Coronavirus Updates

Update 26/03/20

Dear Parents and Carers,

it was with a very heavy heart that we made the decision yesterday to only open the school to children of key workers or for exceptional circumstances.

As you know, we have tried to keep the school open to as many of the pupils as possible, but in light of the latest Government guidance on social isolation, this is no longer possible.

Unfortunately, in order to keep your child and family safe, you should no longer send your child to school unless you are a key worker or you have exceptional circumstances and have spoken to a member of the school staff team who has agreed that your child can attend.

Please contact the school if you have any queries or concerns.

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Update 25/03/20

Dear Parents and Carers,

We hope you are all well and managing to adjust to the more rigid Government guidance on social distancing and self-isolation.

Please see below a link to an open letter to families from Vicky Ford MP.

Pupils still at school have adjusted well to new arrangements for drop off and collection, and staff are supporting them brilliantly as always.

Classes are very calm, pupils seem to be enjoying the activities on offer and are loving the amazing sunshine.

Those of you who are entitled to Free School Meals should be receiving your parcels today. Please let us know of any issues.

For those parents who are keeping children at home, I have asked staff to keep in touch by phone call each week, so do expect a call at some point. This is just to make sure you are OK and we are staying in contact. Due to so many staff being off, the call may not be from a member of the class team.

As ever, please do let the school know if you have any queries or concerns.

Keep well and safe.

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Update 24/03/20

Dear Parents and Carers,

The Government announcement last night has caused additional concerns for us all, but please be reassured that Milestone School will stay open for as long as we can.

As mentioned before, if pupil:staff ratios become unsafe, we may have to restrict school places to children of key workers, but at the moment we are soldiering on. I am incredibly proud of the staff team, who have remained positive and pupil-focused. They are fantastic!

We are implementing a rota system for staff so those who need to care for children or relatives can be released to do so. In this way, I hope we will be able to support the staff and continue to remain open for as long as possible. This will mean that your child may be not be cared for by usual class staff but please be assured that all staff will have to necessary knowledge and skills to support the pupils.

As always, if there are any concerns or queries, please get in touch.

Keep safe and well.

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Update 23/03/20

Dear Parents and Carers,

We are trying to keep you updated during this unprecedented situation.

Today (Monday 23rd March) we have nearly 80 class-based staff off work. Due to reduced pupil numbers we are still able to keep pupil:staff ratios within safe limits. Should this change, we may have to ask some parents to keep their children at home. We hope we won't have to make that call, but it would be unwise of us not to make you aware of the possibility.

Please support our staff and the other pupils by keeping your child off school if they are unwell, or if anyone in the household shows any signs of being unwell, or simply if you are able to do so. This will enable us to stay open for those most in need and for children of other front-line workers.

The following Tweet was posted earlier this morning by Gavin Williamson, Secretary of State for Education: Thank you to the teachers and staff in schools across the country this morning - you are part of our vital front line in the fight against Coronavirus. Help schools to focus on the children who need a place most, and keep your kids at home if you can.

For those of you whose children are entitled to Free School Meals, and who are keeping their children at home, we are currently making arrangements for a weekly "care package" to be delivered to your home. You will already have been contacted by school staff, and we will be in touch again with details about delivery times.

Update 20/03/20

There are NO CONFIRMED CASES of Cornavirus at The Milestone School.

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Update 20/03/20

Dear Parents and Carers,

You will have heard the Prime Minister’s announcement yesterday regarding school closures. The Secretary of State for Education has stated that schools for ‘vulnerable children’ including Special Schools will remain open and I would like to reassure you that The Milestone School will be responding as best we can. This response will need to take into account local situations and be proportionate to our staffing numbers.

As I am sure you realise, a significant number of our staff are having to take measures to self-isolate, either because they are unwell or because they have an underlying medical condition. Currently we are operating with staffing levels up to 50% lower than usual. Please be assured that parents will not be penalised if their child’s attendance is reduced as a result of the current situation.

