Dear Parent/Carer,
Re: Coronavirus update, Friday 20th March – key workers
Today, Friday 20th March, is our last day for a period of indefinite closure. The recent weeks, but particularly the last few days, have been challenging. Yet they have demonstrated an excellent spirit of teamwork, both in the student and staff team. As I am sure you aware, the UTC will remain open in a limited capacity from Monday 23rd March for the children of “key workers”.
The UK government has now released a list of what they define as “key workers”. The official guidance from the government is that parents should keep their children at home wherever possible to prevent the spread of COVID-19 (Coronavirus). The below list outlines critical sectors. If you work in one of these, and you cannot keep your child at home then they will be prioritised for education provision at UTC Warrington:
Health and social care
Doctors, nurses, midwives, paramedics, social workers, care workers, and other frontline health and social care staff. This also includes those working as part of the health and social care supply chain, including the producers and distributers of medicines and medical and personal protective equipment.
Education and childcare
Nursey and teaching staff, social workers and those specialist education professionals who must remain active during the COVID-19 response.
Key public services
This includes those essential to the running of the justice system, religious staff, charities and workers delivering key frontline services, those responsible for the management of the deceases, and journalists/broadcasters who are providing public service broadcasting.
Local and national government
Administrative staff whose occupations are essential to the delivery of the COVID-19 response. E.g. delivery of benefits.
Food and necessary goods
Food production staff, processing, distribution, sale and delivery. This also includes those essential to the provision of other key goods. E.g. hygienic and veterinary medicines.
Public safety and national security
Police and support staff, Ministry of Defence civilians, contractor and armed forces personnel, fire and rescue service employees, National Crime Agency staff, border security staff, prison and probation staff and other national security roles, including those overseas.
Transport
This includes those who will keep the air, water, road and rail passenger and freight transport modes operating during the response. This also includes those working on transport systems through which supply chains pass.
Utilities, communication and financial services
This includes staff needed for essential financial services provision (including workers in banks, building societies and financial market infrastructure), the oil, gas and electricity sectors, IT and data sector. This also includes staff in the civil nuclear, chemicals, telecommunications, postal services and delivery, payments providers and waste disposal sectors.
If you fall in to one the above categories, please contact UTC Warrington to inform us whether you intend to send your child to school from Monday 23rd March onwards.
Please do this by emailing info@utcw.co.uk with the following information:
- Student name and year group
- What your role/job is
- Whether you intend to send your child into school from Monday onwards
You can also complete the Parent Mail form that was sent home yesterday, Thursday 19th March.
The UTC will also be open to those students with an Education, Health and Care Plan, and those who may be vulnerable and require some support over the coming weeks and months. These parents have already been contacted.
Whilst the UTC is closed, our staff will be continuing to teach and offer learning support remotely. We have already made suitable preparations for the transition to online learning, using Microsoft Teams and Seneca Learning. I will write to you with further details of what students should be doing during the period of closure and how they can access these platforms. There is still no update on the GCSE and A Level qualifications, however, as soon as information is released I will communicate to you.
The latest health guidance remains as it did before. Public Health England advises that anyone, including any person living in the household, displaying flu-like symptoms – defined as a fever above 37.8C or a “new continuous cough” – is now advised to self-isolate for 14 days.
Once again, I would like to thank you for your support during this busy and difficult time.
Thank you
Amanda Downing
Associate Principal