Dear Parents,

Firstly, I wish all of our Muslim community a Happy Ramadan.

We have a number of children who wish to fast during this holy season. While we would like to support our children in exploring their faith, we must also be mindful of their health and their wellbeing, as they are growing up.

The advice that we have been given is that children at Primary school are younger than the obligatory fasting age. Medical advice is that at this age, children continue to need food and water to help them function during the day, as they are still growing.

For children who are of Primary School age, the best thing for them is to fast at home at the weekend, where the parents can support them and teach them why they are doing this.

Therefore, we would like to support the children who would like to fast in the following manner:

1. We will only allow fasting for children in Year 5 and Year 6
2. We require parental permission (either in the form of an email, or a phone call to the school office)
3. Following parental permission we will allow the children to fast twice per week - on Tuesdays and Thursdays
4. If a child seems to be losing energy, or struggling due to fasting, we will give them water and a piece of fruit to eat.

Again, if children wish to fast more than this, we would encourage  them to do this at home with your support.

Many thanks for your support and understanding at this time,

Mr. Kelly