3rd January 2021

Dear Parents/Carers,

Happy New Year! I do hope you had the opportunity to enjoy the festivities even though, for many of us it was a very different experience from previous years. I would normally have taken the opportunity to introduce myself as the new Headteacher, but events in the media have overtaken that plan.

Over the past 24 hours there has been a lot of communication across the media from different unions regarding whether primary school children should return to school on Monday January 4th 2021. Several of the unions supporting staff working in schools have advised staff to consider their rights under the Health and Safety at Work Act. To put this simply, it means that if anyone working in school feels it is unsafe to go to work they should share their concerns with their employer, who then has the opportunity to address them. The Senior Leadership Team are contacting all staff to plan for the return of the children.

The Prime Minister has stated this morning that schools are safe environments for both children and staff. To date we have not received any communication from Wirral Public Health colleagues to indicate that it is unsafe for children to come to school. Therefore we look forward to welcoming pupils returning tomorrow.

If the school finds itself in a position where individual staff make the decision not to return to school and offer pupils remote learning a member of the team will be in touch with you later on today. I appreciate that this situation is not ideal. Please be assured that we are making every effort for children to attend school safely.

Best wishes
Sue Talbot