Dear Parents
COVID-19 – Easter 2020
It is my standard practice to write to you at the start of each half term, highlighting various events and celebrating successes from the previous term. I must acknowledge that, never has there been a period of time like the last six weeks to reflect upon.
In writing a letter to in excess of 1500 families, I am painfully aware that to wish you all good health would sound very hollow, as I am aware that many of you will yourselves have been unwell, and indeed am conscious that several of you, have tragically suffered losses within your family as a result of the COVID-19 virus.
Thank you for the many messages of support that the school received during the hugely confusing end to last term. Students in Years 11 and 13 found this particularly distressing as their progress towards the forthcoming GCSE and A Level examinations were interrupted. You will undoubtedly be aware, that the Government have in recent days released guidance on how grades will be awarded for students in these years, in the absence of the examinations that would normally take place.
Please find below a link that will take parents and students in Years 11, 12 and 13 to a letter from Sally Collier, the Chief Regulator from Ofqual explaining how your grades will be calculated this year. Please be assured that the teachers at Highams Park School, will be following this advice and guidance from the Government to ensure that each student will gain the grade that they were most likely to achieve, if the exams had gone ahead as normal this summer. Could I please stress part of Ofqual’s instruction which states that, while teachers are preparing the grades to submit to Ofqual colleagues, “Please don’t ask your teachers, or anyone else at your school or college, to tell you the grades they will be sending” as we are not permitted to share these grades with you.
Whilst the expectations for Years 11 and 13 have changed considerably with the suspension of this Summer’s exams, it is important that students in all other Year Groups continue to learn whilst the school remains shut. Having reviewed the statistics available to us from Firefly, whilst some students have made excellent use of the resources that teachers are providing, others are not making sufficient progress with the tasks.
If you are having any IT issues in accessing Firefly, please contact our IT team via the following address and they will assist you in gaining access to the resources available to all students on Firefly at
As well as the subject specific work available to each student on Firefly there are also several generic resources available for families on Firefly. As you will see from the following link: http://highamspark.fireflycloud.net/remote-projects-and-activities, there are some helpful suggestions around how to maintain a healthy lifestyle, both physically and mentally during this enforced lockdown. We would not wish to patronise any student or parent about how to manage home studies whilst the school is shut, and appreciate that each family and indeed each child has different resources available to them, as well as capacity to work individually via on line learning. What is important is that students remain engaged with learning and developing their interest and understanding of a variety of topics and subjects, whilst not becoming distressed or anxious about not being able to complete every single aspect of the work set. I would suggest each family continue to review and monitor the balance of time spent studying online, whilst also including physical exercise, socialising online and developing other interests.
I would like to thank school staff who, prior to the headlines, took advantage of their contacts in the NHS to arrange for the donation of all of the safety goggles owned by Highams Park School, previously used by students during their Science lessons, to be donated to frontline nurses in our local hospitals as PPE. Similar thanks, go to all of you who are now involved in the production of protective clothing for NHS workers or distribution of supplies within our community. I am sure each of us will be taking steps to support our neighbours, families and NHS colleagues.
Finally, I would like to pass on details of a local initiative that is being provided by members of the school’s local community. The following link provides information and contact details of a rapidly formed organisation offering support to families in Highams Park and Chingford who are struggling to manage their food supplies during this difficult time at www.tinyurl.com/HPFoodAid-RequestForm.
Whilst we cannot welcome you back to school for our final term of this year (yet), please be assured that colleagues will continue to work remotely to provide support and guidance to each of you during this time. Please continue to utilise Firefly and established email communication with colleagues to raise any questions that you may have. I include the link to details, available via our website, of our Heads of department, http://www.highamsparkschool.co.uk/index.php/contact/contact-heads-of-department but would remind you of the letter circulated by Mr Hyde prior to the school closure, where all staff contact details were circulated.
For those of you who have already made a payment for a future school trip, you should have been contacted Ms Hulme, our Educational Trips Administrator who is underway with the process of making refunds to you. Please bear with us as she undertakes this considerable task, but if you have any further questions, please feel free to contact her at
I wish you well and hope to see you in the not too distant future.
Yours faithfully
Phil Grundy
Principal
