As directed by the Government, the school is currently closed for the vast majority of students. For these pupils, education continues from home.

From the 15 June, the Government has asked secondary schools to begin offering some face-to-face support to Year 10 and Year 12 students to supplement their remote education, which should remain their predominant mode of education during this term. This approach aims to limit numbers within schools while ensuring that the students who can benefit from attending most are able to do so.

In response, from the week beginning the 15th of June we will provide in-school sessions for a limited number of students from these two year groups (Year 10 and Year 12).

If you would like your child to be part of these sessions it is essential that you let us know as soon as possible by emailing the Name and Year Group of your child to office@eastbrookschool.org. Please title the email ‘Request to take part in in-school sessions’. Note that places will be allocated on a ‘first come, first served’ basis. You can also ring the school office on 020 3780 3609 to express your interest.

On one day each week we will also be providing an ‘Internet Café’ facility for students to study on site at individual work stations with school laptops. The idea is that students will have a quiet space where they can concentrate fully and access the internet to support their on line learning. Please notify us as above, but with the email title ‘Internet Café’ if your child would like to use this facility.

We want to reassure all parents of Year 10 and year 12 students that staff and student safety is our number one priority and that social distancing and sensible hygiene routines will apply throughout. Once student names and numbers are finalised the school will be in contact with more details around procedures and times of the day.

The school also remains open for two specific groups of pupils: those whose parents are defined as key workers and those who are particularly vulnerable including those with EHC plans.

A key worker is defined by the government as someone who works in:

• Health and Social Care: This includes doctors, nurses, midwives, paramedics, social workers and care workers. It also means other frontline staff such as support staff, producers and distributers of medicines and medical equipment.
• Education and Childcare: Includes nursery and teaching staff, social workers and special education professionals.
• Key Public Services: includes courts staff, religious staff, undertakers and people in charities delivering key frontline services. Journalists and broadcasters providing public service reporting.
• Local and National Government: Government staff who are essential to the response to COVID-19 or delivering essential public services such as the payment of benefits.
• Food and Other Necessary Goods: Those involved in food production, processing, distribution, sale and delivery as well as those essential to the provision of other key goods (such as hygiene and veterinary medicines).
• Public Safety and National Security: Includes police and support staff, Ministry of Defence staff and the armed forces. Firefighters, National Crime Agency staff and border security, prison and probation workers are also included.
• Transport: Those who keep air, water, road and rail services operating.
• Utilities, Communication and Financial Services: Staff needed for essential financial services, IT and data which are needed to continue during the coronavirus response. Infrastructure workers who maintain oil, gas, electricity and water supplies are also included. This also features key staff in the civil nuclear, chemicals, telecommunications, postal services and delivery, payments providers and waste disposal sectors.

Parents are advised to check with their employer if they are included.

A number of parents have informed us that they fall into this category. Their children are attending school. We ask any other parents who fall into the category of key workers to contact the school as soon as possible via email at office@eastbrookschool.org, or on our office number: 020 3780 3609 so that we can arrange for your child to continue to attend school.

We have also identified those pupils who are in the second category, those that are vulnerable including those with EHC plans, and have contacted their parents and carers. If you believe your child falls into this latter category and you have not heard from us, please contact us as above.

Thank you for your continued support and for working with us in the weeks ahead.