Dear Parents / Carers,
As I am sure you are aware, demand for places within our Critical Worker and vulnerable children Hub provision is growing and I feel it is important to share openly with you our rationale.
After a meeting with Cumbria Education Trust and based on our updated risk assessment and appraisal of safe ratios, we have set our absolute Critical Worker and Vulnerable pupil capacity as 30. This will change if more, or less staff are available, due to Self-Isolation, positive Covid tests etc.
There may be times when the requests for places exceeds the places available and so we have agreed a prioritisation hierarchy.
Our priority order is as follows:
- Children with an Education and Health Care Plan
- Children open to Social Care
- Other vulnerable children
- Children of critical workers whose work is directly life saving or critical to health care (NHS frontline, care homes and domiciliary care).
- Children of other critical workers
Critical Workers
Critical Workers are those who work in:
Health and social care, Education and childcare, Key public services, Local and national government, Food and other necessary goods, Public safety and national security, Transport and border services, Utilities, communication and financial services
Where we reach capacity, we will prioritise within category 4 and 5, children where both parents are critical workers.
I hope you will all support us in the decisions we have to make to support our children, their families, and those working to maintain key services for our country.
I completely understand that this is not an ideal situation, but working together we can ensure that our children, staff and community remain as safe as possible and that pupils continue to receive high quality education. Please contact school if you need further information or reassurance.
Please stay safe.
Yours Sincerely,
Mrs Lauren Hitchen
Acting Headteacher
