The announcements made by the First Minister have taken everyone by surprise, leaving little time for planning by councils and schools. These announcements may also affect what you had planned but I hope you will all still be able to enjoy a happy Christmas with your families.
Edinburgh Council will confirm arrangements for return in January but information may come after schools close. The holiday will be extended for almost all children until Monday, 11th January 2021. Teachers will offer learning online using Teams from that date. As an alternative, where children cannot access work online we will offer a paper format to be collected from school.
A limited number of spaces will be provided for childcare in a school ‘hub’ from the 6th of January. The council will invite you to apply for a space if you meet the specific criteria defined by essential ‘key worker’. The spaces available may not be confirmed until the 5th of January. This is very late but is a consequence of the unexpected announcement. Like most of you, school staff are expected to work from home in tier 4 and there will only be a limited number of them travelling to work in school buildings.
Thank you to our staff who have worked extremely hard these last months to keep children safe and provide them with as normal a routine as possible. Thank you to the many parents who have supported us and patiently followed the restrictions that have been required. Finally, thank you to our children, who have adapted so well to new routines and resiliently faced the challenges this pandemic has thrown at them. We are proud of how Ferryhill responded and what we achieved.
I hope everyone can relax and enjoy a happy holiday period.
Yours sincerely
Stewart D Crabb
Head Teacher
Ferryhill Primary School 