Dear Parents and Carers,
Following the announcement of the Queen’s death yesterday evening, I am writing to tell you how the event has been marked in school today.
Our approach is age-appropriate. Children in the Nursery and Reception classes have had a normal Friday at school. They are settling in, learning school routines and focusing on getting to know the staff and playing with their friends.
Children from Years 1-6 have attended an assembly about the Queen’s very long life, her jobs and responsibilities as Queen and how much life in Britain has changed since 1952. We talked about how she has been Queen for so long, none of the adults at school know anything different, and that what will happen in the coming days – the period of national mourning and her funeral at Westminster Abbey – is new to us all. We talked about how being Queen is a job done until death, when the role of monarch passes to the next person in line, who is her eldest son Charles, who is now known as King Charles III.
Because of Southwark’s proximity to where queues of people waiting to pay their respects are planned to form, we have been warned by the Local Authority to expect the borough to be much busier than usual over the coming days, and to plan for longer journey times. We have been told that schools are not expected to close apart from on one additional public holiday to mark the funeral, if this is granted, so children are expected to attend school as usual, and to arrive and be collected on time.
The date of the funeral and any other arrangements have not yet been finalised by those tasked with organising them. When we know what they are, we will let you know as soon as possible. The children have now been back at school for 5 days, and are doing very well. Whilst the news is understandably saturated with coverage about the Queen, we will continue to focus on ensuring the children in school are happy, safe and learning, and have an enjoyable and successful year.