Dear Parents and Carers

As you will no doubt have seen in the media in the last few days and heard from the Health Secretary’s briefing on Monday afternoon, there are severe concerns about reducing the rate of community contacts in order to reduce the spread of the Coronavirus.

The current rate of cases in Chichester is 506 cases per 100 000 and is on an upward pattern, as it stands. It is vital that we ensure that we are doing everything we can to support the community effort to reduce the number of cases. As headteacher, I have a responsibility to the entire Kingsham community of children, parents, carers and staff.

Professor Chris Whitty, chief medical officer, said yesterday: “Every single unnecessary contact any of us has is a potential link in a chain of transmission that will lead eventually to a vulnerable person,"

The government has produced guidance entitled: ‘Restricting attendance during the national lockdown: schools’. Within this it states: ‘Parents and carers who are critical workers should keep their children at home if they can.’

It is important to state that as a school we are open to those children who are entitled to have a place, but if there is anything we can do to reduce the number of children in school and therefore reduce the ‘unnecessary interactions’ then it is important that we are doing that.

Consequently, if you are a critical worker, please consider the following:

• Could an adult within the household bubble remain at home with our child(ren) rather than sending them into school?
• Are there some days or weeks when our child(ren) could remain at home rather than coming into school?

The remote education that is available to all children is also covered in school with the available adults, so if a child is learning at home they will be covering the same material as they would in school.

Thank you for supporting us to do everything we can to keep our community safe.

Mr Lee Dallinger

Head teacher