We have now received further guidance from the government. The guidance states that special schools should work towards welcoming back more pupils. This should be done to a level that can be "...safely catered for in their setting".

Firstly, I would like to say that, as a school team, we are very keen to return to normal as soon as possible - but, it is imperative that we do this only when it is safe without increasing the risk to pupils, their families and staff.

We are currently working hard to try and determine a way in which we can get some more of our pupils back after the half-term. However, it is highly likely that we will be looking at very limited numbers who can return. 

The number of places we can offer will be based entirely on being able to cater safely for the pupils and ensuring that we have enough staff to safely support the pupils in our care. Just to reassure you again, I will only increase numbers in school if I believe it is safe to do so.

We also now have the added difficulty that our Primary building is out of use for at least 6-8 weeks due to the internal ceilings not being safe after a ceiling collapse earlier this week. Thankfully no-one was in the room at the time. This effectively takes out a significant portion of our school and makes social distancing even more challenging.

I understand that there are many parents who are anxious about the current situation and will not want to send their child back to school yet, and it is important to state that no parents will be penalised for making this choice.

I also want to ensure that my staff are well supported during this time. As such, we will be closed completely over half-term. This means that there will not be any emails from teachers or communications after Friday 22nd May for the half-term week. 

These are very difficult times and I want to be as supportive as I can to everyone and will let you know our plan as soon as we have one.

For now, thank you for your continued support in this challenging time and take care,