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Buxton Community School

Buxton Community School

Update from Mr Yates emailed out to parents 16.03.2020

Please see message below

Dear Parent/Carer

 

I wanted to thank you for the supportive conversations we have had with many of our families since the Covid 19 outbreak emerged. I wanted to write and reassure you all that we are taking every reasonable measure available to us at this time. The national advice is that schools stay open and carry on as normal. Our internal hygiene and cleaning routines are reinforced daily and we have clear internal guidelines and protocols to look after everyone. Below is a link to the most recent guidance we are asked to work to.

However, in an effort to reduce the risks to any of our students and staff and protect our ability to continue to carry on as normally as possible, I have taken some practical steps to reduce possible opportunities for transmission of the virus.

 

For the time being, I have suspended any trips or visits out of the school. This includes sporting events and tournaments that involve multiple schools. We will be in touch with those parents who may need to be refunded for costs etc. I have also postponed any evening events (parent evenings, revision events etc.) until further notice. We will consider the best way to make sure you stay informed and will talk with you regularly. Our priority is to maintain the core day of the school as much as possible. I hope you understand what I feel are sensible reasons for these decisions and that we will continue to receive your support.

 

In return, we would ask that you make decisions about the health of your child, in line with the most recent national guidance, before they come to school.  Please call or message to confirm the reason for absence. If they come in to school and present with the symptoms described in the national guidance, we have been instructed to send them home as soon as possible and the guidance indicates they should then enter a period of self-isolation. Ultimately, if you are concerned about your child’s health please use the emergency advice and services available to you. I understand just how difficult these decisions may be for you as a family.

 

Some of you have concerns over possible school closure and examinations for Y11 and Y13. We are currently waiting on national guidance on these issues and we will keep in communication with you as any new information emerges. However, I must repeat that at this point all schools have been told to stay open unless they are directed to do otherwise. In the background, we are planning for a range of contingencies for the short and medium term. We want to be as prepared as possible for whatever may lie ahead.

 

The situation is moving rapidly and advice from central government is changing with it. It is quite possible that anything I write at this point may be out of date by the time you read it. However, we want to keep in touch and share our thinking with you. The link between school and our families is more important than ever.

 

Yours sincerely

Craig Yates