JOINT STATEMENT FROM CEOs OF DIOCESE MATs
Joint statement from Oliver Burwood, chief executive officer of the Diocese of Norwich Education and Academies Trust (DNEAT) and Richard Cranmer, chief executive officer of the Diocese of Norwich St Benet’s Multi Academy Trust:
“The position of the government is that primary schools in our region should open on Monday 4th January. Whilst we are aiming to do this, it may not be fully possible in all cases across the two Trusts.
“In order to open, headteachers need to have the correct number of staff in school to teach classes. Several of our headteachers are indicating that staff availability will be reduced, and therefore teaching will need to be done remotely for some children.
“We recognise that this will present significant challenges for families, but we have to be assured that the children coming into school will always be looked after safely.
“Where schools are not able to open fully, they will still be open for children of key workers and vulnerable children, unless there are exceptional circumstances which means that even this is not possible.
“Our academies will be providing online or remote learning to children who are not able to attend school, to the best of their ability.
“Headteachers are working hard to navigate the best route through this extremely challenging situation, and we are supporting them to ensure that they can provide as safe and effective a learning environment for as many children as possible.
“This is a fast-moving situation, and one that is likely to change through the coming days and weeks. Our priorities will always be the safety of children and staff, and to provide as full a learning experience as possible within those safety parameters.”