Dear Parents/Carers
We wanted to inform you of some of the actions we have taken as we continue to face the challenges posed by the Covid 19 pandemic, and to thank you for your continued support and patience in this most challenging of times.
Our assemblies and form times have reminded students of the need to continue to wash hands and to inform us if they display the symptoms defined by the Government as requiring self-isolation. Should they inform school of having symptoms, they will be isolated, and we will contact home and request that parents/carers collect students. If any family members display symptoms of illness including a new cough and/or high temperature, then everyone within that household must isolate for 14 days. We are asking all parents to follow Government recommendations around people who fall into the most vulnerable groups; if your child has any underlying health conditions that make them susceptible to illness, please keep them at home and report this absence to school. Each family situation is different, so please make the decision that is best for your family and their wellbeing.
Our site team are undertaking additional cleaning duties to ensure we keep the building as clean as is possible in the circumstances. This is in addition to the existing high standards of cleanliness that our teams provide.
In the event of closure, or partial closure, we will contact parents by email, Twitter and through the school website at the earliest opportunity. This will give families the maximum amount of time to make appropriate arrangements.
We have taken steps to ensure that students eligible for free school meals will continue to receive support and will be in contact with families directly to provide assistance.
Students and families requiring broader ‘wrap-around’ support through our school pastoral systems will continue to receive support for as long as is feasible. We will keep reception open until 4pm for as long as staffing enables this.
We have had to re-deploy some staff in school initially to cover timetables and classes and prioritised examination classes in the first instance. We will continue to review this strategy daily.
We have taken steps in school to enable staff to provide classes with support in the event that school closes. These steps are designed to ensure that we are able to set work and monitor its completion, enabling teachers to support students’ progress remotely. Further information will follow in the event of closure, but teachers will set work to enable them to know where students are on a lesson by lesson basis, what content students need to cover and the materials necessary to make this possible up until the examination season. Teachers are currently confirming:
- How students can access or ‘learn’ content that they have not yet covered in class (if appropriate), and sourcing online resources, video tutorials or similar students can use.
- Where students complete coursework or non-examined assessment, attempting to ensure that we can monitor and support this as effectively as possible.
- How students should best ‘re-teach’ themselves content already covered using strategies already establishes in school, such as self-testing.
- How they can test themselves in the style of examinations, making past papers available via Google Classroom, Rainford Connect or Show My Homework .
- The availability of mark schemes to enable them to mark their work in addition to staff feedback via online platforms.
- Guidance on what their test score/performance may indicate, and the next steps for them in their learning journey.
- Planned reading and research to support this process.
As a school, we will continue to consider how we can best support students’ health and wellbeing in the event that there is a prolonged period of absence from school in addition to the academic support we will provide. Again, we will be in touch in due course regarding these issues.
As a community we recognise the importance and relevance of our ethos more than ever – Everyone Matters, Helps and Succeeds because of our ongoing commitment to the values of care, compassion and support.
Yours sincerely
Mr Ian Young
Principal