A BLACKBURN school is asking parents to get in touch via email in order to discover 'key worker' parents and vulnerable children.

Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School in West Park Road will close on Friday as part of the government's decision to shut schools for the majority of pupils and staff.

The school is asking parents to get in touch via PartialClosure@QEGSBlackburn.com and for parents to fill out the following details:

• Pupil name:

• Date of birth:

• Any siblings in school:

• If your child/children will be attending school: Yes/No

• Parental Job Role and place of work:

• Reason for attending school during partial closure:

A school spokesman said: "Our priority is always the welfare of our school community and this difficult decision to partially close has been made nationally to minimise the further spread of coronavirus.

"We know there are several questions that parents and carers will have, many of which we do not yet have definitive answers to but as soon as we have this information, we will share it.

"Today, we will be seeking clarity on ‘key workers and vulnerable children’, the implications for staffing and any further guidance we can seek on examinations.

"We will also be contacting every parent and carer today to confirm if your child will need to attend school following the partial closure.

"It is essential that those who can come into school today and tomorrow (19th and 20th March), attend their usual lessons.

"As a reminder, children showing symptoms, or living with anyone showing symptoms, must not come into school and must self-isolate for 14 days."

Regarding home study, the school has a prepared action plan that it has asked all pupils to adhere to.

A school spokesman said: "To reduce the impact on pupil and student education following Friday’s partial closure, we have prepared an action plan that all well pupils and students should adhere to. For pupils in EYFS to Year 2, work will be set via Class Dojo and can be accessed here.

"For Years 3 to 13, work will be set via Google Classroom and Classcharts.

"Work will be updated on a daily basis and staff who are not self-isolating will be working during school hours either from school or remotely.

"Pupils and students in Year 6-13 are expected to check their QEGS school email addresses regularly as these will also be used as a contact point.

"All pupils and students are expected to complete the work set so it is essential parents/carers check that children are accessing the work and submitting their answers for marking and feedback.

"Contact will be made home if children are not completing work.

"This is true even for those that are in Year 6, Year 11 and Year 13.

"Although these year groups are now no longer taking external examinations, we do not yet know how grades are going to be awarded and it is important that they still prepare themselves for their next educational phase or employment or training.

"Finally, we would like to thank parents, carers and staff for their cooperation in ensuring the safety of our pupils and students during this time.

"This is a challenging time for everyone and the safety of our pupils, students and staff is the most important factor.

"We will continue to keep you informed during the closure, and wish you and your family good health."