My husband and I are both healthcare workers, I am a nurse in intensive care and my husband is matron for deteriorating patients.

It has been a tough year for us both and this is the reason why I wanted to publicly thank the school, as it was one thing we just did not have to worry about.

We have both worked throughout the pandemic and have utilised the school being open for key worker and vulnerable children.

Since day one of the first lockdown, they have gone above and beyond their call of duty, not only did they care for the children in the school, including my daughter who is in Year 1, they also took on children from the local pre-school, including my four-year-old son. They fed both my children completely free of charge as well.

At the beginning of the current lockdown, I had a phone call from the deputy head teacher, Mrs Nunn, asking if there was anything more, they could do to help us. (I had just finished a set of night shifts and I think she took pity on my eye bags!)

Usually, we have childcare through their grandparents, but this obviously stopped during lockdown.

To be honest, I really was not sure how we were going to work around this as I work 14-hour shifts and during the current situation, I did not have the option to do shorter shifts.

Mrs Nunn so kindly offered to have a member of their school staff to collect my son from the local preschool and bring him back to the school to attend their after-school provisions with my daughter so they could be cared for there until my husband was able to collect them both when he finished work.

This, of course, had to be appropriately risk assessed as it involved bringing in a child from another childcare setting, into the school.

I later had a phone call from Mrs Nunn saying that they had spoken to the relevant people and confirmed that they would be able to collect my son from preschool on my working days.

This was such a huge relief and a weight off our minds and something that we will be forever grateful for.

The kindest gesture at the most difficult time. We really cannot thank them enough for everything they have done, in particular Mrs Nunn, headteacher Mr Waltham and Mrs Chip who collects my son from the preschool and runs the after-school provisions.

Katie Edwards

Via email