Dear Parents, Students and Teachers,
I am writing to provide an update regarding the Centre and, in particular, the position regarding reopening.
As I informed you in early August, it has been an extremely difficult summer for everyone connected with the Centre. Avon House School Ltd went into administration and Avon House Prep School Ltd subsequently closed its doors. Throughout this period, we have been assured that The Sheila Ferrari Dyslexia Centre remains operational and that its future would continue.
However, the ownership and management structure surrounding the Centre has proved extremely difficult to navigate over the past eight weeks. This has created considerable uncertainty for myself and my team and, unfortunately, this uncertainty has also impacted our ability to provide clear information and reassurance to our parents, students and teachers.
I would also like to make clear that, during this period, myself as Head of Centre, our Governors and members of the Centre team have not been included in the discussions regarding the future of the Centre. As a result, it is very difficult for me to provide parents, students, teachers and other team members with answers or any further clarity beyond the information that has been formally communicated to me.
I have now been informed by the Directors/Trustees of the following:
"We understand the position being faced by you and the team and would advise that there has been a lot of discussion about the future as it is very important to all of us. We also realise that time is short and it would be better to advise that we plan to open a week later when everything should be clear."
Based on this communication, I understand that the current intention is for the Centre to reopen one week later than originally planned, with further clarity expected during this additional week. I appreciate that there have been ongoing discussions regarding the future of the Centre. However, I also recognise the significant uncertainty this situation has created for our teachers, students and families, particularly with such short notice.
For the immediate future, teachers should therefore not attend the Centre on Monday, 7 September, and parents and students should not attend either. Please await further confirmation regarding the revised reopening arrangements.
I sincerely apologise to all of our teachers, students and families for the uncertainty and disruption that this situation has caused. I fully understand the frustration and concern that many of you will be feeling, and I hope that the additional week will provide the clarity that has been needed for some time.
I will provide a further update as soon as I am given confirmed information regarding the Centre’s reopening and arrangements going forward.
Kind regards,
Annelize Alfredo
Head of Centre
The Sheila Ferrari Dyslexia Centre