Dear Parents and Carers

As some of you may have been aware Becca Jones, who left her role as Deputy Head of the school at the end of last year, had been unwell in recent weeks. We are extremely sad to share that Becca passed away today. Our love and thoughts are with Becca's family at this extremely sad time.

Becca was a huge part of the school community and a close friend to many of our staff and therefore this devastating news has had a significant impact on them and understandably a number of staff do not feel able to attend school tomorrow, having been made aware of this news this evening.

In light of this, Mrs Dennis and I have had to consider what this means in terms of our ability to run the school tomorrow and ensure there is a safe and legal provision for children. Based on our understanding of the staffing levels that will be available tomorrow, we have had to take the extremely difficult decision to close the school.

We apologise for the very short notice and are conscious of the impact this will have on families. In coming to this decision we have considered the needs of the children as a priority, including any vulnerable children for whom a closure may have a significant impact and we will liaise with those families directly to discuss what provision can be made for those children.

The closure will be posted on the central school closures website and Mrs Dennis will be in contact during course of the day tomorrow to confirm the remote learning provision available to children.

The school office will be open in the morning, but we ask that communication be limited to emergencies only. We will be in touch again through the course of tomorrow to confirm arrangements for Thursday, but expect the school to be open as usual.

We are extremely grateful to the school community for their understanding at this very difficult time. We of course leave it to your discretion as parents and carers as to if and how you share this news with your children. We will also be considering how Becca's passing is discussed in school in due course, to ensure that children are supported in understanding the news.

Kind regards,

Edward Arnold

Chair of Govenors