Peterborough school won’t open today because of staff shortages

Lime Academy Orton - part of the Lime Academies Trust - will remain closed and head teacher Charlotte Whysall said in a statement on the school’s website: “Due to the number of staff unable to attend school on Monday 4th January, we have taken the very difficult decision to close school to pupils.

“We are unable to guarantee the safety of pupils with the expected number of staff absences.

“We will be reviewing staffing levels and our Covid planning on Monday (January 4) and I will write to families again tomorrow to update you all on the plans for the rest of the week.

“We apologise for the short notice, but we have been working to try to open the school. Unfortunately it is not possible to do this safely.”

Lime Academy has two campuses Lime Academy Orton Clayton Campus in Orton Goldhay and Lime Academy Orton Malborne Campus.

Yesterday, (January 3), Peterborough City Council has issued advice to parents as schools across the city assess the impact of teaching unions advice on staff numbers.

That came in the wake of a leading teaching union with members across Peterborough schools advising primary school staff not to return to classrooms due to unsafe conditions amid the pandemic.