Reaching high for the best for your child

Every member of staff received the following letter today... 

Dear critical worker…

I want to say thank you right from the outset for everything you will be doing in the coming weeks as we work together to find our way in this new world.

You are now a critical worker in an unprecedented national effort. You are going to contribute in many ways, and each are as important as the others. 

• You might be asked to come in and care for some of our most vulnerable children, supporting them and meeting their needs so that their family avoids reaching a crisis point.

• You might be asked to care for the child of another critical worker, maybe someone right on the frontline, a nurse or a doctor, or an ambulance driver, enabling them to go to work without worry and focus on the difficult job they have to do, or to get sleep between shifts.

• You are likely to be asked to do different tasks than you usually do, work unusual hours or days and be willing to offer your help at short notice. 

• You might be asked to work creatively to provide inspiring activities, help and support for all the children who are away from school and their families. 

• You might be asked to stay home and follow stringent self-isolation rules to protect yourself, your family, and indeed our childcare provision. I know this will be hard, and you will face difficult personal decisions and circumstances. Please be assured that the school will support you in this. 

Whatever you are asked to do, I want you to know that it is deeply appreciated. Not just by me, but somewhere there will be a person lying in a hospital bed who you are very directly helping to get better and make a recovery from this awful disease. So I am saying a heartfelt thank you to you now, on behalf of them and their family.

I am also thanking you on behalf of the children. You will be helping to create a small oasis of safety and security in a world which must feel very scary and unknown right now. None of us went through this as a child, so we can’t really imagine what it’s like for them or tell what the impact will be. Your role will be critical in mitigating the trauma this experience may cause. 

We all came into this job because we wanted to make a difference in those children’s lives. Now more than ever, we have a chance to show what that truly means and I am thankful to every single one of you for the positive difference you will make.

We are Fairlands. We can do this!

Robert Staples, Headteacher, Fairlands Primary School