Peterborough education chief says parents must send children to school during lockdown

The new lockdown is due to start at midnight tonight - but unlike the first, schools, colleges and universities will remain open.

All schools in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough are successfully operating with a social bubble system – as set out in the Government’s ‘System of Controls’ - and have worked through detailed risk assessments to ensure pupils and staff can work or study in an environment where every aspect of their safety and wellbeing has been fully considered.

To support pupils and school bubbles who are self-isolating at home, schools have worked hard to ensure that those children have a suitable remote learning offer to carry out at home. We, the Local Authority, have supported schools with the development of such plans to ensure the education of our pupils remains uninterrupted.

Government legislation on school attendance will not change during the second national lockdown; pupils must continue to attend school as they normally would, and parents and carers should continue to follow absence from school guidance issued via their children's school. The exception to the rule is for those pupils who are considered to be clinically extremely vulnerable who will be contacted directly by the government in the coming days.

Jonathan Lewis, Service Director for Education for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, said: “The safety of our children, their families and our school staff is, and always will be, our top priority. We have worked hard over the past few months to implement robust safety measures to make our schools a safe place for our pupils and staff, and I firmly believe school remains the best place for children to continue learning during the upcoming lockdown.

"Our school teams are committed to ensuring pupils follow the rules within school, and I urge parents and carers to do the same outside of school to help slow the spread of coronavirus. Please direct any queries to your child’s school in the first instance; they are always happy to support and advise you.”