Dear Parents/Carers,
I write to thank you for your support over this Lockdown time. There is no doubt this is a really tough time …our mental health is taking a battering. This lockdown is certainly not helped with the dark, cold and damp weather; we need to support each other and get through this together.
Whatever your personal circumstances, we thank you for working with us and doing your best. For those that have children working from home rest assured that we think you are doing a great job! If your child has had lots of microwave meals, stayed up too late, played too much on the Xbox and not finished all their school work….THAT’S OK! We know our pupils are safe, loved and cared for and that is the most important thing at the moment.
We know that we’ve got high expectations here and we’ve set a lot of work each week. All we ask is that you do your best to encourage your child to log onto One Note or/and complete the work packs sent home. If they run short of school work then please do not hesitate to get in touch.
Please do not let schoolwork put any extra pressure on you when you are trying to hold down jobs, earn a living and keep your children safe. Everyone’s circumstances are very different, and we appreciate that.
We will continue to have as many children on site as we are able. Each day we are assessing how we can ensure that we provide each child the best possible opportunities whilst also ensuring that all our children and staff are as safe as we are able to make them. We have been affected by significant absences from the educational team which means that, along with our trying to keep numbers in Class and on Houses limited to facilitate social distancing, we are unable to have all children in school on a full-time basis. As soon as we are safe to do so we will be fully re-open. We will be in touch each week to let you know our plans for the following week until we are out of lockdown.
When I speak about adults at Farney Close being anxious, I am sure you will empathise with this. I would ask that you speak with your child about their need to keep themselves and those around them safe. This means adhering to the lockdown rules, both in and out of school, but also not behaving in a manner that puts people at risk. During the national lockdown they will only be able to remain in school if their behaviour is safe.
The children’s COVID question presentation is available here which I hope will help you as well as your child know what we are doing here at Farney Close. This document can also be found on the school’s website. This update explains about the fact that we are offering lateral flow tests to all of our staff and pupils when they arrive on site at the start of each week. This process has already significantly helped in making people feel more confident about our being open during this lockdown period.
Welfare calls will continue in the evenings but may not be possible every evening, as staff are busy working with the children on site. Unlike the first lockdown, where we only opened for the school day, every House unit is open fully residentially.
Please feel free to get in touch if there is anything you wish to discuss. Initially you should contact your child’s Link Worker or the Senior responsible for the house your child resides on as stated below:
Sues, Eynon, Bomberg & Colebrooke – Chris Underwood cunderwood@farneyclose.co.uk
Kings & Burts – Dawn Morgan dmorgan@farneyclose.co.uk
Edward & Audrey – Clare Speed cspeed@farneyclose.co.uk
Please also contact them via email if you are eligible for free school meals. We are happy to provide a voucher for the term time school weeks that your child has not been offered a place in school.
Finally, I want to remind you that we are here for you as well as your child if you need to chat, rant, cry etc! Take care, stay safe and thank you once more for all your support during this difficult time.
Kind regards
Sara Hack
Principal
