COVID-19 Update 18 March 2020

COVID-19

Dear Parents/Guardians,

As things stand at the moment the Education Minister continues to insist that schools remain open. At the same time staff are being asked to prepare work to allow education to continue in the event of school closures. In order to prepare work for an anticipated closure we will be having a School Development Day tomorrow to allow staff to prepare work that can be shared with pupils electronically. I understand that this will inconvenience some families in terms of child care.

School will be open on Friday morning for pupils in Years 12 and 14 only from 9.00 a.m. to 12.00p.m. Teachers will be available in their classrooms to allow pupils to call in and get any advice they need regarding course content and study. Pupils in these year groups should come to school, speak briefly to the appropriate teachers and return home.

The latest advice from CCEA regarding GCSE and A Level exams is that we should continue to prepare as normal.

I am not yet in a position to offer guidance regarding the week beginning 23 March. The statement from the Education Minister this morning would suggest that schools will continue to operate. My understanding also is that advice has been given to vulnerable groups of people to self-isolate from Saturday for a number of weeks. I am certain this advice will impact on a number of teaching staff but I do not yet have a full picture of what staff absence is likely to be at the start of next week. For this reason, I may only be able to confirm on Sunday how school will operate next week. Please keep an eye on social media and the school website for further updates. In the meantime, please ensure that you have access to the Show My Homework App which will be the main platform we use to provide work for pupils in the event of a school closure.

With best wishes.

Yours sincerely,

Dr S. Reid

(Principal)