Parents urged to support local schools during lockdown

This article is taken from the North East Lincolnshire Council news page.

Parents and carers in North East Lincolnshire are being asked to support local schools during the pandemic by keeping their children at home where possible.

A letter, sent to all school headteachers, parents and carers calling for parents and carers who are critical workers to keep their children at home if at all possible, follows reports of schools across the UK struggling to manage the number of pupils still attending sites despite the national lockdown.

In the letter, Deputy chief executive and director for children’s services at North East Lincolnshire Council, Joanne Hewson, said: “We acknowledge that this is a very challenging time for all and we are writing to ask for your support in line with the current guidance.

“We know that many of you are in families where both parents are involved in frontline work that takes you out of the home and where your work is essential in the fight against Covid-19.

“Where this is not the case, it would greatly help our schools and our local effort if those children stayed at home and accessed the school’s remote learning offer.

Ms Hewson added that in line with Government guidance, “Parents and carers who are critical workers should keep their children at home if they can.

“If you do have any queries, I would encourage you to speak to your child’s school in the first instance to address your concern and to work together to find a solution.”

The Council’s portfolio holder for children, education and young people, Councillor Ian Lindley, said: “This is a very challenging time for local families and we appreciate that having children at home during the day whilst parents are working isn’t ideal.

“However, where it is possible to keep your children home for their learning, I would urge parents to do so.

“Schools nationally are under immense pressure because of coronavirus and some staff having to shield. They also have to have in place things like social distancing on sites to reduce the spread of the virus.

“All of this means that some of our schools cannot manage the usual numbers of students – they simply don’t have the space in some cases.

“This is something that is being seen across the country and we’re working with the schools to ensure that children have access to education, but we’re also asking parents to only send their children in to school if absolutely necessary.”

About 20,000 students in our area are currently learning from home, with a further 4,000 continuing to attend school for education.