As a provider of secondary and college education, late on Friday afternoon we received a letter from the Department for Education regarding the rapid roll out of mass testing facilities in our area, due to the increased rate of Covid 19 infections in Essex, London and Kent.
The Government yesterday announced its decision to delay the re-opening of secondary schools and some primary schools across the country, to help slow the spread of Covid-19.
For the schools within our Trust, the majority will be open next week as per our published term dates, providing education for children with ECH plans, those deemed vulnerable and for those whose parents are key workers.
The senior leadership teams are working closely with staff to ensure every school is a Covid-safe environment. This will be supported with the government’s roll out of testing schemes for staff and students together with the continued safety measures, which were introduced successfully last term.
Heads of each school will communicate local arrangements to parents and carers before the first day of term – notifying them of any changes to return dates if needed, to allow for staff to prepare for testing arrangements.
We are working hard to ensure that the start of the new term runs as smoothly as possible in these challenging times. Our priority as a Trust continues to be the provision of high-quality education and care for children in a safe environment.
Thank you for your ongoing support as we all hope for a much more positive year.
With kindest regards
Dr Sam Parrett OBE