Key Principles for Children and Families during school closures
The Government has published guidance on the ‘Closure of educational settings: information for parents and carers’. The guidance contains a wealth of information including care provision for children of critical workers and what will happen to exams.
Please follow the link here to read the guidance.
Extract from ‘Guidance for schools, colleges and local authorities on maintaining educational provision’
Schools are being asked to continue to provide care for a limited number of children – children who are vulnerable and children
whose parents are critical to the Covid-19 response and cannot be safely cared for at home.
Many parents working in these sectors may be able to ensure their child is kept at home. And every child who can be safely cared
for at home should be.
Please, therefore, follow these key principles:
1. If it is at all possible for children to be at home, then they should be.
2. If a child needs specialist support, is vulnerable or has a parent who is a critical worker, then educational provision will
be available for them.
3. Parents should not rely for childcare upon those who are advised to be in the stringent social distancing category such
as grandparents, friends, or family members with underlying conditions.
4. Parents should also do everything they can to ensure children are not mixing socially in a way which can continue to
spread the virus. They should observe the same social distancing principles as adults.
5. Residential special schools, boarding schools and special settings continue to care for children wherever possible.
Further information regarding school closures can be found in the guidance document Closure of educational settings: information
for parents and carers