Dear Parents/Carers,

I am sure that after the Prime Ministers statement tonight, you may well have lots of questions.  We have lots of questions that need clarification too!

At the moment there is no change to the guidance. We will continue to provide care for those parents whose work is critical to the Covid-19 response. The message is still that it is safer to stay at home.

We have not received any information to support us with this new plan to start the phased reopening of some year groups, and we expect that we will receive further information from the Department of Education shortly, hopefully with some clarification of how these plans are expected to be implemented.

We will need clear guidance to plan how it is possible to social distance in schools and keep our children, staff and families safe; how we might start to phase groups of children returning and what this looks like.  Please be assured that there is no way we will reopen until we are 100% prepared.

As always, we will keep you informed, but for now, please try not to worry.  A lot hinges on what happens in the next few weeks.  Our plan for now is to continue to provide learning activities for you to access at home, to be here if you need to contact us, and help support you in these difficult and uncertain times.

The teachers have been working hard behind the scenes, and as well as planning the daily activities, sharing photos and responding to emails have been writing the annual school reports.  Rather than email them out, we felt it more appropriate to post them so that you can have a hard-copy in a binder – so please look out for them in the post.  They were posted yesterday (Monday).

Good Morning Brown Clee!

This morning I have been thinking about all the things that I am missing at the moment – meeting all the children of Brown Clee as they arrive with their smiles and tales at the start of a school day, sharing a coffee and a laugh with the staff at lunchtime, Friday team-chips, teaching Year 1 phonics and helping them with their handwriting, Fun-Day Fridays when I have the pleasure of being in Class 1 all day, assemblies when we are all together as a team, sharing our thoughts and prayers.

All of these things I am missing at the moment, and I know that everyone will have their own lists.  But these strange times, when we are stuck at home, is also helping me to really count my blessings and appreciate so many other things – spending lots of time with my daughter, seeing the garden change every day as new plants and flowers grow, enjoying a daily dog walk , watching the birds as they build nests, and enjoying the beautiful Shropshire scenery. I also count my blessings that we are fit and well, and that my friends and family are too, as so many people in the world right now are suffering from loss.

So yes we are missing lots of things – but I know that those things will be back at some point in time – and in the meantime, let’s count our blessings that we are with our families, that we are fit and healthy, and our thoughts be with those that are ill, or have lost loved ones.

Have a listen to this beautiful song – The UK Blessing – that has been created by 65 churches and movements, representing hundreds of others, have come together online to sing a blessing over our land. These are their words: “Standing together as one, our desire is that this song will fill you with hope and encourage you. But the church is not simply singing a blessing, each day we’re looking to practically be a blessing. Many of the churches included in this song have assisted with supplying over 400,000 meals to the most vulnerable and isolated in our nation since COVID-19 lockdown began. This alongside phone calls to the isolated, pharmacy delivery drops and hot meals to the NHS frontline hospital staff. Our buildings may be closed but the church is very much alive!”

Prayer of the Day

Dear God,

Thank you for everything you provide for us day by day.

Help us to appreciate what we have and to remember to say Thank you.

Amen.