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Message from the headteacher

Update about Government Advice on re-opening schools

Below is the link to the government advice for parents/carers about the possible re-opening of schools. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/closure-of-educational-settings-information-forparents-and-carers/reopening-schools-and-other-educational-settings-from-1-june

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Some context around this advice:

1. Currently, schools have been asked to plan for the possible return of some students in some capacity after 1 June. The government has set a review date of the 28 May when it will decide if this will go ahead.

2. Secondary schools have been asked to provide some face to face contact for some students in Y10 and 12 to support their remote learning.

3. The government dictates which year groups we are open to and we have no discretion in this.

4. Teachers’ unions are in discussions with the government about the nature and wisdom of any return to school. We cannot take for granted that they will be available to work. Currently the NEU is advising its members not to take part in discussions about reopening and this is something we have to take into account.

5. Public transport may be limited and this may affect student and staff travel to and from school.

6. We remain open to the most vulnerable students across all year groups and to the children of keyworkers.

You will see above that there are lots of variables, so we will resist the urge to over communicate and will instead wait until we have a very clear idea of what is happening after 1 June before sharing any detailed plans. We are working in very close partnership with other schools so that, where possible, we offer a similar level/type of provision.

As things stand what we can tell you is this:

Current Y6: we are meeting with our primary schools soon. We will be using all available technology to provide a virtual transition and we will also make plans to offer a different transition arrangement for students who might need extra support through this process. We aim to provide a day in September when new Y7 students will be the sole focus of staff on Starkholmes site.

Current Y7, Y8 and Y9: there are currently no plans for these year groups to return to school before September. This is very upsetting for us as staff, but safety is the underpinning reason for this delayed return. We are working hard to further improve the quality of our online school. Parents/ carers are thanked for their ongoing efforts to encourage children to access all available resources. The more they complete online, the less we hope the damage will be from this interruption to learning.

Note for Y9 regarding options: We will be sending final options confirmation about option choices soon after half term.

Current Y10 & Y12: We have been tasked by government to prepare to begin some ‘face to face’ contact with year 10 and 12 students who have key exams next year, in support of their continued remote, home learning.

We are working through exactly what that really means, how we can do so safely and what is the most effective way we can use the time we will have with your children. The constraints needed to keep students and staff safe on site and the associated government guidelines mean it is very unlikely to take the form of full-time education and conventional lessons. This means we can explore some innovative approaches to what we do with the time we have to make sure your children feel as confident as possible for their exams in summer 2021.

It would be really helpful to understand your views about the decision to re-open for Y10 and Y12 - if you have children in these years we ask that you complete the short survey emailed out today (deadline Wednesday 20 May at 9am).

Current Y11 & 13: You are at the very forefront of our minds as we work to ensure you get the grades you deserve in your examinations. We are prohibited from discussing these grades with students or families. Mr Flett and his sixth form team will be communicating with students in Y11 who have applied for our sixth form and with Y13 regarding results and the UCAS process.

We will be in touch again soon when we have made firmer plans. We appreciate that you may have questions, but we ask you to refrain from contacting school with questions about anything apart from urgent matters; this will allow us to dedicate our time fully to making safe and sensible plans for our children.

Thank you for your support.

We Are Highfields.

A Marsh Headteacher

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