Dear Parents and Carers,
I am sorry to have to inform you of the passing of one of our members of support staff, Mrs Sandra French, after a battle with cancer.
Members of the Senior Leadership Team and I have now formally spoken to all students at school. I would encourage you to let your child know that you have received this letter from school and that you are aware that one of our members of staff has died.
Mrs French will be missed and her contribution to the lives of the young people in the community over a long period of time will never be forgotten. She will be greatly missed by staff and students alike. We know that this will affect students in different ways. Our staff will listen and respond to all student concerns and there will be a dedicated team coordinating emotional and practical support for students. We would like you to direct any specific questions to our safeguarding team, either by phone or using their school emails found on our school web site. The safeguarding team are: Mr. N Lindsay, Mrs. R Corcoran, Mrs. T Torka and Mrs. K Anderson.
We have been liaising closely with the family who appreciate the support they have already received from the school and the community, and we will continue to support them in the coming weeks and months. Alice House Hospice were a tremendous support to the family and if anyone would like to contribute in any way, they are inviting donations to this charity. Please donate directly to the hospice via their website should you wish to do so: Alice House Hospice | Serving the communities of Hartlepool & East Durham
Sources of support outside of school:
- YoungMinds 0808 802 5544 (Parents Helpline) 85258 (Crisis Messenger for young people – text the letters YM) youngminds.org.uk
- Childline 0800 1111 childline.org.uk
- Emergency services on 999 if you believe a child is at imminent risk.
At this time of great loss and sadness, our thoughts and prayers are with everyone in our school family.
Yours sincerely,
Mrs. Colette Hogarth
Head of School
