11 September 2020
Dear Parents and Carers,
All students have now been back in school for a week and it is clear that they have enjoyed their return. I have spoken with a large number of our students whilst on duty this week and they are enjoying lessons and getting used to new routines. I have also spoken with significant number of parents and carers and that too has been very positive. Last week I explained that each day currently is a learning curve. We have continued to adapt, to make adjustments and, in particular, to think carefully about movement within each of our bubbles. We are a large school with 1680 students and we have considered very carefully how best to manage the 35 hours that students spend with us across the week.
When the Department for Education shared their guidance on a full return to school we began to plan for three things that we believed to be fundamentally important:
- The need to assess risk, and to then to establish routines to keep all members of the school community safe.
- The need to deliver a full curriculum for all students, so that Year 11 and Year 13 were supported and prepared for exams in 2021, all whilst ensuring that other year groups could resume their education fully.
- The need to fulfil our obligation to protect and keep children safe.
All of the work that we have completed to this point is to make sure that each of those is possible.
Over the summer we worked very hard to prepare the school and to ensure that students could access a full curriculum in their unique bubbles. We gave particular consideration to GCSE students so that they could access a full range of specialist classrooms. They were not responsible for schools closing in March and we wanted to provide a full range of opportunities for them to succeed and avoided narrowing the curriculum. That has meant giving them the largest ‘footprint’ of any of our bubbles. They are based on the 1st and 2nd floors of the school and can access all of the necessary specialist rooms. That also means that movement at key points during the day has to be carefully managed and that, based upon location, students need to use the exits in a sensible way when instructed to do so. A number of people have made a judgement about how we are managing movement at school based upon a 3 second clip of our GCSE bubble from earlier in the week. I would hope that the majority of parents and carers would base any view that they might have of the school on the 35 hours each week of support, high quality teaching and obvious care for our young people. We also have a long standing track record of doing these things. We have worked effectively this week.
In reality, movement around our building was always going to be much more complicated for some of our students based upon where their bubble is within the school. We have limited corridor and stairwell space; we have a large number of students, and a limited number of entrances and exits. I have referenced this in my communication and letters to parents from March onwards. Things have gone very smoothly in terms of our other bubbles and we have made a number of adjustments to create more space for our GCSE students too. However, like all schools, there are significant issues that we face based upon the design of our building and the numbers of students that attend the school. We will continue to work on this, and I would encourage parents and carers to work with us if they have a query or concern, rather than relying on the perspectives of others on social media. We are always willing to work with the wider school community and greatly appreciate your support at a time when everyone at school is learning new routines. We will continue to refine details, but currently have good systems in place.
On Monday morning we intend to identify the key things that we have learnt in our first full week back. We will share these with all students during period 1. Please discuss the following points at home too.
Key things to keep everyone safe:
- Travelling to and from school on foot – Please travel straight to school and enter the school site immediately. At the end of the school day leave quickly and do not congregate in large groups on the A167.
- Travelling to and from school by bus – Please make sure that you go straight onto the appropriate yard for your bubble and straight to your bus when your bubble is allowed to leave at the end of the day. You will be dismissed by a senior teacher and the buses will be asked to leave when the school is cleared. Follow the instructions given by the driver – stay seated and wear a mask if asked to do so.
- Wearing masks/face coverings – We strongly recommend that all students wear face coverings in communal areas and when moving around the school. At the end of each lesson you will be asked to stand and put your mask on. You will be asked to do this when entering and leaving the building. Please do so promptly and bring a spare if necessary.
- Entering the building – You will be met by your teacher and escorted into the building from your bubble each morning. Move quickly and follow the instructions that you are given.
- Exiting the building – Follow the instructions that you have been given by a senior teacher and use the designated exit that you have been asked to use.
- Queuing for lessons– Please go straight into the classroom when asked to do. If the corridor becomes busy a senior teacher will take you into your classroom straight away.
- Queuing for lunch – The school yard is very large and there is no need to queue anywhere near to school entrances and exits. A senior teacher will identify when it is possible for you to come into school at lunchtime. This is to keep you safe, not to stop you from eating. We explained this to Year 10 and 11 students in form last week.
- Leaving the school site – We will release each bubble in turn. Do not wait for friends on the school site and leave when instructed to do by a senior teacher.
- Social Distancing – We are fully aware that social distancing is very difficult within schools, particularly in large secondary schools. The Department for Education Guidance for the Re-Opening of schools recognises this; their principle of students operating within bubbles is partly to allow for the fact that they will be in close proximity for short periods of time each day.
Please move quickly on the corridors and as you enter and leave school and also be considerate of other members of the community beyond the school gates. Wear a mask when moving around your protective bubble, don’t crowd people and be considerate towards others.
Additional points to help parents and carers:
- Parent Pay – Please use Parent Pay where at all possible if your child intends to buy a meal from school. We are offering hot and cold meals on a daily basis.
- Hand sanitiser – A number of parents have asked if students can bring their own sanitiser to school. It is absolutely fine to do so.
- Forgotten items – A number of parents and carers have visited the site to drop off packed lunches or equipment. Please do everything that you can to avoid doing so. We cannot accept visitors onto the school site. We have protocols in place to ensure that no child goes without lunch; students should speak to a member of staff on lunch duty.
- PE – We are currently assessing the risk of running after school clubs. We hope to make a decision in the coming week, but will take Local Authority advice and only do so if safe.
It has been an excellent week and it is clear that our students are happy to be back and are keen to learn. We will continue to make adjustments and will modify our routines as necessary. We will always explain this clearly to the students in each bubble and will act to keep students safe. That information will also be shared with parents and carers regularly. As a large secondary school we will encounter some difficulties with movement and numbers, but we will always act quickly to address any issue that is identified.
Thank you for your ongoing support.
Mr O’Sullivan