01-01-2021

Dear Parents and Carers of Stepney Park Primary school,

First of all: a very happy, healthy and prosperous new year. May 2021 be the year when things return back to normal.

We have received some additional advice from Tower Hamlets council late yesterday afternoon (31-12).  They advised us we are able to add one or two additional inset days at the start of term, in addition to the extra inset day already planned on January 4th, for the following reasons:

To allow sufficient time for our team to take full account of the revised guidance for Tower Hamlets and other boroughs covered by the contingency regulations; to have a full and accurate appraisal of our current staffing and leadership capacity in the light of further illness, positive tests or symptomatic self-isolation; to line up the full implementation of our preparations for remote learning; and to engage in the webinar sessions that are being setting up on Monday and Tuesday in relation to Refreshed Risk Assessments in the light of Tier Four and the latest guidance. There is also an important opportunity here for us to convene whole staff briefing sessions in relation to our risk assessment and our shared desire to maximise understanding and compliance with all the appropriate health and safety measures in our school.

The benefits of the decision to close the school was weighed up against the need for children to make up lost learning time.

We have therefore decided to not take three extra inset days, but two days instead.

This means that school will be open for remote learning from Wednesday January 6th.

Vulnerable children and those of eligible key workers will also return on Wednesday January 6th.

I apologise for the change of plan, this was due to the timing of the Tower Hamlets notification.

Kindest regards,

Edith Philipsen

Headteacher- Stepney Park Primary School.