, having spent a few days teaching a delightful Year 6 class. We still managed to get out on two big trips that were very successful: Y4 to Murton Park and Y2 to the Yorkshire Wildlife Park. Both these businesses are, presumably, facing uncertain futures; Murton Park, in particular, is hugely dependent on school bookings.

In the weeks and months to come, the most important thing is to keep the more vulnerable members of society as safe as we can and follow the government advice as best we can. We will try to keep in touch with modern forms of communication and keep some semblance of education going, but it is going to be a huge challenge.  These are unprecedented times.