King’s School, Ottery, reassures parents and pupils following coronavirus closure announcement
The King's School head teacher Robert Gammon. Picture: Philippa Davies - Credit: Philippa Davies
The King’s School in Ottery St Mary has confirmed that it will be closed to all pupils except ‘children of key workers and the most vulnerable’ from Monday, March 23.
It follows the announcement by the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, that schools across the UK needed to close to the majority of pupils.
He said they should make provision for the children of the people most needed during the coronavirus crisis: NHS workers, police officers, the military and delivery drivers.
The King’s School remains open to pupils in years 7 to 11, and Year 13, on Thursday, March 19 and Friday, March 20, but there are no lessons for those in Year 12.
In a statement the school’s headteacher Rob Gammon said: “The impact of this decision is that we will not have the opportunity to speak to Year 12 students before the school closes at the end of Friday.
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“If you have a child in Year 12 please reassure them that we will continue to maintain contact with the Year 12 students and will provide them with the care and education that they deserve at such a distressing and uncertain time.
“Please be reassured that we regret the disruption that a partial closure will undoubtedly cause but we have exhausted all other options.
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“I know that this will be a difficult period for the whole school community and that students, parents and staff may find the news of school closure distressing.
“We are all committed to ensuring that your child continues to be cared for and provided with the best possible education from the school.
“We therefore intend to put measures in place to make sure this is possible.
“The education of your child at The King’s School has always been the responsibility of three key stakeholders: school, the child and home.
“This continues to be the case, despite your child not physically attending the school site from Monday onwards.
“We will continue to keep you updated via Edulink as more detailed planning is done over the next two days.
“Thank you for your patience and support.”
