We hope that you and your family are enjoying the holidays, even in these strange circumstances.

January 2021
A lot has changed in the two weeks since our last post, which means that we are writing today with a further update from Extratime.

Sadly, over the last few days we’ve all become aware of the additional risks associated with new Covid-19 variants, we’ve moved into Tier 4 restrictions, and we are expecting more government announcements about possible further restrictions in the coming days.

As you’ll know, there is evidence the new COVID-19 variants present higher risks for children, and some scientists are strongly calling for tighter restrictions to reduce transmission and to help save lives and protect the NHS.

With this in mind we have taken the difficult decision to close Extratime clubs for the first two weeks of January. Although the government hasn’t yet made a decision about school closures, it seems safest for Extratime to close for a short time whilst more is learnt about the additional risks to children.

As you know, ‘Extratime bubbles’ include children, young people and staff who spend their school day in different bubbles, so closing Extratime clubs will also help to reduce the transmission within our communities. 

Extratime @ Home
Some of the Extratime team have kindly agreed to return to work before the end of the holidays to help organise some Extratime @ Home activities for the next two weeks. We know a virtual offer does not replace a real after school club, but I hope that seeing some familiar faces on YouTube and /or joining a Live Extratime & Friends Zoom session will help entertain some of the children whilst they’re at home next week.

As always in these situations, this has been a very difficult decision. I hope our cautious approach to these new circumstances will help reduce the risk of COVID-19 for your child and your family. We also hope that sharing this news with you today gives you some time to consider alternative arrangements for your child next week.

Please do contact us if you would like to discuss this discussion further or if you have any suggestions for Extratime @ Home or any other way we can support your child during this pandemic.