*IMPORTANT* Information Regarding School Closure

The government has reiterated that: ‘Schools will remain closed until further notice, except for children of critical workers and the children who are most vulnerable. We will re-open schools when the scientific advice indicates it is safe to do so’.

As soon as we know more, I will be in touch. In the meantime school remains closed for the vast majority of students and teachers will continue to work hard to provide an effective home education for your child. In line with Government and Local Authority guidance the school will continue to provide education and support for our vulnerable students and the children of essential workers.

This provision has continued over Easter and it will do so until school returns in full. We also had children from the above groups attending our Easter holiday school. Teachers and support staff kindly volunteered to come into school in their holidays to provide support and activities for such students so that their families could continue to fulfil their important roles in support of the rest of us. Thank you so much to these staff for their professionalism and willingness to help.

Of course, I do not need to remind families that the safest place for children is at home and children should not be making the journey to school unless absolutely necessary.

FSM vouchers will continue to be provided for those eligible and we are currently awaiting further information from the DFE regarding eligibility and access to laptops for vulnerable pupils.

 

YEAR 11 STUDENTS

We have now seen the information from the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) about how student grades will be awarded this summer. On 18th March 2020, the Secretary of State for Education announced that the summer 2020 examination series would be cancelled in order to fight coronavirus (COVID-19) and that students would be awarded a grade based on an assessment of the grade they would have been most likely to achieve had exams gone ahead. The examination boards have now agreed how this will be done, to facilitate progression of students to sixth form, college, training, apprenticeships or employment.

Please see link on school WEBSITE for more detailed guidance regarding gradings for GCSE’s and Vocational courses

Having read the guidance, it is clear that there will be a standard process which will be applied by Ofqual in all schools to enable the examination boards to arrive at a grade for each student. It is important to remember that we are not at liberty to share grades with families of students as they are subject to standardisation by the examination boards, and therefore may change before they are awarded on August 20th, 2020. We will keep you informed of any further updates.

 

VOCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS

Since we last wrote to you, the government has issued guidelines on how vocational qualifications (BTEC) will be awarded. Please see the link below which explains the current position, with more information expected soon. As with GCSE, the grades will be awarded by the examination boards based on teacher/school judgements.

Please see link on school WEBSITE for more detailed guidance regarding gradings for GCSE’s and Vocational courses

We are very proud of the achievements of our year 11 students and want them to be as ready as possible for further education, training, apprenticeships or employment; but also to be able to sit their GCSE exams in the future if they choose to do so. Although the work set after 20th March will not officially count towards GCSE or BTEC grades, the learning is in itself very valuable, especially during these challenging times. Please encourage your son/ daughter to maintain their great learning habits and to continue to study at home.  The tasks and activities set by staff for Year 11 will increasingly be looking forward towards Year 12 and future pathways.

As preparation for future pathways we will also be organising practise interviews for Year 11s and Mr Sholes (CEIAG Lead) will be in contact soon with further details.

 

HOME LEARNING, THE NEXT PHASE

School Leaders and subject leads continue to discuss how we can improve our virtual school over the coming weeks. We think that we have to be realistic and accept that this way of working may be for many more weeks, even months. Our staff have been contacting students since school closures began to make sure that they are accessing and completing work on Google classrooms. We would be grateful for your continued support with this. Children in year 7-9 should be completing the work each day to the best of their ability, taking the time each day to do it well (except for those who are sick or face the most challenging of personal circumstances) so that they maintain the important habit of learning ready for their return to school.

It is vital that pupils in Year 10 continue to work hard at home so that they are as prepared as possible for year 11 and their grades are not adversely affected. When we re-open, we do not want any child to be too far behind the others on their return.

There will also be a greater push to reward those students who are demonstrating our core values of Respect, Aspiration, Determination and Independence and those students who are showing very

strong character at a time of great uncertainty and challenge. We hope you enjoy our regular updates and sharing of some of the fantastic work the students are completing and some of the activities they are engaged in at home.

Please keep these coming, as it is a pleasure to see them enjoying such activities as baking, sport etc as well as their online learning via Google classrooms.

We will continue to update you on any changes and updates however please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any comments or suggestions, or if you require any help. Teachers continue to work from home and will be available to help students during school hours.

We are all waiting to hear good news about when the current situation will ease and schools will be able to reopen. Please remember, our virtual school re-opens today, Monday 20th April and unless students are sick, they should be learning every day and completing the tasks set by their teachers. I cannot stress enough how important home learning is. The current situation may go on for many, many weeks and it is vital that students do not fall behind in their studies. It is essential that parents monitor and encourage their children to complete the work set by teachers. This is especially true for those parents with a child in Year 10 as these students will be sitting GCSE examinations in just over 12 months’ time.

We will be working hard this week at senior and middle leader level to discuss the best way, over time and on government instruction, to plan the steps to a return to normal schooling for your children.

In the meantime, may we extend our very best wishes to each of you. Please follow the government guidelines on social distancing and stay safe.

Kind regards

L. Hanson
HeadTeacher