Letter to Parents regarding Partial Closure – Year 8
Category : Events
19th October 2021
Dear Parent/Guardian
I am writing to update you on the current impact of Covid-19 on Ysgol Clywedog and our plans to address this. You will be aware from the school’s communications since September that we have made every effort to continue to provide an education to all our students whilst maintaining an environment that is as safe as possible. We have also, with the support of the local authority and Public Health Wales staff, followed a policy of thoroughly investigating cases of Covid-19 within the school and keeping the numbers of students required to self-isolate to an absolute (but safe) minimum.
We have attempted to secure the services of supply teachers to address the above shortfall but the growing impact of the spread of the Covid-19 virus means that the demand from all secondary schools in the region for these temporary cover teachers has dramatically increased in recent days. In addition, we have had notification of additional staff who are absent today. This in turn has led to an acute shortage of available staff.
Unfortunately, for Tuesday 19th October, the school needs to take exceptional steps in order to maintain our successful operation as an organisation and to continue to support the safety of all.
As a result, I have reluctantly made the decision to introduce a revised timetable which means that year 8 will need to work from home on Tuesday 19th October. I would like to assure all of our families that this decision has not been taken lightly and that I am hoping our circumstances change for the better and we will return to our normal operation as soon as possible. On Tuesday 19th October, year 8 will be able to access their work through Google Classroom.
Please note that years 7, 9, 10 and 11 will remain in school full-time and will follow their normal timetable. We have prioritised KS4 due to the fact that they are preparing for their GCSE exams.
We fully appreciate the impact that this will have on our young people and yourselves as parents and carers. We apologise for the additional disruption to learning and family life that these measures will inevitably bring but hope it is understood that the school would not be taking these exceptional measures unless it was absolutely essential to do so.
I am very grateful for your continued patience and understanding as well as your commitment to supporting your child’s learning and progress during any enforced absence from school and distance learning.
If you have any questions relating to this matter or require any additional information, please contact the school via our usual email address.
Yours Sincerely,
Mr M Vickery
Headteacher
