COVID-19 UPDATE

In response to the Education Minster’s directive that schools should remain open for children of key workers we have drafted the following response.

Our ultimate aim is to keep the number of children in school to an absolute minimum. We have been asked to facilitate pupils in school whose parents are critical to the Covid-19 team who would have otherwise no option but to stay at home. Therefore, this would apply to sole parents and families where both parents are key workers. The following headings have been provided, but more detail will follow here in the coming days.

• Health and Social Care: doctors, nurses, midwives, paramedics, social workers and home carers.
• Education and Childcare: education professionals who remain active during Covid-19 response.
• Public Safety and National Security: police, fire and rescue, prison.
• Those keeping air, water, road and rail transport modes operating.
• Utilities: staff needed for oil, gas, electricity and water and key staff in telecommunications, post and waste disposal.
• Food production and processing and those essential to the provision of key goods (e.g. hygiene, medical).
• Key national and local government.

If you are in the above category as a sole parent or where both parents are key workers, we would ask you to email the school before 5pm today. Alternatively you can advise us of your position when collecting your child’s pack today between 3pm and 6pm. If you work part-time we would state that pupils are only to be in on your working days.

As you know we are a large school and already working with a depleted staff. Parents must only use this provision if absolutely necessary. We will have a skeleton staff working in school from Monday 23rd March.  This is a child care facility which will operate in during normal school hours.

EMAIL

info@stmarysps.maghera.ni.sch.uk