Dear Parents & Carers
It is at times of great challenge that we get the opportunity to see the best of people, and throughout this COVID pandemic, I have been continually impressed by the incredible passion and enthusiasm of all our staff in their desire to support our students, both academically and socially. This week has been no exception.
As you know, we have seen a rising number of cases in different year groups across the school and we unfortunately had to close Year 8 & 9. This week, we welcomed back Year 8, and it was encouraging to hear from them that they had been able to access live lessons on Teams throughout their time away and their learning had been able to continue from home. We will be conducting more in-depth surveys with students and parents across all year groups to get a detailed picture of your experiences of remote learning and how we can better support students.
Unfortunately, today we have had to close Year 10 and 11, and they will be absent next week. However, we now know the systems are working well and that learning can and will continue. It is a strange sight, to walk through Year 10 classrooms as I did this morning, and see teachers delivering lessons to empty classrooms, and then to hear a student’s voice from home, asking questions and seeking clarification. I’m not sure I will get used to it, but it is reassuring to know that our students are committed to carrying on in this way.
To cap a busy week, we had a call from Ofsted on Tuesday. They are not conducting inspections this term, but are contacting schools to find out more about our COVID-related experiences and how we have needed to adapt and adjust. We had a day of Teams meetings with two inspectors. This provided an opportunity for us to reflect on the actions of all our community: teaching and non-teaching staff, students, parents and carers – all of whom have collaborated to help us get back to a routine, despite the interruptions and challenges thrown at us. Listening to it all, I was immensely proud of the work we’ve all done.
Our Year 11 students will sit their progress (mock) exams in December. With the students at home, we had to find a way to get revision materials, books and portfolios delivered to them. In 24 hours, Sarah Wyatt, Head of Year 11 managed to organise the collation of a huge number of resources, all ordered by form group and separated into individual student piles, laid out in the Upper School Hall ready for parents and carers to collect. As she said, “It shows how much everyone wants to support our Year 11s and help them feel as prepared as possible.”
The photo above speaks volumes about our community and how we can pull together to support each other.
With best wishes
Simon Jones – Deputy Head
Click here to return to the current newsletter