24 March 2020

Dear Parents/Carers

I intend to send you regular updates on College procedures and key issues. You will not now receive a text informing you of these updates as we will now revert to only sending these texts out for urgent messages or immediate changes in circumstances. You can see copies of all my recent communications to you on the Principal’s Blog section on our website.

Our advice to all our students re staying safe

• The College is closed to all, but a small minority of students so please don’t turn up expecting access. 
• Follow all government advice on social distancing and staying at home.  You should not be gathering in groups, you should avoid unnecessary travel and you should stop all non-essential contact.  Stay at home and stop the spread.
• Everyone has a responsibility to protect those who are most vulnerable to this virus so please follow the rules.

Provision for children of critical workers and for vulnerable students

Following the Prime Minister’s announcement last night regarding even tighter restrictions on working and gatherings I would like to again thank our staff who have turned up this morning to work with our students in our Learning Resource Centre. We have a small number of students participating in a variety of activities which allows, in many cases, their parents and carers to go to work on the frontline to support all of us in this time of a ‘national emergency’. I cannot stress how much I value their commitment to our students and the College.

Options for Year 8 and Year 9 students

Even though the College is closed, the options process will still go ahead as intended. Our aim is to provide students with their first choices wherever possible, however, as mentioned throughout this process, where that isn’t possible (clash on the timetable, a course not running etc) we will automatically allocate a student to one of their reserve options where possible. As the College is closed for the foreseeable future, any communication needed with students/parents will be via either email or a phone call. Our intention as this moment in time is still to confirm option choices by letter in June.

March Reports

As you are aware, reports are due to go home this week for Years 7-10.  However due to the College being closed reports will now be available on the Parent Portal on the 25 March. For Parents who have made us aware that they do not have access to the Parent Portal, their child’s report will be posted home.

The latest announcements from the Government states that all May and June examinations are to be cancelled.  Therefore, we will not be releasing any reporting data for the subjects that would have been examined during these months.

We will update you again once we have further information on how the grades in these courses will be awarded this summer.

In order to view your report once you have accessed the Parent Portal, click on ‘My Child’.  Scroll to the bottom of the page and then click on ‘Online Reports’.

Reminder regarding work provided for students working at home

 Students should be reminded to look at their emails regularly and complete the work that their teacher sets for them.  If they have been unable to set work, then they can complete the work that Mrs Wright sent out last week.  Students are not expected to do both.  Students should email their subject teacher directly (and not Mrs Wright!) if they would like any further guidance on this.  Our main priority is that students are safe and well – we will support them with their academic progress when we are all back in College so please tell them not worry about this.  Students should be encouraged to communicate with their own teachers so that they can monitor how well they are managing to access the work.

Parent Communication System

During this closure period I think it imperative that the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) are very aware of any issues that you are concerned about and therefore can I ask you that please use our College On-line Communication System available via the Parent Portal rather than emailing individual departments or staff. Your communication will be directed to the appropriate individual but, crucially, a weekly report will be circulated to the SLT so that we can monitor any problems or trends.

Again, my thanks for your support.