Dear parents/guardians,
The UK Government has announced that all state schools within the UK will be closed until further notice from Monday 23rd March to every pupil, except to those children of key workers, and vulnerable groups of children.
At Europa School UK, most children will be at home and the school will become a virtual learning hub with all students following a distance learning programme until further notice. Children will be expected to engage fully with this process and their final, end of year assessment/mark will incorporate grades they obtain during this period of distance learning. My mission is to ensure continuity of educational provision for all our students despite the various obstacles now confronting us as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic and we will follow up academic concerns and any poor participation in the programme.
Further announcements will follow shortly with more detailed information and I request that you to discuss these updates carefully with your children. I am in communication with the Office of Secretary General of the European Schools to discuss arrangements for the BAC 2020 and all other year groups. The necessary decisions will be taken by the Board of Governors at its meeting at the beginning of April. The OSG will prepare a general communication in the coming days. I urge all students not to speculate on the outcome or panic, but to continue seriously with their studies.
Schools have been directed to support the children of parents and guardians that are designated as key workers so that they can continue to undertake functions with a broader community impact. We will be sending a google form later today for key workers to complete if they require their child/ren to attend school. According to demand, the school will then be able to plan provision for these children and ascertain any services from external agencies such as catering and bus transport.
A separate and confidential email will also be sent to the Parents/Guardians of children deemed by the Government to be vulnerable to inform them of in-school provision.
There will be an exceptional training day for staff on Monday 23 March to help them prepare further for the implementation of the distance learning programme. Students will start the new distance learning programme on Tuesday 24 March, and we will be contacting the parents/guardians of our key workers and vulnerable children about school attendance and provision on Friday 20 March. These exceptional measures are unprecedented and present an enormous life changing situation in the short term to fight the virus outbreak. It is important for all the school community to support one another during this time, not in the usual way of the Europa community by organising face to face events, but via the power of social media which will be instrumental in maintaining essential social interaction.
I hope this community bond will strengthen and that over the next few months we will support each other in ways we have never before anticipated to combat issues that isolation at home will present.
I hope that you all remain in good health and good spirits.
Regards
Lynn Wood
Principal