After the Prime Minister’s announcement this evening in relation to new, firmer measures about staying at home, I have taken the difficult decision to cut my staff team even further on site from now on.

The pressures placed on schools to stay open for the children of key workers is in direct conflict with the new advice this evening and leaves me between a rock and a hard place when making decisions as to how to operate in real time.

As a result, unless absolutely vital and unavoidable, we will not be able to take pupils from now on. We will remain open but on the most minimal staffing model I can allow for health and safety reasons and for only the most essential key worker roles. If you are unsure how this affects you, please email the office ASAP: adminoffice@claypoleprimary.org

I am sorry that I have had to take this decision, but I have a duty of care to my staff team, as well as my young people.

There will be minimal class activities tomorrow and a skeleton team. If the team are slower dealing with your enquiry this will be the reason.

As the spread of the virus accelerates and we face even more acute pressures as a society, I implore you to stay at home and support one another in doing so.

We will have many difficulties to face together in the coming days and weeks. The landscape will, no doubt, change many times and rapidly. Consequently, I hope you will appreciate my reasoning on this matter.

I wish you all the very best as we enter a new phase of this pandemic. Best wishes - stay safe.