We know you’ve seen in the news that schools may reopen on 1 June to Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 pupils if the government thinks it’s safe to do so. It’s possible, too, that we’ll see the rest of the classes opening up later in June.

We’re waiting for further guidance and clarification from the government, which will hopefully help us create an action plan for our phased reopening. We’ll share this with you as soon as possible so you know what the school’s reopening will look like in practice.

It’s a very unsettling time for us all, but rest assured that we’re doing everything we can to make sure we’re ready to receive these year groups if it’s safe for our school to reopen in the coming weeks.

However, we’re also not going to be pressuring anyone to send their children to school, since you know your children and personal situation best. We’ll keep you updated with all our preparations for making sure the school is as safe as possible, so you can make an informed decision. We’ll be in touch with parents of children in Reception Class, Year 1 and Year 6 later this week to ask about possible numbers of children returning.

In the meantime, the school is still open only for vulnerable pupils and the children of critical workers. We know some employers will be encouraging you to return to work, but we’re not in a position right now to extend places to other children until we receive further government guidance.

We’d like to thank you for your continuing support in helping your child learn from home. We’ll need to keep going with this for a while yet, so please do continue to do what you can and stay in touch with us about how your child is doing.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Stay safe and we hope to see you soon.

Mr Mason, Mrs Wood and all the staff at Southill Primary School.