Life @ EA

Wednesday 20 March

Members of the Edinburgh Academy Community,

Many thanks indeed for your kind words of support and encouragement for our staff across Nursery, Junior and Senior Schools as we all try to come to terms with the impacts of Covid-19. It is going to have a significant impact on all of us in the coming weeks and months. I know many of you will be facing an equal or even greater amount of pressure in your own businesses, workplaces and in juggling family and professional commitments. These are strange times indeed and I pray that the time comes soon when I can once again write about happy events at the school and the amazing talents of your sons and daughters. I have to say, I have been so impressed by all our staff in their willingness to go the extra mile and try and offer every last minute of support to our students, especially those who only yesterday found out that the SQA exams would also not be running this summer, alongside the GCSEs and A Levels. The decision to close the school has not been an easy one, as our teachers love teaching your children; in this instance, however, it is the safest thing to do and we have to follow the Government's advice about social distancing, self-isolation and protecting everyone from Covid-19.

We will be following Government guidelines and shutting this afternoon to join the nationwide fight against the spread of Covid-19. On Monday next week, we will begin a programme of online learning for our students and face-to-face teaching (in the old sense) will stop. Whilst video-conferencing and the use of technology will now take over, we very much hope to provide a programme of lessons and virtual education that will allow all our students to engage in a meaningful and rewarding educational experience. I hope by now you have managed to access the information that my previous messages directed you all to.

Details on this online process can be found at:
Senior School Information:  Senior School Help and Guidance
Junior School Information: Junior School Help and Guidance

Following the Deputy First Minister’s announcements yesterday we can now provide further detail about what closure will actually look like. In his statement he made specific reference to the ongoing role schools can play in providing support for three key groups in Scotland:

Firstly, we need to continue to support vulnerable children: we will continue to provide whatever support we can for our vulnerable young people, who often rely on school life for hot meals or for a safe, nurturing and supportive environment.

Secondly, we will do all we can to ensure educational continuity for our children and young people, with an immediate particular focus on S4–S6 pupils who need to complete coursework for their national qualifications. While we will now move to a programme of online lessons for all our students, we also have the opportunity to provide short periods of time to this exam cohort to complete vital assignments, coursework items and pieces of work that will be of particular importance now that the exams have been cancelled. A timetable for these academic sessions will be distributed shortly – these sessions will be for 5ths–7ths only and are only for a small number of students who will need this extra time.

Thirdly, we are clear that we should put in place arrangements that ensure the children of Key Workers, who do not have another parent or carer at home who can look after them during the day,  to continue their education in a supervised environment that allows their parents or carers to participate in the national response to Covid-19. The Deputy First Minister has made clear that Key Workers are those who are involved in Healthcare, those providing emergency/critical welfare services, those supporting our Critical National Infrastructure and those who perform essential tasks to keep the country running. Full details of who would be able to access this provision is here: Key Worker Provision. The School will stay open for the children of these key workers for at least the next two weeks, while plans are made about what level of service is sustainable beyond that point.

Should you feel that you are a ‘Key worker’ and do not have another parent or carer at home who can look after your sons/daughters during the day are wishing to use this service, please contact the School as soon as possible, and certainly by 5pm tonight (Friday) on:

rectorsoffice@edinburghacademy.org.uk for the Senior School and enquiriesjs@edinburghacademy.org.uk for the Nursery and Junior School.

This will allow us to put appropriate staffing in place to provide a level of childcare and educational supervision for the children of these key workers.

I understand that there are ongoing concerns in regard to school fees at this time. The School is very conscious of the significant financial pressure that families will be under at this difficult time and we are currently reviewing our position on fees and lunch charges. Further details will come out next week about school fees for the remainder of the academic year. Please bear with us on this issue and further information will be forthcoming.

We very much hope to work in partnership with our families as we shift from traditional face-to-face education to a period of online ‘remote learning’ and step into uncharted waters. Should you have any concerns following the closure of the School at the end of Friday, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us using the communication pathways discussed here:

Senior School : Senior School Contacts
Junior School/Nursery: Junior School Contacts

Many thanks indeed for your continued support of the Edinburgh Academy. These are difficult times indeed, and they are now being likened to a war-time effort to keep everyone safe. We have to remain positive, stay strong for one another and look ahead to a happier time once we have beaten Covid-19. I am already very much looking forward to welcoming everyone back to Henderson Row and Arboretum Road.

Stay safe.
Floreat Academia

Kind regards

Barry Welsh
Rector