Good afternoon,
I am aware that there is a lot of speculation and anxiety around the school community as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. I want to share this communication to ensure that all parents have a clear, up-to-date view of the situation from a school perspective.
As things stand, there is no imminent news of school closure either locally or nationally. This situation is constantly under review at national, local and school level and, should that situation change, it will be communicated to parents through the school’s app, website and twitter feed. Please ensure that you rely on these school communication channels and East Ayrshire Council’s official accounts for updates and the latest advice. This will minimise the kind of speculation that only serves to cause distress and anxiety for pupils, parents and the wider school community.
As a school, we will continue to develop contingency and resilience measures to be as prepared as possible for the deepening of the COVID-19 outbreak both from a health and safety and an educational point of view. We will communicate with you at appropriate junctures about how you can support us with this and will ensure that pupils and parents are kept fully informed.
Our immediate priority is to ensure that we act responsibly to contribute to nationwide efforts to delay the spread of the virus. With this is mind, all pupils and staff are expected to follow the most recent national guidance and self-isolate for seven days if they present any symptoms of COVID-19. Please refer to the national guidance if you are unsure. If your child is self-isolating, it is crucial that you contact the school office to report the absence in the normal manner and inform them that your child is self-isolating for seven days. We are recording these figures for reporting purposes at council and national level. If teachers see pupils exhibiting the symptoms, we will ask the child to report to the school office and we will contact home to gather more information and agree an appropriate course of action with parents.
The SQA has issued a statement on their contingency plans, and we will work to supporting our senior phase pupils through any actions taken. I would like to reassure you that we will do everything in our power to prevent pupils being disadvantaged by the current situation and that, where possible, you continue to encourage them to focus on their learning and revision as we head towards a very important stage of their education. Again, plans around supporting pupils will be communicated in due course depending on what the situation requires.
Finally for now, I would like to thank you for your support. I have had several messages and offers of help and support today and parents have shown great understanding at what is undoubtedly an unsettling time. We will absolutely draw on the strength of our school community and come out of this period all the stronger for it.
Kind regards
Ryan Miller
Head Teacher
Stewarton Academy
