26 May 2021

Bells

As I am sure you have been told, we have experienced significant difficulties last week and this week with our bell system in the Barossa building.  Frustratingly, due to an electrical fault, the bells have been sounding erratically throughout the day causing some disruption to lessons and inevitably impacting on staff/student stress levels.  We have had engineers on site but up until yesterday they could not locate the fault - we are hopeful that this has now been rectified but may need further work during the half-term break next week.  I can assure you that at all times we have had comprehensive back-up systems in place to deal with any notification of fire and to ensure we could evacuate buildings quickly and safely should it be required.

Some time ago we made an application to the DfE Condition Improvement Fund for an upgrade to our fire/lesson changeover bell systems, and we are awaiting their decision whether our bid has been successful.  The last few days have illustrated how much that work is needed!

Year 11 End-of-year Celebration Event

We believe that further guidance on events such as School Proms and Celebration Assemblies will be published on Wednesday 2 June and that guidance will help inform our decision on what format any events can take.  For Year 11 students we very much hope we can, as per our usual tradition, have a fitting end-of-year celebration, and we are working on outline plans for a number of scenarios including a BBQ or morning breakfast, a Prom or an Assembly.  We remain cautious regarding the current Coronavirus situation but will ultimately be guided by the national guidance published.  I thought you would like to know that we have plans ready to be implemented just as soon as we are told what we can do!

Transition for Year 6 Students

The situation, as outlined above, is the same regarding waiting for further government guidance before deciding on our transition arrangements for Year 6 students this year.  I hope to be in the position of being able to write to parents on Wednesday 9 June with details of our plans.

Summer School

We will shortly be distributing details of our Year 6 Summer School this year which will run in the w/c Monday 26 July with places available for 45 students.

Structure of the Day

Parents will be aware that over the course of the year our Year 8 and 9 students have had to have a term each having two split lessons per day.

Our Year 11 students coming to the end of their academic year enables us, after half-term, to ensure no student has to have their learning interrupted mid-flow in this manner by Year 9 adopting the breaktime and lunchtime slot that the Year 11 cohort would have had in Kingston Building and Year 8 reverting to what they were accustomed to last term. This also allows Year 9 to get used to what will be their new surroundings in September. This means that after half-term the College Day will look like this:

I am sure that your child if in Year 8 or Year 9 will appreciate this.

Mr Tanner - Principal