Dear Families,
I hope this update finds you and those closest to you in good health. I realise there have been a number of communications this week so I will keep things as brief as possible.
Online/Remote Provision
Thank you to families for your understanding and flexibility this week around online provision. Throughout the last 2 weeks and prior to half term we have been facing significant staffing issues with insufficient supply availability to draw upon. As outlined in this week’s emails we have explored all avenues to remain fully open. This has included collapsing classes together into lecture style lessons in some instances, students having lessons with unfamiliar staff and our staff covering lessons where they would normally be on duty, planning or marking. These are short term measures and whilst they are not ideal, they are better alternatives to having students working from home. We have, however, had a pinch point this week where there has simply not been enough staffing to cover classes and duties, hence the decision to move to online learning for one day. We are not out of the woods yet and families need to be aware that we may again have to move some Year Groups to remote working next week. We intend to be fully open on Monday and will be monitoring the situation day by day. If we are to limit the attendance of a year group we would always aim to give as much notice as possible to allow families to make the necessary arrangements. With this in mind, please ensure your contact details are up to date as notifications will be sent via text or email.
Face Coverings
We are continuing to ask students and staff to wear face coverings when moving through the site and in communal spaces. The high levels of the virus circulating throughout the city and the case numbers we are seeing in the communities we serve have informed this choice along with information from out Director of Public Health. Whilst I know that we would all prefer to not wear them, it is a necessary precaution to keep the numbers of cases in school down and to help guarantee our continuity of provision. Thank you for your continued support with this.
PTA
A reminder that our initial planning meetings for our PTA will take place on Wednesday 9th February, 6pm at the Pakistani Community Centre in Pear Tree. Then on Thursday 10th , 3.45pm at the Academy.
Parent Survey
A reminder to families that our parent/carer survey is live and can be found here. The deadline for this to be completed is Tuesday 1st February.
Year 13 Parents Evening
The Year 13 Parents Evening will take place online on our SchoolCloud platform on Wednesday February 2nd. If you need support in accessing this or making appointments, please contact school in good time so we can assist.
Year 13 Oxbridge Offer
We have been proud to hear that one of our Year 13 students, Jack Hitchcock, has secured an offer of a place to study Classics at Cambridge University next year. Well done Jack. This time of year can be nerve wracking for all our Year 13 students as they look to secure places at University, apprenticeships and roles in the world of work. If your child is in Year 13 and needs advice about UCAS or pathways for next year, please do contact the 6th Form Team.
Year 11 Intervention and Mock Examinations
Our intervention program continues to roll along for Year 11 in preparation for their mock examinations after half term. This week saw another round of our fish and chip night with students in school well after hours to take part in a slightly different revision session. We have had 100% attendance at these sessions with students enjoying the extra quality time with subject experts and some hearty take away food with their friends. There will be more of these events to come including a further session next week for selected students.
Wishing you a safe and relaxing weekend,
Scott Doyle
Principal
