Dear Pupils
I hope that you and your family are safe and well. It has certainly been a strange few weeks as we have tried to adjust to this new way of living and studying. I hope that you are ok. I, like all of the teachers and staff of our school, have been thinking about you and wishing you well.
The most important thing you can do is to take care of yourself and to take care of those around you. This means staying at home, only leaving for the shortest amount of time possible when it is absolutely essential to buy food, get medicine or to take one form of daily exercise (walk, run or cycle for 1 hour maximum a day). This is the law. These government instructions mean that you are protecting yourself, your friends, your family and your community. I know that it is not easy to stay home all day, especially when the sun is shining and you are on Easter break. However, it is essential, it is not a choice, and we must all play our part in protecting one another.
I have been so proud of how you have handled these uncertain times. You have been kind and caring, many of you checking in with your teachers to check that they are ok too. I cannot tell you how much this means! Please know that we are all here for each of you – just because we are separated at the moment does not mean that we are not here for you. We are missing the bustle of school, and of course we are missing you too. Please reach out if you need us – use email to be in touch – and we will do all that we can to support you.
Thank you to the many of you who have shared your amazing work with your teachers. It has been lovely to see how hard you have been trying and the progress you are making. Very well done!
I have quite a lot to update you on – so my apologies for this long letter – but I wanted to write one letter to all of you together so that you would know all of the information.
Distance Learning Update
The initial phase - setting things in motion
This was the phase that we were in up to Easter as we all tried to adjust to a new way of living and working. For us all, our primary concern was, and will remain, your welfare and safety.
The situation was dynamic and ever changing, and so it was difficult to make lasting plans. The lessons, resources, activities, etc. that we set you hopefully gave you the opportunity to do some learning at home. It won’t have worked with every one of you as yet but it has worked for so many. You can see on the website just how much you have been using Google classroom and Gmail. I think everyone should be very proud of what was achieved in this initial phase. Thank you!
The Easter phase - time to stop and reflect
As you are aware, we are not setting 'lesson' work over the Easter break. This will give some of you the chance to complete the work you haven’t had a chance to do yet. For others it will give you the break you need. Mr Chandler has produced a ‘cultural break’ activity sheet which you might like to complete over the Easter break – it’s based on videos and things that may interest you! Give it a go!
The post Easter phase - making it manageable, sustainable and purposeful
We may be changing the KS3 timetable after Easter so that you have three sessions a day rather than five lessons. We will be discussing this over the Easter break and I will write to you again at the beginning of the new term with any changes to arrangements.
If you are in Y10 and Y12 you should continue to follow your timetable as we work through the syllabus. It is essential that you try the best you can to complete the work set, and keep in touch with your teachers. Any problems you are having, please let your teacher and they will try to sort it out.
If you are in Y11 and Y13 you should continue to follow your timetable but with a greater focus on those subject areas that you are going to continue in September. You will be encouraged to read around the subject area, expanding your knowledge and understanding by studying outside the parameters of the examination specification.
The recovery phase - starting back at school
At some point we will reopen, although we do not know when that will be. I can’t wait to see you!
GCSE and A level examinations
As you will be aware, the GCSE and A levels examinations due to take place this summer have been cancelled. Qualifications Wales issued guidance on Friday on the information required for each student due to sit this summer’s exams. In summary, for every GCSE, AS, A level and Skills Challenge Certificate qualification, the school will be required to submit:
1. A centre assessment grade for each student. This is the professional judgement of the subject teachers, including the Head of Department, about the grade that each student is most likely to have achieved if they had sat their exams this summer
2. The rank order of students within each grade, for each qualification
We must ensure you receive the grade you would most likely have achieved if you sat the exams. Therefore we will be asking - what grade would this particular student most plausibly have achieved if they were taking the exam?
We will not be asking for any further work from you to support this process. You may find these links from Qualifications Wales helpful - ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ sheet and a letter to students.
So, in summary, this is our understanding at the moment from the Qualification Wales guidance for Y10-Y13 students:
Information for current Year 10 students
If you were due to sit a full qualification this summer (that is all units of a GCSE) you will be issued with a grade following the same process for those students in Y11. (But this affects very few pupils in Y10).
For most students in Y10 you were due to sit a series of unit elements of examinations this summer e.g. a proportion of a qualification. In these cases a grade will not be issued. This will affect most pupils in Y10 and you will have two options in summer 2021:
Option 1 – choose to sit the units you would have done anyway in Y11 and the overall grade will be worked out on the basis of those units and controlled assessments.
Option 2 – choose to sit the units you were due to complete in Y10, as well as sit the units due to be sat in Y11. Your overall grade will then be worked out on the basis of the performance in all the units. However, if your grade from option 1 would be higher, then you will receive that higher grade.
