School Updates - 11th June Update

Dear Parents

COVID-19 Parent Update

I trust that this message finds you well and I am certain that we are all looking forward to the further release from lockdown measures that are slowly being implemented.  As you will be aware in recent months Highams Park has only been open to the children of Key Workers and all other students have had to continue their learning via the online resources that have been provided via Firefly.

Can I thank you for your commitment and patience in continuing to support your child’s learning in this manner during what has I know been a challenging time for every section of our community.  I hope that you have found the online resources helpful and in coming weeks more and more staff will be making increased use of Microsoft Teams to further enhance the distance learning that can take place during the final five weeks of term.  We will communicate more details about this in separate correspondence.

As we now move towards being able to welcome back students from Years 10 and 12, I thought that it would be helpful and more beneficial for you to be able to see how our school has changed so I have constructed a video, so that you can start to picture how things will work.  Please follow the link below:

http://highamspark.fireflycloud.net/parent-information/coronavirus-info/year-10s-and-12s-return-to-school

I am aware that these details are at present most helpful to the students and families of Year 10 and 12 students, but thought that all of you would appreciate seeing how our school will be organised for this group of students.  Years 10 and 12 will return on a rota from Monday, 22^nd June 2020.  This will provide the opportunity for every student in these Year Groups to have some face to face contact with each of their teachers prior to the summer break.  Regrettably, all other Year Groups will continue with their online learning until at least the end of this academic year.

Year 10 – Return from Monday, 22^nd June 2020

From Monday 22^nd June 2020, students in Year 10 will attend school according to the rota below for two lessons each morning, continuing until the end of term.

The structure for the day will be as follows:

During these sessions, each student along with approximately quarter of their class will have an opportunity to meet with their teacher.  This will be a chance for students to be able to check with their teacher about any questions they have about the on line work that they have been doing, what they need to do going forward, including details as to how they might join future virtual meetings with their teacher via Microsoft Teams.  More information on our use of Microsoft Teams will follow in the coming days for all Year Groups.

The following subjects will be taught on each day and as each house group rotates round, they will all eventually have at least one meeting with their teacher before the summer break.

From the survey responses, it suggests that 50% of families in Year 10 are planning to send their children back to school prior to the summer. However, the timetable that we have constructed has been designed to be able to cater for all families deciding to send their child back for their allotted lessons on the timetable.  It is hoped that, as students, parents and teachers see that with good cooperation and respect for our new way of working it is possible to adhere to the social distancing requirements, we can together start to focus upon each student’s learning and progress.

As far as possible, students will be taught by their own class teacher, however there may be some occasions when this is not possible.  There are, for example, some colleagues who are still having to remain in isolation for their own benefit or for the benefit of family members, indeed there may well be “normal” sickness that impacts upon both students and teachers during these final four weeks.  However, please be assured that our teachers are desperate to see the students and to be able to help them with their studies.  Your children are what makes our school tick, and the job of teaching fun.  If one of your child’s teachers is not available, they may well be asked to only attend school for one of the sessions or will be covered by another teacher who is not their own.  We will do our very best to keep these to a minimum and rather take full advantage of the limited face to face contact that is possible.

More details about the Year 10 provision will be sent to families in that Year Group in the coming days, but do please dig out your school trousers, skirts and shirts.  Blazers and ties will not be required, and if your shoes still fit please wear them, if not dark shoes of some description.  Please avoid wearing jewellery that is normally banned and bring your own drink with you.  It will be essential that students arrive equipped with their own writing equipment and books, as sharing of any material comes with the associated risks.

Year 12 return form Monday 22^nd June

Students in Year 12 will also return from Monday 22^nd June 2020.  They will be grouped in Tutor Groups in the following manner:

The structure for the day will be as follows:

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These three groups will attend school according to the rota below:

Each day the subjects from the following option blocks will be delivered, so, as with Year 10, once the 4-week rotation has been completed each student will have had opportunity to meet with their subject teachers on several occasions.

The ‘Blocks’ are what subject options the students have chosen. Below is our 6^th form option blocks, however students can understand what block they are in by the code on their timetable (this is accessible on Firefly). An example is Student X’s English Language code being: 12D/EH1, so when they return to school and block D is on this allocated day, they will have English (see below on the option blocks). After a quick check on their Firefly timetable, this should become clearer for students.  

For those subjects that are highlighted in our 6^th form option blocks below, they cover 2 option blocks, so on students return they will have this subject and see their teacher in both blocks.

From the survey responses, it suggests that 50% of families in Year 12 were planning to send their children back to school, but as with the Year 10 provision the timetable we have constructed has been designed to be able to cater for all families deciding to send their child back for their allotted lessons on the timetable. 

6^th Form students should attend school dressed in smart casual clothing, avoiding the need to wear their normal business dress that would need dry cleaning.  It will be essential that they bring their own writing equipment with them and their own drink.  All of the other caveats mentioned with respect to Year 10 teachers also apply to Year 12 ,but staff are looking forward to seeing their classes again in person.

Unlike Year 10, Year 12 students will not necessarily have a subject in each of the five Option blocks. So, although Blocks A and B are both taught on the first Monday to students in group 1, an individual student in group 1 may have 2, 1 or indeed no lessons on that day.  Further details about the day will be sent out to Year 12 parents specifically.

Neither the Year 10 nor  Year 12 students will have access to the canteen at present and there will be no food provided for them, as they are only in school for the morning or afternoon session.  Although the Government have suggested that classes could contain up to 15 students, none of our classes will approach that number.  We have prioritised all students being able to be seated with a clear 2m exclusion zone around them, which restricts class size to between 8 – 10 students depending upon the size of the room.

As you would expect and can see from the earlier video there have been no end of amendments made to school to reduce the level of risk associated with a return to school.  I will next week make the risk assessment available to parents via Firefly, in order to inform your decision, as to whether to send your son or daughter back to school.  However, I cannot stress enough, as we will all have witnessed from any trip to the supermarket, the systems and measures in place require the respect and cooperation of each individual if they are to be successful. 

I am certain that our students in Years 10 and 12 will be able to take that responsibility on board and we all look forward to seeing them again from Monday, 22^nd June 2020.  Their response will help to inform our plans for the full return of the school in the future.

Yours faithfully

Phil Grundy

Principal