Dear Pupils
I hope that you and your family are well and keeping safe in this extended lockdown. I hope that you have had a good break over Easter, and managed to have some space and time to relax. I hope that you have been able to catch up with friends and loved ones virtually over the break too.
As you will know, the lockdown has been extended by at least another 3 weeks. This means that we must continue to stay home, only leaving for the shortest length of time possible to get vital supplies like food or medicine, and to take one form of daily exercise. I hope that you have been going for a daily walk, run or cycle in the beautiful weather we have been having.
All schools remain closed, and we will continue to provide you with work to complete at home. The summer term now begins, and it is important that each of you keeps up to date with your work as much as you can.
I know that the lockdown is hard – I suspect that you are, like me, missing your friends and family. It is great to phone or video chat, but it isn’t the same as seeing people face to face. However, these are the rules at the moment because this is the only way to keep ourselves and those that we love safe. So although it is hard, it is essential. Thank you for all that you are doing, for the sensible choices you are making, and for the maturity that you are showing by obeying the rules of the lockdown so well.
It is also very important that you take care of your wellbeing too. Treat yourself with kindness – try not to give yourself a hard time if things aren’t going so well today. We are all having good days and tougher days. Try to eat well, drink plenty of water, keep in touch with your friends, take your daily exercise ….. even something as simple as making your bed first thing in the morning can make you feel better. Having a positive routine is really important – try to go to bed at a reasonable time, try to have a 8-9 hours sleep, set your alarm so that you get up, have a shower, get dressed, tidy up, etc. Each small act of kindness towards yourself will help you cope better in these challenging times.
And if you need us – get in touch by email. All of the staff are here for you – just reach out and we will be in touch and try to help as best we can. I am sure that you are missing school, your friends, the normality of it all – and so are we! We miss you too!
So ….. the summer term now begins and we will continue to provide you with work to complete at home.
Thank you to all of you who have tried so hard on your school work since the school closed. I know that it is not easy to work by yourself, and sometimes it is hard to motivate yourself. However, it is really important that we keep on track. Your teachers are keen to support you – please don’t hesitate to send them an email if you are not sure about something or if you need extra help. They would love to hear from you.
As I said in my email at the beginning of the holiday, we have made some changes to the KS3 timetable.
For KS3 we will be moving to the timetable below from Wednesday 22 April 2020. Each session will be approx. 60-75 minutes and your usual teachers will set work on your Google classrooms. There will be core and challenge tasks for you to complete in each session. There will be an overview of the work on the school website so that your parents can see what you have been set.
From Monday 20 April, you will be able to access daily lessons on BBC Bitesize in an expanded version of the website and in special programmes broadcast on BBC iPlayer and BBC Red Button. These lessons on screen will be six different 20 minute shows, each designed to target a specific age group, from ages five to 14. Maths, Science and English will be covered in dedicated programmes, and other subjects such as History, Geography, Music and Art will also be covered. For older students, BBC Four is also joining forces with Red Button for evening programmes to support the GCSE and A Level curriculum.
For KS3 work for today and tomorrow (Monday and Tuesday) we would like you to check your Google Classrooms to make sure there isn’t any work that you have missed. We would also like you to have a look at BBC Bitesize which is launching lessons for children across Britain. On Monday and Tuesday this week you should complete the lessons for KS3 on BBC Bitesize. We will be asking you what you think about these lessons, and we will use your feedback to help us plan your lessons over the coming weeks.
The BBC Bitesize timetable for KS3 this coming week is
The timetable for KS4 and KS5 has not been changed and you will be set work by your teachers to complete as you were before the Easter break. I will be in contact with you again soon to give further detail about grading and ranking for GCSE and A level this summer following up from my last email.
So …. the summer term begins – and not in a way we could ever have imagined two months ago. However, whatever the challenges, I know that we will each continue to do the very best that we can, putting the needs and wellbeing of all within our school community first and foremost.
Thank you, please take care of yourselves and keep in touch.
Miss Collins
Headteacher