Information for current Y11 students
For each GCSE qualification that you were entered for for examination this summer, you will receive a grade using the process outlined above. This will also apply to the Skills Challenge Certificate. We do not know as yet how this will apply to BTEC, ASDAN, etc. qualifications but expect to hear more in the next couple of weeks.
Information for current Y12 students
AS levels are not stand alone qualifications. In nearly all cases, they are examinations which are taken in Year 12 which contribute to the full A level qualification in Y13. AS grades will be awarded in the same way as GCSE and A levels this summer. However, these AS grades will not contribute towards the full A level result in 2021. They will however be useful for university applications. You will have two options in summer 2021:
Option 1 – choose to sit both the AS units and A2 units for the A level. The full A level grade will be calculated on performance on all units in the full A level.
Option 2 – sit just the A2 units and performance in these will be used to calculate a result for the AS units. The combined marks will then be used to produce the A level grade.
If you choose to follow option 1, the WJEC will check what your grade would have been with option 2. If option 2 gives a higher grade, you will receive the higher grade
Information for current Y13 students
For each A level qualification that you were entered for for examination this summer, you will receive a grade using the process outlined above. This will also apply to the Skills Challenge Certificate. We do not know as yet how this will apply to BTEC qualifications but expect to hear more in the next couple of weeks.
Please note that Qualifications Wales have made clear that at no stage should the grade or rank order be discussed with or shared with you, or your parents or carers. All of our teachers will be working hard on this over the next two months. We will do all that we can to ensure that everyone receives the grade they would have achieved if they were taking the exam.
Support and other information for you
We have shared a lot of information and contact details with you through the wellbeing resource which was emailed to your school account.
School contact – we are trying to keep in contact as much as possible, whether that is by email, through Google Classrooms or by phone. Please do not hesitate to reach out to your teachers and staff – whether that’s to check in, share a funny story or for help and support. We are here for you!
FSM – CCBC are delivering packs of 5 frozen meals to each FSM child weekly who has applied for this provision. These will be delivered throughout the Easter holiday. If you are eligible for Free School Meals your parents need to register by email to bridgesintowork@caerphilly.gov.uk to receive these meals. There are also mobile numbers which you can ring, all of which are on our school website.
School Nurses and Looked After Children Services have a direct line for pupils, parents, carers and schools – please click here for poster
Careers Wales still offer vital careers services digitally and over the phone. This service is available Monday to Friday and is available for young people in schools and colleges, parents/guardians and those children who are normally home-schooled. It is an opportunity for you to discuss any concerns you have about next steps and future options – click here for link to website
Coleg y Cymoedd are looking at their arrangements for applications / interviews for those of you in Y11 starting courses there in September – click here for link to the website www.cymoedd.ac.uk/hello
Hubs – CCBC have developed Childcare Hubs across the authority for the children of key workers. Each hub has a designated staff team and are operating through Easter.
School trips, visits and prom - the FCO has issued a blanket ‘do not travel’ advisory, which should mean that all cancelled trips are covered under their insurance. We will not be able to organise refunds whilst the school is closed as we do not have access. Please be assured that we will do so once schools reopen.
We are keen to show the work, support and kindness of so many across our school community. We would like to celebrate this on our website with examples of home learning, rainbows, pupils going above and beyond in the community, taking part in our ‘Take a Cultural Break’ Easter programme, pupils showing support for the NHS wearing blue, taking part in the clap on Thursday evenings, etc. or videos of fun challenges. Please share these with your teachers or your Head of Year so that we can share on our website for everyone to see.
And finally, I know that things feel strange at the moment and it is tough being isolated at home. We are not able to see our friends other than through a screen, sometimes we all feel bored or sad, and it can feel overwhelming. I’m trying to think of it this way: we are not stuck at home - we are safe at home!
But it is also a time to be thankful, to have time to think and to be creative, when a smile is so important, when each of us can help those who need us by phoning our grandparents and relatives and making them laugh, helping an elderly neighbour with their shopping, or just making your Mum a cup of tea. You’ve got time to be creative – to write a diary or a blog, to take photos, make a film, read a book, daydream ……
Most houses I see have rainbows in their windows, rainbows of thanks and hope. Every Thursday evening I stand in my street with my neighbours, as you do, to clap and cheer the NHS. This makes me happy and proud.
The world feels slower as well – we can hear birdsong, there are no aeroplanes, our rivers and seas are cleaner, there are even mountain goats roaming the streets in Welsh towns … there is so much hope.
I have been so proud of you as you have managed these changes to how we live, work and study. Please take care of yourself. Please stay home and stay safe.
I hope you and your family have a happy Easter.
Thinking of you all.
Miss Collins
Headteacher
