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St. Patrick's Primary School, Pennyburn, Derry City

New Guidance for Key Workers and Vulnerable children

7th Jan 2021

New Form for Key Workers and Vulnerable Child Scheme

Dear Parents,

I am writing to update you on the Key Worker and Vulnerable Child Scheme. On Monday 4th January 2021 I wrote to you to explain that our school would be available for Supervised Learning for children of Key Workers and Vulnerable children on Thursday 7th and Friday 8th January 2021. At that time the Education Minister had directed schools to commence face to face teaching on Monday 11th January 2021. I must stress that the form that parents completed at that time was only for Thursday 7th and Friday 8th January 2021 and will no longer be valid after Friday 8th January 2021.

On Tuesday 5th January 2021 Minister Weir announced that schools would remain closed until at least the mid-term break in February 2021 due to the current public health crisis. He also stated that schools were required to provide remote learning to pupils in their homes and that the scheme for Key Workers and Vulnerable children was to continue.

I have therefore created a new form for Key Worker and Vulnerable child provision which will take effect from Monday 11th January onwards. I must stress that this form should only be contemplated as a last resort during these extreme public health circumstances such as we are currently facing. The Government’s decision to close schools was done to protect school communities from the potential spread of Covid-19 and the message that is being sent out is clearly to stay at home if possible. So I would appeal to parents to only fill in this form if you have exhausted all other avenues of child care and have no other option available to you other than to send your child into school. We are also currently seeking advice on the maximum number of children that we can safely accommodate in school during this time.

If you consider your child to be in any of the vulnerable categories (See attached list) and you require supervised learning for him/her please phone myself, Mrs McConnellogue or Mrs McSheffrey on 02871266073.

I have attached the new Key Worker form for supervised learning which takes effect from Monday 11th January 2021 until further notice. This form needs to be completed and emailed back to me on edevlin492@c2kni.net before 3.00pm on Friday 8th January 2021. Please remember that we all have a moral duty to keep our school community safe and that this form should only be completed as an absolute last resort.

Yours Sincerely

Eamonn Devlin