Government statement

School will be closed from Friday 20th March, and will remain closed until further notice except for children of key workers and vulnerable children, as part of the country’s ongoing response to coronavirus.

Examples of these workers include NHS staff, police and supermarket delivery drivers who need to be able to go to work to support the country’s fight to tackle coronavirus. Vulnerable children include those who have a social worker and those with Education, Health and Care Plans – a legal document that describes a child’s special educational needs and the support they require.

Children who do not fall into these groups should remain at home with appropriate care. The school will remain contactable from 8am-3:30pm Monday to Friday.

Government Guidance -

Closure of educational settings: information for parents and carers

A letter has been sent home today to all parents and can be found here.

Yesterday (18/3/20) the government ordered schools in the UK to close on Friday afternoon until further notice.

I realise this is distressing news for the entire school community and will leave many anxious, but I want to reassure everyone that we have spent a great deal of time preparing for this announcement. I feel very confident we have everything in place to ensure that we continue to support you and your children in the coming weeks and months.

Over today and tomorrow we will plan for how we can offer a service to look after the children of key workers, such as NHS staff, police and delivery drivers and other children that the government wants us to keep in school.

Downderry will be kept open with a skeleton staff to provide support for these children including a restricted menu thanks to Chartwells, our catering contractor. At this point we cannot give you any more details, but we will let you know what our plans are as soon as possible in the hope that we can support as many of our families as possible.

Key Worker details required

If you are an NHS, emergency services, delivery driver or utility staff worker, please notify the school office as soon as possible or via admin@downderry.lewisham.sch.uk This list is subject to change subject to government advice.

Thank you for your support

I am sure that you will join me in thanking all our fantastic staff for working so hard at this difficult time. Some cannot be in school at the moment but are working hard at home. I want to thank you all for working with us and your continued support for the school at this time. Updates will be sent via the school website.

In collaboration with Public Health England and the NHS, we are receiving regular updates with regard to COVID-19. At present the advice remains clear: no school should close in response to a suspected COVID-19 case, unless directed to do so by Public Health England.

We have now entered the ‘delay’ stage in response to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. As we work together to tackle the outbreak people with either a fever or continuous cough should self-isolate for 7 days.

In the event of school closure this will be announced on the school website.

We will be postponing the Spring Concert that was due to be held on Thursday 19th March until after Easter in the hope that it can be enjoyed by all. We thank you for your understanding and continued support.

This week, we have been taking part in Sport Relief to get active and raise money for the charity. Children have been taking part in sporting challenges throughout the week and on Friday were invited to come to school dressed in “something sporty” and make a donation. Well done to everyone who took part!

Thank you to the Breck Foundation who visited Downderry on Tuesday for Safer Internet Day. They did a great job informing our children of how to keep themselves safe online. We would also like to thank the parents who attended the Breck Foundation workshop. We’ve had some great feedback which we will pass on to the foundation.

Thank you again for arranging such a session. Real eye opener busting so many myths. Presentation based on real life example sends a really clear message.

-Parent

You will be able to find more information about Internet Safety in the e-Safety section of the school website. Here you will find some helpful links for parents shared by the foundation.