Dear Parents,

We want to inform you of Lancashire’s decision  about whether to reopen schools to more children. Dr Sakthi Karunanithi, Lancashire’s Director of Public Health, has advised not to further open schools on 15 June. Therefore, we will continue to welcome children of Key Workers and Vulnerable Pupils and have already this week increased our provision for Key Worker children. This reflects the daily increase in Key Worker parents requesting access to this provision. As we are here to support Key Worker families as a priority, the steady increase in numbers will limit the capacity for us to admit further pupils in the future. If you have any queries, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with Mrs Carroll via email or phone.

 

Please see the statement released from Lancashire County Council yesterday:

 

Message from Edwina Grant OBE - Executive Director Education and Children’s Services

 

I am writing to let you know that our Director of Public Health has reviewed his guidance that schools and settings should not welcome more children and has determined that it should not change.

 

That means Dr Sakthi Karunanithi is advising that you should continue to delay reopening. It is still the case that he believes two of the five government tests are not being met in the county.

 

Although the number of new cases has decreased, Lancashire and the North West has a high number of cases compared to many other regions in the country.

 

Similarly, although the weekly death count in Lancashire is showing a downward trend, a consistent decline is not being seen in all areas, and in recent weeks we have seen an increase. It has also been widely reported that the R value for the North West is above 1. Locally, all partners are working closely in the development of our local response to support Test and Trace.

 

Although some progress has been made, more work needs to be done to properly embed local expertise into the national NHS Test and Trace system.

 

Lancashire people have worked so hard throughout the pandemic in keeping the virus at bay. With various national lock down measures lifting, we need to remain vigilant in following social distancing rules to help prevent the infection spreading. 

 

This advice will be reviewed again next Monday, and if it changes, we will encourage you to take the decision to reopen to more children from 22 June if deemed safe to do so. I appreciate that the decision to welcome back more children lies with each setting and school, in consultation with their board of governors, owners or managers, taking into account your individual circumstances. I know these are difficult decisions for you, and we are here to offer advice and support.

 

As has been the case throughout the emergency, all schools and settings are encouraged to admit vulnerable children and those of key workers as long as your risk assessments suggest it is safe to do so. If you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact me.

 

 

Thank you again for your continued support

Kind regards

 

Diane Carroll

Headteacher