I would reiterate that social distancing is not possible in schools, so if your child or young person has a medical need that makes them vulnerable and you can care for them at home, I would recommend that you to do so. This will hopefully create the capacity for us to support the children of ‘key workers’ and those who are socially vulnerable and whose needs cannot be met at home.

With effect from Monday 23rd March 2020 we will be providing a programme of activities between the hours of 9.30 and 3.00 suitable for each child/young person’s individual needs. Formal lessons will not be taking place. We will of course also be ensuring that all of our children and young peoples’ individual care needs are met. The reduced hours are to enable our staff to ensure their own children have the necessary provision enabling them to come into work. Transport have been informed of these altered hours. Please ensure that you are at home to receive your child.

The Milestone School will be closed to all children/young people and staff on Friday 3rd April 2020 for the Easter Holidays and will re-open on Monday 20th April 2020 for those children and young people who are attending.

Please help us to help the most vulnerable children and young people within The Milestone School. We ask all parents and carers to please advise your child/young person’s Class Teacher or Head Teacher if your child/young person will be attending, in order that we can plan activities and ensure that we have adequate staffing in place. Should staffing numbers fall below safe levels we could have to partially or fully close provisions at quite short notice. If a decision is taken to close a provision parents and carers will be contacted directly.

We have provided a range of ideas and information on how you can support your child’s learning at home. This is on our website.

We will also be making separate provision for children who are at home, but are entitled to Free School Meals. I will send further information out about this as soon as possible.

We will keep you updated as further guidance is received from Central Government. This will be communicated via the website and via parentmail. Please continue to look at The Milestone School website for updated information: https://themilestoneschool.co.uk/

Please contact the school if you have any questions or concerns. Many thanks for your understanding and on-going support during these difficult and worrying times.

Kind regards,

Diane Taylor

Acting Head Teacher

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Update 20/03/20

Learning @ Home Ideas and Resources

Please check out the new tab at the top of our website (or click the box below):

There are links to General ideas and resources, Class specific ideas and resources and links to useful websites. Please feel free to explore and access any of the class ideas and resources.

We hope you find these useful and they will help support your child with any Home Learning.

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Update 19/03/20

Dear Parents/Carers,

We are very aware that the Government Announcement last night has caused some confusion and concern.

All Special School Head Teachers are meeting with the Local Authority tomorrow morning and we will update you as soon as possible. We are also carrying out on-going risk assessments to ensure we have sufficient staffing levels to keep pupils safe.

I understand that there will be a further Government Announcement on Special Schools at some point today.

In the meantime will we continue to follow DfE guidance regarding containment measures.  Unfortunately 9 pupils were send home yesterday with identified symptoms.

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Update 18/03/20

Update 17/03/20

Dear Parents and Carers,

The Milestone School is doing all we can to ensure the safety of pupils and staff. However, with the current concerns over Coronavirus, we are aware that there are parents and carers who may be additionally worried due to their child's underlying health conditions.

We are following Department of Education guidance and there is currently no suggestion of closing. However, the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) have made the decision that parents with pupils in the groups listed below should make an individual decision about whether or not they feel they want to send their child to school.

• chronic (long-term) respiratory diseases, such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), emphysema or bronchitis
• chronic heart disease, such as heart failure
  
• chronic kidney disease
• chronic liver disease, such as hepatitis
• chronic neurological conditions, such as Parkinson’s disease, motor neurone disease, multiple sclerosis (MS), a learning disability or cerebral palsy
• diabetes
• problems with your spleen – for example, sickle cell disease or if you have had your spleen removed
• a weakened immune system or medicines such as steroid tablets or chemotherapy
• being seriously overweight (a BMI of 40 or above) 

If you take the decision to keep your child at home, please let the school know as soon as possible using 01452 874000, and indicate how long you think your child may be away for.

In accordance with current Government Guidance, we will immediately send home any child who displays a new persistent cough or high temperature. If we call you to collect your child, please do so promptly.

SLT are meeting on a daily basis to review guidance and advice, and we will keep you all informed of any updates.

If you have any concerns, please contact the school.