Brownlow Integrated College will close today, Friday 20th March, however, we will reopen with skeleton staff on Monday 23rd March from 8:55 a.m to 3:15 p.m to provide childcare for pupils in years 8 – 10 of identified Key Workers listed below:
- Health and Social Care: This includes doctors, nurses, midwives, paramedics, social workers, home carers and staff required to maintain our health and social care sector
- Education and childcare: This includes nursery and teaching staff, social workers and those specialist education professionals who will remain active during the Covid-19 response
- Public safety and national security: This includes civilians and officers in the police (including key contractors), Fire and Rescue Service, prison service and other national security roles
- Transport: This will include those keeping air, water, road and rail transport modes operating during the Covid-19 response
- Utilities and Communication: This includes staff needed for oil, gas, electricity and water (including sewage) and primary industry supplies, to continue during the Covid-19 response, as well as key staff in telecommunications, post and delivery, services and waste disposal
- Food and other necessary goods: This includes those involved in food production, processing, distribution and sale, as well as those essential to the provision of other key goods (e.g hygiene, medical etc)
- Other workers essential to delivering key public services
- Key national and local government staff including those administrative occupations essential to the effective delivery of the Covid-19 response
It is important to note this is not a statutory requirement – schools are being asked to help as part of a national response. Please be advised that we will be performing supervision duties, rather than teaching. Your child may be with children from another year group as we have to take into consideration the safety and well-being of all the staff and pupils by social distancing.
The recent medical advice on how to reduce the risk of and limit the spread of Covid-19 is clear. If children can stay safely at home, they should, to limit the chance of the virus spreading. Children MUST be looked after at HOME where this is AT ALL POSSIBLE – our school facility is a SERVICE OF LAST RESORT. This is to protect our children and to ensure that the maximum possible number of Key Workers are able to go to work to provide all of us with the essential services that we need. We wish to express our gratitude to all of the essential key workers and commend you on the fantastic job that you are doing, your commitment and dedication is very much appreciated.
It is vitally important that we are aware how many children of key workers will be attending school on Monday morning as we will have limited capacity due to social distancing regulations and a reduced workforce. If you can make any alternative arrangements, we would ask that you do so, as Brownlow Integrated College can only offer places based on our capacity and staff availability.
Please contact the school by email before 5:00 p.m. on Friday 20th March to request a place for your child/ren.
This has to be by e-mail to info@brownlowcollege.craigavon.ni.sch.uk. This email should contain the following information:
• your name
• your work role
• name of your child
• form class
• hours / days child will be attending school next week
• your contact number for work and home.
Please note that this is only a request, you should not bring your child to school until notified by the school that there is a place available. Only families with an offer of a place should attend the school and they should only do this when directed to by the school.
If your child has been in contact with a confirmed case of coronavirus or has any of the symptoms of coronavirus we cannot offer him / her a place in school. Any child arriving to school with symptoms will have to return home.
Kind regards
Nicola Stevenson
Principal